Every March, hundreds of brass bands from all over the country compete in regional championships.

Otterbourne Brass, like all the brass bands in Hampshire, have a long trek to Torquay where we compete in the West of England regional qualifiers. In 2016 Otterbourne did very well and came 2nd and so we qualified for the National Finals. Great excitement all round!

So, in September, the band competed in the Second Section national finals in Cheltenham, where we came a creditable 5th, and interestingly, were the highest ranked 2nd section band south of the Watford Gap. As a result of our success in the last 2 years, we will once again be competing in the 1st Section from 2018.

Preparations for March 2018 have already started. In between carols and Christmas music, the band has started rehearsing the test piece “Brass Metamorphosis” by James Curnow. In the banding world, it’s not well-known, however, it makes an excellent test piece: the music is technically challenging in places, and will take an experienced conductor to get the most out of the music.

Article by Kevin Cook

Otterbourne Brass at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, 2nd Section Finals, placing 5th.