Section Championship
Test piece: Dances & Arias ( Edward Gregson)
ROTHWELL TEMPERANCE BAND (UK)
Rothwell Temperance Band (UK) – Conductor David Roberts
The current Rothwell Temperance Band was formed in 1984 as a junior band. In 1989, with a full roster of musicians and new instruments, they qualified for the national finals in the fourth section in 1991 and secured second place. In the same year, the senior group obtained a sponsorship, changing its name to match that of its new sponsor. The B Band then abandoned the B and adopted the name Rothwell Temperance Band.
In 1994, after being promoted to the third section, they won the Yorkshire Championship and competed in the National Finals in London, taking second place. In 1995, they won the third section of the Yorkshire Region Championships and again finished second in the national finals. In March 1996, after being promoted to the second section, the group again won first place in the regional championships after being number one out of fourteen groups. In 1997, the group was promoted to the first section and qualified for the national finals again. In the final, the group got the 5th place after being drawn as number one. In 1998, the band won the Yorkshire Area First Section again, qualifying for their fifth consecutive national final.
1999 was an incredible year for the band. In February, after being promoted to the Championship section, the group again qualified for the national finals and represented Yorkshire at the Royal Albert Hall in October where they were placed sixth. In 2000, the group secured sponsorship from Autocruise, a luxury motorhome manufacturer, based near Sheffield. In October 2000, the band travelled to Lucerne, Switzerland to participate in the Swiss Brass Band Championships. The group came away with the Swiss Open title, becoming the second English group to do so. Two weeks later, the group competed in the Pontins Championships and once again won the top prize, and their second title in a month.
2003 was a very successful year for the group with a fourth place finish at the Yorkshire Region Championships. In May, the group won first prize at the Senior Cup in Blackpool. The year 2004 saw a fantastic start with a sixth prize at the Yorkshire Region Championships, followed by a second prize at the Grand Shield competition in Blackpool in May. This success saw him promoted to the British Open, where the group took its rightful place among Britain’s elite groups. In 2005, the band placed fifth at the Open, beating many well-known names, including Brighouse & Rastrick and Grimethorpe Colliery.
This magnificent feat was followed in May 2006 when the group won the International Masters Competition in Cambridge, beating the reigning European and World Champions and winning
CONCORD BRASS BAND (DK)
Concord Brass Band (DK) – Conductor Stig Maersk
Concord Brass Band was founded on March 23, 1957, by Herbert Møller and is Denmark’s first brass band.
Inspired by the British brass band tradition, which Herbert experienced in his youth, Concord was created with a vision to bring this unique sound to Denmark. The name “Concord,” meaning cooperation and joy, was chosen to reflect the band’s spirit and sense of community.
Located in Hedehusene in the municipality of Høje-Taastrup, Concord Brass Band has established itself over the years as one of Denmark’s best brass band, with numerous titles to its name. The band is renowned for its high musical standards and continued success in competitions.
Concord has a strong tradition of performing British original works, commissioning Danish compositions for brass band, and inviting international guest conductors who inspire the band and create remarkable musical experiences.
Concord will head to France with Stig Mærsk as the conductor. Stig who recently returned to Denmark and Concord has conducted some of the biggest brass bands in the world.
BRASS BAND LEIELAND (B)
Leieland Brass band (B) – conductor Sam Werbrouck
Brass Band Leieland is an enthusiastic and dynamic brass band from West Flanders, under the expert direction of Sam Werbrouck. The band was founded in late December 1996 by a group of ten local musicians, all with experience in the brass band world. Convinced that there was not only room for a new brass band in the region but also a genuine demand, they set out to promote high-quality brass music in the British style.
Leieland was established as a traditional British-style brass band, providing passionate amateur musicians from the region with a platform to share their musical enthusiasm. The band continually strives to improve its level: with a young and dynamic team and an inspiring conductor, weekly rehearsals are dedicated to delivering engaging and heartfelt performances – true to British tradition.
Since 2012, Brass Band Leieland has competed in the Belgian Championship Division.
EXOBRASS (F)
Exobrass (F) – Conductor Mathias Charton
The ExoBrass Ensemble was created in 2005 thanks to the desire of several brass teachers from the Touraine area, in order to revitalize the network of departmental and regional music schools by bringing together almost all the teachers of the departments of Indre-et-Loire and Loir-et-Cher.
The brass band tradition has been able to continue to the present day and there are now more than 8000 ensembles in England, representing an institution obeying drastic rules.
The brass band is composed of exclusively conical instruments (cornets, flugelhorn, violas, baritones, euphoniums, tubas) as well as trombones and percussion. The alchemy of these warm timbres proves to be conducive to creating fantastic varied atmospheres with multiple colors.
The musicians of ExoBrass form a constellation of talents where brass and percussion gravitate in unison. Their enthusiasm leads them to conquer new musical universes for an ever-growing audience.
The orchestra has been conducted since 2018 by Mathias Charton. After having performed many times in the Centre region and having won a first prize at the Amboise International Competition in 2007 and 2008, our group offers you a warm repertoire, a real panorama of brass music where original pieces, adaptations of classical works, film scores, jazz standards and pieces for soloists are featured. They won the first prize 1st division at the France Brass Band Championship in Grand Quevilly in March 2020
First section
Test piece: Horizon: The promise of he Lord (Andrew Wainwright)
AMERSFOORT BRASS BAND (NL)
Amersfoort Brass Band – Conductor: Vincent Verhage
Amersfoort Brass band hails from the city of Amersfoort, a beautiful, old city located in the centre of the Netherlands.
As of 2018, the band is competing in the 1st division. Brass band Amersfoort has been formed in 1975, so 2025 will be a special year for the band, celebrating 50 years of music-making.
For more than 12 years now, the band is under the inspiring musical direction of Vincent Verhage.
The band aims to combine a high level of brass band playing with good fellowship.
We are returning for a fifth appearance at the Open French Championships, which firmly shows our enthusiasm for visiting the beautiful city of Amboise and being a part of this great musical event!
Next to serious contesting, the band really enjoys playing public-friendly and entertaining concert programs. So we hope to meet you at one of our performances, for example at our outside concert performance in the Center of Amboise in the afternoon on Saturday 24th May, to enjoy a Dutch musical treat!
Second section
Test Piece: Images for Brass (Stephen Bulla)
CADENCES BRASS BAND (F)
Cadences Brass Band (F) – Conductor: Nicolas Biget
The Cadences Brass was born in Blois in 2019 on the joint initiative of tuba player Nicolas Biget its musical director and Mickaël Boisset, Director of the Cadences Network (music schools of Blois-Agglopolys).
Nicolas Biget is a professor of euphonium and tuba art teaching at the CRD in Blois. Very attached to the unifying role of its mission in the agglomeration, it seeks to bring together in a common project the driving forces of the brass and percussion musicians of the territory. Since its creation, the Cadences Brass has been formed around amateur and professional musicians, most of whom come from schools, villages and municipalities in the region where they began their musical training. The diversity of these backgrounds and the links that unite students, alumni and teachers of this ensemble, truly reflect the state of mind of the Brass Band.
The Cadences Brass has performed at music school auditions, in concerts in partnership with the great bands of the department, in small and large halls in the region.
Curious to explore different universes, the Cadences Brass has also teamed up with a concert recording on an island in the Loire with two electro music composers. In a completely different register, he had the pleasure and honor of accompanying renowned soloists such as Anthony Galinier and Bastien Baumet.
BRASS BAND ROOSENDAAL (NL)
Brass Band Roosendaal (NL) – Conductor: Ward Dierick
Brass Band Roosendaal was founded in July 2016 with the goal of promoting brass band music in West Brabant.
The band operates on a project basis, allowing musicians to be prepared for a concert in a short period of time.
In 2017, their first concert took place in Roosendaal. With a beautiful performance and an enthusiastic audience, it left them wanting more.
The following year, they made their debut on the competition stage by participating in the Dutch Open.
With a 4th place finish in the 2nd section, it was a commendable debut.
In 2019, they achieved 1st place at the Surventobrass Entertainment Festival!
Their performance was dedicated to the liberation of Roosendaal, which had taken place 75 years earlier.
Brass Band Roosendaal is looking forward to traveling to France to participate in the French Open in Amboise!
Third section
Test pîece: Corineus -(Cristopher Bond)
BRASS BAND du CRR de TOURS (F)
CRR Brass Band of Tours City – Conductor David Hubert
The C.R.R. Junior Brass Band was created in 2009. This emanates from the impetus given to the Brass Band movement in the Touraine region for a number of years: the Open Brass d’Amboise, the support provided by the UDEM 37 for the organization of courses and the existence of EXObrass, a Brass Band born on the initiative of the teachers of the CRR of Tours and the department.
Made up of students enrolled in the second and third cycles, it is directed by David HUBERT. This group, which has 1h30 each week to work, is part of the collective practices of the C.R.R. of TOURS.
After winning the 1st prize in the 4th division in 2023 and 2024, the whole team is in the third division this year.
BRASS BAND DE LA VIENNE (F)
Brass band de la Vienne (F) – Conductor Mathias Charton
Created in 2015 by Mathias Currit and Christophe Bourderioux, the Brass Band de la Vienne has brought together experienced and professional amateur musicians to create this great brass and percussion ensemble. The ensemble travels through the repertoire dedicated to this original formation, with the aim of introducing the public to a warm music full of power and finesse.
The BBV is part of the departmental level of Vienne and beyond to develop and promote the musical culture of brass orchestras.
Anxious to seduce all audiences, our group presents a varied repertoire ranging from competition pieces, transcriptions of classical music and contemporary music, but also concertos with soloists that allow our young talents to present the full extent of the virtuosity of which these brass and percussion instruments are capable.
Faithful to the annual event of the Amboise International Open, the Brass Band de la Vienne will be keen to defend the public prize obtained in 2024.
The artistic direction is Mathias Charton.
Fourth section
Test piece – Smoke Sketches (Daniel Hall)
BRASS BAND EN SEINE (F)
Brass Band en Seine – Conductor: Christopher Dufay
Founded in 2001, the BRASS BAND EN SEINE is an orchestra composed only of amateur and passionate musicians who rehearse every week at the Rouen music school. It has been directed since 2023 by Christopher DUFAY, trumpet professor at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy Pontoise.
Approved by the French Ministry of Education, the BRASS BAND EN SEINE offers school activities to promote the practice of brass instruments in middle schools and schools throughout the Seine Maritime.
In addition to its educational activities with schoolchildren, the BRASS BAND EN SEINE performs through concerts, festivals or major events such as the Armada de Rouen. Every year since 2022, the BRASS BAND EN SEINE organizes its Brass Band academy in Rouen where many young and not so young musicians from all over the Seine Maritime department meet for several days in a collective project around brass, a unique opportunity to meet international artists.
The BRASS BAND EN SEINE is multi-generational and brings together musicians from all different backgrounds. Pleasure, sharing and transmission are the values at the heart of the project of this musical group.