Kings Brass Ensemble Perform at the Music for Youth National Festival in Symphony Hall

July 15, 2024

On Saturday 6th July, seven students from Kings Academy travelled to Birmingham to perform at the world-renowned Symphony Hall as part of Music for Youth National Festival.

The National Festival is an annual event that sees thousands of young musicians from across the country come together across a three-day event to share in their collective passion for music making. The Kings of Wessex Brass Ensemble qualified to take part in the national final in Birmingham following an exceptional qualifying performance at Bristol Beacon earlier in the year.

The ensemble performed two suites of pieces: ‘The Night Sky’ by Tony Mason – an evocative suite that depicts images of the various constellations; and the jazz suite ‘Blues Band’ by Terry Catherine. Following a very successful performance, the group received positive feedback from the adjudicators who praised them for their playing and in particular noted their exemplary handling of articulation and communication as an ensemble.

As well as getting the chance to perform, the group also benefited from being able to listen to the performances of other young musicians and discover a world of exciting music making (such as a marimba and violin duet, and a pair of harp ensembles) they might not otherwise have had the chance to discover.

The day was a great success all round and we are incredibly proud of the young musicians who went out and represented the school so well at the event. A special thanks must also be made to Anne Higgs for her organisation of the performance and her musical coaching of the group.