It is my great pleasure to announce 'SIEGE' has been set by the NSW Music Advisory Board as the Open A Grade Brass Band Test Piece for the 2023 Australian National Band Championships (plus 'Freefall' for the Junior Euphonium title!). It will be a great honour to hear the most exceptional Australian brass bands performing this work to its full potential in their quest for the first Australian National title in four years. 

​It is nearly Easter, and for the Oceanic banding community, that normally means the Australian Nationals are coming up. Last year, COVID-19 might have stolen host city Perth's first Nationals in seven years, but the NSW Bands Association were set on hosting an event of any description in 2021, and have organised an entirely virtual national band contest: the Australian National Online Festival of Bands. It will not be run as a typical National contest, but I am sure there will be many bands taking the event just as seriously as any prior contest so it should be quite the spectacle!

Western Brass and Footscray Yarraville City Band are pleased to formally announce the appointment of Jared McCunnie to the position of Musical Director for Western Brass.
Jared has multiple strings to his bow as a composer, conductor and performer and we will be really excited to see the direction in which he takes the band.
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It is great to see someone with such enthusiasm, drive and knowledge take the helm at Western Brass, and we look forward to a long and fruitful association with Jared.

2019 was a huge year for my music, including 9 world premieres, my first ever set major work at a National contest ('Vengeance' as the Open D Grade Brass Band Test Piece at the Australian National Band Championships), plus numerous international performances, particularly of my arrangement of 'The First Noel'. So rather than you sift through the last 12 months, I have compiled, in no particular order, my favourite recorded performances and premieres from 2019.

2019 saw Victoria's three A Grade Brass Bands all appoint new Musical Directors. I was fortunate enough to put some questions to Phillipa Edwards (Glenferrie Brass - formerly Kew and Hawthorn Brass Bands), Louisa Trewartha (Footscray Yarraville City Band) and Broden Ford (Darebin City Brass - Preston Band). Read about their thoughts on Australian banding below! 

Following the 2019 Australian National Band Championships, I was fortunate enough to speak with James Brice, musical director of Open A Grade National Champions North West Wind Ensemble and Junior A Grade National Runners Up Castle Hill RSL Youth Wind Orchestra. We discussed James' approach to conducting wind ensembles, the high grade Australian wind ensemble scene and the future of community banding.

*This article was written for the British Bandsman Magazine*

​Sydney City Brass, under Jason Katsikaris, have claimed the Australian National A Grade title for 2019, conquering some of the biggest names in Australian banding in the process. Finishing 10 points clear of WA Brass under David Bremner in 2nd place, the newly formed Sydney group left a lasting impression on the banding community, not least of which being Steven Mead in the adjudicator’s box. Brisbane City Hall’s Main Auditorium’s rich reverb proved to be a popular acoustic for the event. 

​At last, the final instalment of my Preview and Prediction series for the Australian National Band Championships for 2019. With a week to go, it has been exciting to go through all the competing bands and recognise their achievements and motivations going into this year's very lively competition. 

The A grade this year is set to be a sensational event, with 11 bands competing for the top spot (after the withdrawal of both Footscray Yarraville City and Holroyd Brass Band). There will be some regular contenders as well as some seemingly new bands to the A Grade competition.

​The Open B Grade Brass will be the largest of all the band events at the Australian Nationals in 2019. There are an incredible 16 bands competing in Brisbane, three more than last year’s Melbourne Nationals. Cairns Brass’ promotion to the Open A Grade leaves the B Grade title open for a new winner in 2019.

In the last few years, we have rarely seen a whitewash of all four of the on stage categories, and the contests have always been close, so every piece will be significant. As a B Grade competitor myself with Northern Brass, I am looking forward to seeing how the B Grade pans out. There's even a premiere or two of my music in the Open B Grade this year, so keep your ears perked for some new music through the weekend! 

​This year's Australian Nationals see ten bands compete in the Open C Grade Brass. The C Grade competition is the only Open Brass contest where a reigning champion (Wonthaggi Citizens’ Band) can reclaim their National title, but there will be nine other bands looking to spoil the party!

For whoever is crowned champion, B Grade contesting will surely not be far away. The C Grade competition has proven in the last 7 years to be a strong predictor of formidable B Grade bands, with Marion City (2012/2013 Winners) and Northern Brass (2014/15 Winners) both winning back to back C Grade titles, prior to Latrobe Federal’s 2016/2017 success. Could this year's winner go on to be another strong B Grade contender in years to come? Only time will tell!