2019 European Championships to be held in Montreux

The European Brass Band Association (EBBA) has revealed that the 2019 European Brass Band Championships will now be held in Montreux, Switzerland, following its decision not to pursue further proposals to hold the event in Palanga, Lithuania. 

Building upon recent developments within the Lithuanian brass band movement, for the last two years EBBA has been working with local organisers on the proposed event in Palanga. However, it has now been decided that the Palanga Concert Hall (opened in 2015) is not suitable for the event.

On the recent decision to relocate from Lithuania to Switzerland, Ulf Rosenberg told BBW: “The Executive Committee of EBBA was given the mandate to enter a contract with Palanga for the 2019 event, given that the organisation, concert hall (at that time not yet constructed) and other facilities could meet all the demands of the European Championships. It was clear that hotel and restaurant facilities were sufficient to host such an event, and that the local governmental support was strong and enthusiastic. During the last part of the evaluation process we also acknowledged improvements on the organisational side. However, there has always been a question over the quality of the concert hall. The new hall was opened late in 2015 and, after a visit by EBBA representatives, it was apparent that its acoustics were in need of improvement. This was also the conclusion during our visit in May 2017, and following another visit in late September we have concluded that, while the Palanga Concert Hall provides an attractive concert environment for general listening, it would not provide the capability and experience for the level of critical listening which the bands, conductors, jury and audience would expect at the world’s most prestigious brass band contest.”

Looking forward to the event in Montreux, Ulf Rosenberg continued: “While we are very disappointed for the local organisers in Palanga, especially with respect to the tremendous amount of hard work they have committed to the project, we are very grateful to the excellent Swiss organising team and now look forward to welcoming all the bands, audiences, sponsors and other stakeholders to Montreux in 2019.

"Previous European Championships held at the magnificent Stravinsky Auditorium, on the bank of Lake Geneva, have been memorable occasions and we have no doubt that the 2019 event will be another great chapter in the history of this great event.”