UniBrass Links To Be Forged With New Contest Host

The 11th UniBrass contest is set to return to the spiritual homeland of brass banding ─ Yorkshire ─ on Saturday 6th February 2021.

The newly-crowned 2020 UniBrass Shield Champions, the University of Sheffield, will play host to the largest student music event in the country. Since its creation ten years ago, the UniBrass contest has featured more than twenty university brass bands from across the UK and has grown to split into two sections, as well as including gala concerts and public workshops. It has firmly established itself as one of the highlights of the brass banding calendar. Each band plays a twenty-minute programme, with the aim of entertaining the audience and adjudicators alike.

The UniBrass Trophy will take place in the Octagon Centre, a multi-purpose conference and music venue, whilst the Shield will be held just around the corner, in the University Drama Studio. The 2021 contest will also see the return of the gala concert, which will take place in the Octagon Centre on the Saturday evening. An announcement on the artists involved will follow in due course.

Chair of the Sheffield UniBrass Organising Committee, Voirrey Baker, said “We are delighted to be announced as hosts for the 2021 and 2022 UniBrass contests. We believe that this will be a fantastic event, showcasing the many talented brass band musicians at universities across the country. We are also excited to bring some new ideas to the contest, giving it a Sheffield twist”.

The Sheffield Students’ Union will be a focal point for the contest with additional activities, performances and social events throughout the day and into the evening. Sheffield Students’ Union Activities Officer, Martha Evans, said “I am delighted to hear that Sheffield will be playing host to UniBrass for 2021 and 2022, and extend my congratulations to the Sheffield UniBrass Organising Committee. We look forward to welcoming brass bands from all over the UK for this exciting event!”. Students’ Union Events Coordinator, Connor Young, added “We are pleased to support the Brass Band Society to host this prestigious event in the brass banding calendar. We hope that all the participants will have a memorable experience in Sheffield at the next UniBrass contests”.

UniBrass Foundation Chair, Andy Straiton, also added “Having had two great years in Bangor, we are really looking forward to the 2021 event in Sheffield, where we will see some of the most inventive programmes in banding competing in a competitive yet friendly environment. Ten years on from the first contest back in 2011, we are thrilled to see so many students and would love to welcome even more universities, so we encourage any university bands who’d like to compete to get in touch!”

If you have any enquiries about the event, please direct them to Voirrey Baker (Sheffield Organising Committee Chair) – email [email protected]

If you would like to know more about the UniBrass Foundation, please get in touch and email [email protected]