Date and venue fixed for next year's GB Youth Championships

Next year’s National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain will take place at Stockport Grammar School, Greater Manchester, on Saturday 25 March.

The Youth Champs takes place annually, each time at a different location, and is organised and managed by Brass Bands England (BBE) as a unique and inspiring performance opportunity for young brass players.

All youth brass bands across the UK are encouraged to take part in competitive elements of the contest, whilst the Besson Prodige Showcase Section will be available for any band, regardless of its level of experience.

To keep the competition as accessible as possible, and in response to participant feedback, there are a small number of changes to the event format. All sections will take place on a single day and will be open to all performers who have not reached their 19th birthday on or before 31 August 2023.

A new division, the Performance section, will provide a first taste of competitive band contesting and will replace the former Elementary and Intermediate sections, both of which have seen reduced numbers in recent years as more bands have been drawn to the Championship section.

Bands in the Performance section will perform an own-choice programme to include at least one original work for brass band.

Recognising the need for bands to continue their recovery from the lost years of pandemic recruitment and practise, there will be no set test-piece requirement in the Championship section, giving bands the flexibility to choose music suitable for their own particular ensemble.

While the event serves as the qualification process for the English entry to the European Youth Brass Band Contest, qualifying bands for Wales and Scotland to the EYBBC will be decided by the respective banding bodies in those regions.

Applications to take part in Youth Champs 2023 will open on Tuesday 20 September 2022 via the Brass Bands England website.

Ahead of the entry window, bands considering participating can download a Pre-Entry Information Pack as well as access updated Aims and Rules. All documentation is now available via the Youth Champs page on the BBE website.

All youth bands interested in the event are welcomed to a Youth Champs online information session hosted by the BBE team on Tuesday 11 October between 6-7pm. Drop in at any time to ask your questions about the event.