The culmination of the brass band season is fast approaching as the UK’s top ensembles prepare to compete in two prestigious finals this September and October. Bands from across the country will go head-to-head in a thrilling contest for divisional titles, promotion and the coveted Challenge Trophy – awarded to the band crowned National Champion Band of Great Britain.
Often described as the brass banding equivalent of the Football League, the competition began earlier this year with regional qualifiers involving around 500 bands across eight UK regions: London & the Southern Counties, Midlands, North of England, North West, Scotland, Wales, West of England, and Yorkshire. Each region is divided into five competitive sections — the Championship Section and Sections 1 to 4. From these regional “heats,” 94 bands have earned a place in one of two national finals; the Sections 1–4 Finals which will take place in Cheltenham this September, where bands will vie for divisional titles and promotion within the structure and the Championship Section Final at the Royal Albert Hall, where the top 19 Championship bands will compete for the prestigious National Challenge Trophy and the title of National Champion Band of Great Britain 2025.
At October’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall final, each band will perform this year’s chosen work Edward Gregson’s Symphony in two movements. The winner will be decided by three adjudicators who are sealed in a box in the auditorium where they can hear the music but can’t see the bands on stage. The competition is judged this way to preserve its integrity and to put less pressure on the adjudicators. There is also a prize for the Most Outstanding Player.
Edward Gregson said “I’m honoured that the National Brass Band Championships have selected my Symphony in two movements as the set work for this year’s prestigious competition at the Royal Albert Hall. Although I’ve previously received commissions for this event, this time the panel chose a piece I originally composed in 2012 for two of the UK’s National Youth Bands—music that carries youthful energy, rhythmic vitality, and lyrical expressiveness. It’s a bold and contemporary choice, drawing on symphonic traditions from Beethoven to Stravinsky and Prokofiev, while also nodding to the English pastoral style of Vaughan Williams. Unlike more programmatic works previously featured, this score demands precision, detail, and stylistic versatility from both conductors and players—combining symphonic brass with the warmth of traditional brass band sound. Having 19 of the UK’s finest bands prepare this piece is a great privilege, and I look forward to hearing the results on the day’’
The National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain is one of the highlights of the UK’s banding calendar. Beginning in 1900, the event in its current format started in 1945 at the Royal Albert Hall, making this year the eightieth anniversary of the competition being held at the venue. The event blends fierce competition with camaraderie as many long-lasting friendships and relationships have been formed over the years and many musicians have gone on to perform at the highest levels in the wider musical world. The most successful band in the competition’s history is West Yorkshire’s the Black Dyke Band with 24 titles, and this year’s defending champions is the Flowers Band from the West of England.
