NYBBGB launches conductor competition for 20- to 30-year-olds
Harriet Clifford
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Entries are now open for the Weston Prize for Conducting, where applicants can win the opportunity to work alongside Martyn Brabbins and the National Youth Brass Band at their 70th anniversary 2022 summer residential course.
The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) has launched its 2022 Weston Composer Competition, inviting conductors aged 20 to 30 to enter via video submission by 1 October 2021.
The winner of the three-round competition will be appointed guest conductor for the NYBBGB during its 70th anniversary year residential course at Taunton School, from 30 July to 6 August 2022, and take home a £500 fee. They will also conduct a work at the band’s end-of-course concert, as well as at its 70th anniversary concert on 6 August in London.
Up to 10 minutes long, the entry videos can feature rehearsals, concerts, or competition performances, and applicants will also take part in an interview with director of artistic planning, Dr Robert Childs, via Zoom.
Six candidates will be selected to progress to the live rounds, taking place on 29 January 2022. In Round 2, a panel will judge the semi-finalists conducting one of three brass band marches: March Mephistopheles, March Knight Templar and March The Cossack.
The candidates will prepare all three in advance, but will be told which one to conduct on the day and will be given 20 minutes to rehearse.
Similarly, in the Final Round - featuring the best three conductors - candidates will be told which of three works they are to conduct, and will be given 40 minutes to rehearse. The possibilities for the Final Round are Resurgam, Music for a Festival, and Shine as the Light.
Martyn Brabbins, NYBBGB Youth Band guest conductor, summer 2022, and competition judge, said: 'Discovering new conducting talent, and then nurturing that talent is something I am passionately committed to. First though, one has to give the aspiring conductor a chance to show what he or she has to offer. This new competition will do just that, and by a process of selection and with careful guidance, new talent will be given the chance to flourish.'
The judging panel for the Weston Prize for Conducting will include Martyn Brabbins, Dr Robert Childs, and Captain Samuel Hairsine RN.
The competition is being financially supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Details about the competition and how to apply are available on the NYBBGB website.
