NEWS: Durham BRASS open submissions for Brassed On

Durham BRASS, the annual celebration of brass music, is on the look-out for emerging artists to reimagine their music in a unique collaboration with exciting brass bands. Jennie Brewis, one of the event’s producers, explains more: “Brassed On is a unique event as part of Durham BRASS Festival and celebrates the heritage of brass music in an engaging and contemporary way. The purpose of Brassed On is to showcase how versatile brass can be in new contexts, making it relevant and exciting to new audiences.”

Over the past two years Brassed On has seen North East acts Tom A Smith, Hector Gannet, Nadedja and Sisi reimagine their music with brass, working alongisde the likes of Loud Noises, NuSound Brass and The Original Pinnettes.

“It is fast becoming a real highlight for the festival as it embodies Durham Brass Festival’s spirit of creativity, community, and a celebration of diverse musical styles.” Jennie says, and the event fits in well with the festival’s overall ethos of championing traditional and contemporary brass sounds. “The Durham Brass Festival brings an exciting mix of acts that showcase brass in fresh new ways. We also offer an extensive outreach program that engages over 15,000 students from more than 65 mainstream and SEND schools. Brassed On was commissioned as part of a vision to bridge the gap between our schools programme and our headline festival performers.”

Artists selected are supported by the team to find a suitable brass ensemble to collaborate on their music; working together to create a fresh sound for both artists, with a performance taking place as part of the main festival programme.

Artists interested in being considered for the programme are encouraged to get in touch via https://brassfestival.co.uk/brassed-on/, submit a link to their music and provide a short bio. “We are looking for dynamic and original musicians to bring fresh energy and creativity into their performances through brass. They need to be passionate about collaboration and committed to developing their practice.”