Passion and tireless hard work will ensure 2025 will be another special year

As the Scottish Brass Band Association looks forward to 2025 – and to celebrating its 130th anniversary year – it finds itself in financially uncertain times, president Carrie Boax told banding delegates at its Annual General Meeting.

“Our team of dedicated trustees and committee members have been working hard to seek support whether through sponsorship, partnership working or funding opportunities and we will keep this as a priority as we embrace the coming year,” she said.

“One thing that is certain, however, is that the passion, positive contributions and selfless, tireless hard work we put into making the brass band movement a great one to be a part of here in Scotland will not diminish and will ensure we make this year another special one with all that’s good about SBBA at the centre of it.”

The meeting was held in the Bellshill Salvation Army Community Centre.

Carrie reviewed the past 12 months, highlighting the successes of the Scottish Championships and the Scottish Festival of Brass, the Scottish Solo and Ensemble Championships, and the Easter and summer residential courses for the National Youth Brass Bands of Scotland, including the Brass at the Park tribute to former conductor emeritus Richard Evans at Strathallan School in Perthshire – thanking everyone who had been involved in them all to make them so special.

She expressed particular gratitude for the financial support provided by Band Supplies, Besson, Perth and Kinross Council and the Scottish Government’s Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative Programme throughout the year.

Special thanks were paid to fellow SBBA trustees, the executive committee, volunteers and supporters and “all those people at the core of our amazing organisation who make SBBA what it is”.

Carrie summed up: “Your bands and our organisation is what we collectively make them. I encourage you to actively get involved as we strive to make Scottish brass banding the best that it can be in 2025.”

She finished by sharing a proud mum moment when she revealed that daughter Charlie, who plays baritone with Whitburn Band, had been selected along with cornetist Zoe Wilson from Coalburn Silver Band to represent Scotland in the European Youth Brass Band at the European Championships in May in Stavanger, Norway.

On a more poignant note, an In Memoriam segment paid tribute to those musicians who had been lost to Scottish and UK banding during the past year.

Awards

Carrie then presented awards to the Scottish bands of the year for 2024 – (pictured below, clockwise from top left) the cooperation band (Championship), The Kirkintilloch Band (First Section), Clackmannan District (Second Section), Perthshire Brass (Third Section) and Buckhaven & Methil Miners (Fourth Section).

Her President’s Awards went to Whitburn Band for its collaboration with Ivor Novello winner Martin Green on the stage production of Keli. Performance of the Year went to the cooperation band for Peter Graham’s Harrison’s Dream, achieving fifth place in the National Brass Band Championships. And the Outstanding Achievement accolade was awarded to John Wallace CBE for an elite musical career spanning over 50 years in which he has been dedicated to the promotion of arts education, serving as Head of the Brass Faculty at the Royal Academy of Music in London before becoming Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Whitburn Band was presented with the President's Innovation Award.

The President's Performance of the Year Award went to the cooperation band

Prof John Wallace CBE was the President's Outstanding Achievement Award winner

There followed the election of executive committee members and a Learning Festival of workshops – report here.