Australia Dominates

Paul Bennett, tenor horn soloist and Besson Artist, spent his Easter ‘down-under’ enjoying all that the Australian and New Zealand championships had to offer. He even picked up a ‘pot’ of his own to bring home to the UK as the NZ Open Tenor Horn Champion! …

A week after the Australian National in Tasmania, it was New Zealand’s turn to host its National Championships in the culturally rich and visually stunning capital city of Wellington.

The event promised a thrilling match-up between two of Australasia’s banding heavyweights: the Reigning NZ Champion, Wellington, and Howard Taylor’s powerhouse, Brisbane Excelsior from Australia.

In terms of ‘edge-of-your-seat excitement’, it certainly didn’t disappoint. The closely-fought A Grade contest featured several excellent performances at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre, with Brisbane Excelsior eventually crowned national champion by a narrow half-point margin that beat an equally impressive Wellington Brass into second place…

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