UK Band to Attend Ohio Brass Arts Festival

The Ohio Brass Arts Festival will take place in Weigel Auditorium on Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3, 2010 on the campus of The Ohio State University. The 4th Annual Brass Arts Festival will feature many award winning Brass Bands from the State of Ohio as well as a band from across the pond. The Central Ohio Brass Band is proud to announce the appearance of the highly acclaimed St. Helen's Youth Brass Band and their Musical Director Mark Bousie from St. Helens, England at this years Ohio Brass Arts Festival.

The St. Helens Youth Band currently has approximately 50 members, aged between 12 and 19 years old. They are very proud to have nurtured many players who have been invited to join the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. Players are encouraged to join local brass bands in and around St. Helens, with many progressing into some of the premier bands in the country, including Besses o’ th’ Barn, Black Dyke, Fodens, Marple, Sellers International, and Wingates.

The SHYBB has made five successful tours abroad - to the French Alps in July 1998, Austria in July 2000, Switzerland in 2002, Paris in 2004, New York in 2006 and Florence in 2008. High profile engagements have included appearances at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, and at Londons Royal Festival Hall and Regents Park. In September 2000, the Band was invited to perform at the prestigious Great Northern Brass Arts Festival held at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and most recently performed with Sir Willard White and jazz trumpeter Guy Barker in a charity concert at The Lowry Theatre, Salford. 

The SHYBB was most privileged to be asked to attend and perform at the procession during the Queen's Golden Jubilee.  On June 4th, 2002, as part of a group of five bands, played part of a piece (composed by Elgar Howarth) that, by incorporating old English children's songs, portrayed the 50 years for which the Queen has reigned.

 The SHYBB has appeared with a number of renowned soloists, including Roger Webster, Simon Cowen, Nick Hudson, and Mark Bousie, who is now our new Musical Director.  They have also won the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain on six consecutive occasions between 1997 and 2002, winning the Intermediate Class in 1997, Advanced Class in 1998 and 1999 and achieving a ‘hat trick’ in the Premier  Class in 2000, 2001 and 2002. After taking a year out in which the Training Band won the Junior Class, The Band has been runner up for the last two years.

Other bands that will be featured are the 10 time North American Brass Band Association Champions, Brass Band of Columbus and the 2007 and 2009 Honors Division Champions, The Central Ohio Brass Band. The TBDBITL Alumni Active Band will also be featured along with the Scioto Valley Brass and Percussion Co., Brass Band of the Western Reserve, The Chapel Brass, The Brass Band of Worthington Woods, The Brass Band of the Tri-State and the Grabill Brass from Otterbein University. For ticket and complete scheduling information go to www.ohiobrassbands.com.

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