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Brass Bands are Back - Watch it Live

October 1st, 2021 | 2 min read

By Steven Greenall

Bandrooms and Concert Halls across the world have been silent for over a year, as brass bands like other musical ensembles followed the government guidance about live music-making. It has been a hugely challenging time for bands and their communities which are social organisations as much as musical ones and also rely on the warm appreciation and applause of their audiences.

Bolsover Festival entertainment contest is truly innovative and democratic in its presentation - the live stream is completely free and we also stream online via facebook, YouTube and Vimeo, the whole contest - all the bands in five sections! And in 2021 we have retained the hugely popular Warwick Music Group People's Choice Award, where viewers can vote for their favourite Championship section performance with live voting during the contest.

So not only can you watch, listen and enjoy from your armchair - you actually get to a vote too!

 

The contest was cancelled in 2020 for obvious reasons so the 2019 Champions, Skelmanthorpe, return to defend their title along with 27 bands from across the country. Watch their winning performance from 2019 above.

The contest live streams start from around 9:30am on Sunday, 3rd October with the first band starting at 10am - a detailed running order is below. Located at the stunning Shirebrook Academy, Common Lane, Shirebrook, Mansfield if you're local then tickets are available on the door for just £10. If you miss it, don't worry as all the performances will be freely available to watch again online.

We're also grateful to the dynamic duo of Iwan Fox and Chris Thomas from 4barsrest who will be guiding us effortlessly through the day's excitement.

Warwick Music Group are delighted to be the Bolsover Festival of Brass' exclusive sponsor and partner once again. As brass musicians ourselves, and having performed at the Bolsover Contest on numerous occasions myself, we'd like to extend our very best wishes to all the performers, conductors and supporters.

It's great to have you back together and making music for the world to enjoy. 

Bolsover Contest Live Stream

You can access the live streams on Sunday morning from our dedicated Bolsover Festival of Brass 2021 page and the running order for performances are:

Championship Section

Start: 10.00am
Adjudicator: John Doyle

1. Milton Keynes Brass (Jonathon Mott) — (10.00am)
2. Unite the Union (Jon Davis) — (10.30am)
3. Newstead Band (Jim Davies) — (11.00am)
4. Derwent Brass (Jack Capstaff) — (11:30am)
5. Harrogate (Andrew Baker) — (12 noon)
Break
6. Skelmanthorpe Band (Martin Heartfield) — (2.00pm)
7. Easington Colliery (Daniel Brooks) — (2.30pm)
8. Roberts Bakery (Paul Lovatt-Cooper) — (3.00pm)
9. Staffordshire Band (Craig Williams) — (3.30pm)
Results

 

First Section

Start: 10.00am
Adjudicator: Ian Brownbill

1. Rolls Royce Derby (Graham Cardwell) — (10.00am)
2. Langley Band (Cliff Parker) — (10.30am)
3. Strata Brass (Alex Webb) — (11.00am)
4. Staffordshire Band (Craig Williams) — (11.30am)
5. Milton Keynes Brass (Mike Golding) — (12 noon)
Results

 

Second Section

Start: 2:00pm
Adjudicator:Ian Brownbill

1. Rockingham (Adam Whittle) — (2.00pm)
2. Audley Brass (Tom Hancock) — (2.30pm)
3. Shirland Band (Lynden Cooper) — (3.00pm)
Results

 

Fourth Section

Start: 9.00am
Adjudicator: Andrea Price

1. Ilkeston Brass (Geoff Hawley) — (9.00am)
2. Matlock Band (Chris Banks) — (9.30am)
3. Loxley Silver (Thomas Mercer) — (10.00am)
4. Golborne Brass (Joshua Hughes) — (10.30am)

 

Third Section

Start: 11.15am
Adjudicator: Andrea Price

1. Ireland Colliery (Richard Windle) — (11.15am)
2. Golborne Brass (Joshua Hughes) — (11.45am)
3. Cubbington Brass (Kieron Howe) — (12.15pm)
4. Littleport Brass (Ian Knapton) — (12.45pm)
5. Whitworth Vale & Healey (Richard Milton) — (1.15pm)
6. Ratby Mid Band (Garry Perrin) — (1.45pm)
Results

Steven Greenall

Steven has over twenty years of experience working in the music industry. With degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MA in European Cultural Policy & Administration from the University of Warwick, where he now serves as a Course Tutor on their MA in Creative and Media Enterprises, Steven served as Executive Director of a non-profit international music association based in the United States from 2000 – 2007.

Steven is founder and CEO of Warwick Music Group now known as pBone Music, and started playing the trombone at the age of nine. Based in North Warwickshire, the company manufactures musical instruments that make the joy of music accessible. sustainable and fun including the world's first plastic trombone, pBone, which has sold over 250,000 units worldwide and won major international awards including the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise (Innovation) in 2019.

He was elected as a board director for the UK music industry trade body, the Music Industries Association, in 2019 becoming its chair in 2020, and is frequently interviewed or invited to present guest lectures on cultural entrepreneurship, music education, and the future of the music industry. At the request of the owner, Denis Wick, Steven joined the board of Denis Wick Products in 2021 subsequently being appointed their Chief Executive Officer in 2022, a role he performs alongside his role as CEO for pBone Music.

Steven lives in Warwickshire with his wife, Kate, their three young children, two ponies and a faithful labrador, and enjoys coaching his local youth rugby team.