Black Dyke Brass Festival 2023
The Black Dyke Brass Festival took place last weekend on Sunday 4th June at Huddersfield Town Hall. As has become tradition, the day began with instrumental ‘spotlight’ workshops and masterclasses: Cornets led by Richard Marshall, Flugel and Tenor horns run by Stephanie Binns and Siobhan Bates, Trombones under the direction of Brett Baker and a lower brass workshop guided by Matthew Routley, Adam Bokaris and Gavin Wyn Saynor.
The morning’s hard work, which included many of the young members of the Yorkshire Youth Brass Band, was followed by a Gala Concert performance in the afternoon. Featuring music for everyone, the first half included Elgar’s ‘Pomp & Circumstance No 4’, Black Dyke at the Movies and soloist showcase with the finale to the first half Respighi’s ‘Pines of Rome’. A special presentation by Geneva Sales Director, Simon Miller, of a silver Cardinal Cornet was also made to the band during the concert. The cornet was part of the prize the band won at this year’s European Brass Band championship held in Malmo, Sweden, where Geneva was a generous sponsor. Principal cornet Richard Marshall commented, “The new Cardinal is a beautiful sounding cornet that matches the cornets in the current Dyke section, however just like a formula one racing team, this new cardinal carries a few upgrades including the new trigger system which I’ve personally developed with Geneva
The second half was a spectacular showcase featuring Black Dyke and the massed bands of Yorkshire Youth Brass Band, Armthorpe Elmfield Band, Delph Band , Littleborough Brass Band, Murley Silver Band from Ireland, Tanunda Town Band from Australia. The programme included much loved classics such as ‘Blaze Away’, ‘Trisch Trasch Polka’, John Rutter’s ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’, before concluding with Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s ‘Fire in the Blood’.
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