Open title heads to Switzerland

Switzerland’s Brass Band Valaisia and Arsene Duc stormed to victory at the recent British Open, making history as the first band outside The Commonwealth to win brass banding’s oldest competition.

British Open history was made in Birmingham on 9 September as Switzerland’s Brass Band Valaisia secured a sensational victory to become the first European band to take the British Open title in the 165-year history of our oldest contest.  

The victory capped a memorable day of contesting in Symphony Hall although, from the start, the signs had been there that the 2017 Open held the promise to be one of the finest contests of recent years. With tickets all but sold out within hours of going on sale and a test-piece that has been widely hailed as one of the most popular new works to have surfaced in many a year in Thierry Deleruyelle’s deeply emotive Fraternity, adjudicators, Stephen Roberts, Paul Cosh and Ray Farr, spent a grueling, but rewarding eight hours presiding over 18 performances of an overall standard that proved to be exceptional in both breadth and quality. 

A full report will appear in the next edition of BBW.

For more news, features, articles and reviews, subscribe to BBW Digital. Alternatively, subscribe to the printed magazine delivered by post: £40 (UK); £68 (Europe); £81 (Rest of the World)