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UniBrass Composition Competition

The UniBrass Composition Competition is a new and exciting opportunity for young composers across the United Kingdom. Open to current students, recent graduates, and anyone aged 18 to 25 this competition challenges and promotes young new composers to create original works for the brass banding world. 

 

Supported by Wright & Round Music Publishers who are offering the opportunity to publish the winning piece this is an unmissable challenge for all budding composers. Established in 1875, Wright & Round is one of the oldest publishing houses in brass banding and its catalogue carries in excess of 5,000 titles. The company publishes works by many of today’s popular composers including Philip Harper, the current music editor, and has always been keen to promote new talent.

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The competition is also supported by Foden's Band, the current world number one brass band. They will be giving the winning piece's live debut performance at the UniBrass Gala Concert 2024!

Foden's will be joined by James Fountain as guest soloist, the principal trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra - tickets to the gala are available here.

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For further information or questions please contact Sidney on contest@unibrass.co.uk

See below for competition rules and submission form.

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The Judge: Liz Lane

Liz Lane’s music has been broadcast, recorded and performed worldwide, including by some of the world’s most renowned brass bands. She is Composer in Association with Grimethorpe Colliery Band, a senior lecturer at UWE Bristol and also works at the Open University and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Recent commissions include What the Lark Saw for the Three Choirs Festival.  

 

"I'm delighted to be involved with the first UniBrass Composition Competition and looking forward to getting to know some exciting additions to the brass band repertoire. Features which could showcase a new work include innovation and thoughtfulness, creativity which reflects the composer's individual stylistic approach – and on a practical note, incorporation of title pages (it's always good to know details about the music!). The very best to the composers and all involved with UniBrass this year!"

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2024 Composition Competition Results

The Shortlist

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The Winner

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Submit your composition

Upload Score File
Upload Recording

Thanks for submitting your UniBrass Composition Competition entry.

This form no longer accepts submissions - please check on our socials for any updates.

Competition Rules & Regulations

  1. The composed piece must:

    • a) be an original composition, 

    • b) not infringe any copyright, 

    • c) be arranged for a standard brass band, 

    • d) be between 3 and 6 minutes in length.

  2. Must never have been submitted as coursework, to another competition or award, including the in-contest student composition or arrangement award, or performed publicly.

  3. Must be playable by a Championship section band after a few rehearsals.

  4. Entrants must be aged 18-25 as of 4th September 2023 OR a student at any UK university or a recent graduate of 2 academic years.

  5. The presumptive winner will be contacted by email, they must provide proof of age/student status/graduate status within 7 days of the email being sent. Failure to provide acceptable proof of age/status within this timeframe will result in forfeiture of the competition and the runner-up will be contacted for proof of status. This process will continue as necessary.

  6. All entrants shall be invited to the contest, with access to participant-level priced tickets for the whole day.

  7. Submissions shall be made via a form at unibrass.co.uk/composition-competition

  8. Submissions must include an MP3 audio file and PDF score.

  9. Compositions shall be judged blind, nothing identifiable should be on the score or recording.

  10. The winning entry will be decided by two judges.

  11. The composer will retain all rights to the work

    • a) By entering a submission to the UniBrass Composition Competition you give permission for the UniBrass Foundation, in perpetuity, to use, record, upload, and publicise the work without further compensation. â€‹â€‹â€‹

    • b) If the work is selected for publication, a further agreement with the publisher will be made, which is not covered by these Terms of Reference. Any publication shall bear the text “Winner of the UniBrass 2024 Composition Competition”, and does not change the permission given in 11) a. 

    • c) The entrant shall bear the sole liability for any damage resulting from any infringement of copyrights, proprietary rights, or any other harm resulting from the submission, its use, recording, or publicity.

  12. The deadline for entries is at 23:59 on 1st December 2023. 

  13. UniBrass reserves the right to change and/or withdraw any part, or the whole, of the competition at any time, without prior warning.

  14. By submitting a composition to this competition you agree to the above rules.

Support Us

Our annual UniBrass entertainments contest offers students a much needed place to perform and come together, and for audiences to enjoy high quality brass banding entertainment. To support our work, please consider making a donation to UniBrass:

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