BRIGHOUSE and Rastrick Band is celebrating after being named Yorkshire Champions.
The band won the Yorkshire Brass Band Championships at Bradford’s St George’s Hall on Sunday.
The win means the band will now make the trip to London’s Royal Albert Hall for the National Finals in October – the second time since 2007.
The finals are seen as the most prestigious contest in the banding calendar.
Paul Beaumont, president of the band, said: “Every player in the Band gave their all on the contest stage and has done over the last 10 weeks, during which the band has been preparing for the contest.
“I am very proud of their achievements but it is no more than they deserve – they are a massively talented team.”
The band gave a powerful performance of George Lloyd’s English Heritage.
Principal euphonium player Steve Walsh won the Instrumentalist Award, awarded by the adjudicators Derek Broadbent and Brian Buckley for outstanding musicianship. The conductor was Professor David King, who travelled from his home in Australia to finalise the band’s performances of the test piece and then conducted them on the contest stage.
Mr Beaumont added: “The band gave a fabulous and hugely musical performance of this extremely difficult test piece.
“This was Professor King’s first Yorkshire Regional Contest at the helm of B&R and this momentous victory bodes well for the upcoming contest season.”
Black Dyke Band was fourth.
