This year Middleton Youth Band were absolutely thrilled to join forces with our good friends Besses Boys Youth Band to attend the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain on 17th April held at the RNCM in Manchester where they gained a bronze award!
As we would be up against large county bands form all over the country we decided to collaborate with Besses Boys Youth band in order to have enough players to make it a viable option. To be able to enter together, it was necessary to perform under a pseudonym that encapsulated both bands equally. North Manchester Youth Band was born!
The two bands worked incredibly hard on the pieces for the contest both independently and also together in shared rehearsals both in our own band room and in Besses Boys band room.
The bands took to the stage together at the contest under the baton of Besses Boys Youth band conductor Tom Ridgley and played their socks off!
We are pleased to report that after only 10 weeks of working together, the combined youth band earned themselves a bronze award at the contest! They also received lots of positive comments from audience members, other band leaders and indeed the adjudicators themselves.
