2013 State Championships - Test Selections

The test selections for this year's State Championships

for bands have been announced.  They are:

South Brisbane Federal Band - Composition Competition 2013

Congratulations Brisbane Excelsior - National Champion Band 2013

Brisbane Excelsior has once again won the coveted title of National A Grade Champion Band of Australia in Perth over the Easter weekend.  Competing in a field of 8 highly regarded brass bands from around Australia, Excelsior won the title by four points over the local Perth band, RASWA - Royal Agricultural Society of WA Brass.  Brisbane Excelsior won the Test and Stage March and came second in the Own Choice and Sacred Item.

Our two other Brisbane bands - South Brisbane Federal and Brisbane Brass - were very competitive and were great ambassadors for Queensland.  South Brisbane Federal, under the baton of Marieka Gray, came in fourth place in the Championship and Brisbane Brass won the parade of bands.

Congratulations to all of our Queensland soloists especially to Louisa Lawless who won Open Flugal, Stuart Bent who won Open Tenor Trombone and Cassandra Kachel from Moreton Youth Music Ensembles who won the Junior Alto Saxophone. All of the these players competed in the Champion of Champions events for their respective grades and gave exceptional performances.

The Junior and Open Champion of Champions events were won by Dominic Longhurst from St. Mary's Sydney - an outstanding achievement for a 16 year old.

Click on this link for:   Band Results Solo Results

Best Wishes Queensland Bands!

Three of Queensland's A Grade bands will be heading over to the other side

of the continent this week to compete in the National Championships in Perth. Brisbane Excelsior, South Brisbane Federals and Brisbane Brass will all be representing their state in the A Grade events - a wonderful achievement considering the distance.

The QBA and all of your supporters here in Queensland wish you every success in your events and would love to see the Australian Champion Band title come back to our state again!

Best of luck also to the soloists who have entered events - Qld is always well represented in these events and I have no doubt, that once again, we will have success in many.

Finally, a well deserved accolode for the organising committee in Perth who have been working tirelessly for the past 2 years to get this event up and running.  Best wishes for a successful and enjoyable weekend of banding!

Annette Ries, QBA President

2014 Nationals are coming to Brisbane - "Play with Passion"

Excitement is building as we draw closer to the 2014 National Band Championships to be held in our beautiful city from 17 - 21 April 2014.  This elite and prestigious event offers band and solo/ensemble events for brass, woodwind and percussion.  It is the highlight of the brass and concert band calendar in Australia with bands from all over striving to win the coveted title of National Champion Band of Australia.

More details will be released after approval from the National Band Council in July.

In the meantime, keep checking the official website www.nationalbandchampionships.com for more updates as well as our Facebook page.

Any equiries can be directed to:  Annette Ries - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Qld State Solo and Ensemble Championships - 2013

This year's state solo/ensemble championships (QSEC) will be held on Saturday 1st June at Brisbane Girls Grammar school.

Here is your chance to become a State Champion Soloist/Ensemble on the genre of brass, woodwind and percussion.

It is a pre-requisite of entry that you are registered either with a QBA affiliated band or as an unattached player with the QBA.  (Registration forms under the link 'Forms and Downloads')

School students receive free registration but must still complete a Registration Form signed by their Principal.  Registration forms are sent to the QBA Registrar whose contact details are on the form.

Entries close on 13 April 2013 and player registrations close on 20th April 2013.

All Open Brass events have set test music with Woodwind, Junior, Percussion and Ensemble music being Own Choice.

For details of set test music download the 'QSEC Schedule 2013' from Forms and Downloads.

Entry forms are also found here with details of entry fees, payment and conditions of entry.

Looking forward to a great day of music!

Bundaberg Band Needs Help!!

Request for Music (31 Jan 2013)

Allan Tedford writes with a plea for help. During last weekend Bundaberg, Queensland has suffered the largest flood ever to hit this city. Not only was it the largest  but also the quickest. On Friday morning I received a phone call for help to pack up the Rum City Band Room, as flooding was expected.  On arrival at the band room the water was some 10 metres from the back of the building. We shifted all of the library out of cupboards onto long folding tables up to approximately 5 foot high. When leaving the building we had to drive our vehicles out of water as this was the speed at which the flood was rising.  Two years previously during the  floods one table was high enough to protect our equipment, so we thought two high would have kept all goods safe, but not so.  We have lost our complete library and all other equipment.  Instruments can be washed and new cases purchased but not one bit of music remains.

If any bands out there would have any music that they could spare to get us going again.  If any one unit or person could assist this would be greatly appreciated.

The band is mainly a brass band, but we now have 2 clarinets, 1 alto sax, 2 tenor saxophones and a baritone saxophone with us. The standard of the band would be D/C grade, playing marches such as Sussex By the Sea, St.Kilda and Scipio, music to about that standard.  Music can be forwarded to Rum City Silver Band,  Allan Tedford,  6 Bryde Place Thabeban Qld 4670. Allan's contact details are:          Ph 41516370        Mob 0407 516 370

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks for any help given

Allan Tedford.

Nationals 2014 Website Goes Live!

Check out the website for the 2014 Australian National Band Championships to be held in Brisbane over the Easter weekend.  QBA webmaster, Jason Curtis, has worked hard to make the site user friendly and easy to navigate.

The website will 'grow' as more information on the National Championships is given approval by the National Band Council and allowed to be published.  Please feel free to send any feedback on the site to the QBA.

Go to:  www.nationalbandchampionships.com

The first meeting of the Nationals Organising Committee will be held on Saturday, February 2nd at 1:30pm in the Sunnybank Brass rehearsal hall, DM Henderson Park, Macgregor.  If you would like to be a part of helping to organise this event you can contact Annette Ries, Contest Administrator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  Everyone is welcome!

Want to be part of a vibrant brass band?

Under the direction of dynamic new conductor John Kennedy, Sunnybank Brass No 1 is seeking experienced quality players, (especially tuba, trombone and horn) as we enter into an exciting new era for the band. Come and be part of our rejuvenation as we prepare to stride into 2013 with new found confidence and ambition!

For more details please contact John on 04000 44157 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Calendar of Events - 2013

Here are some date claimers for Band Secretaries for banding events in 2013!

Festival of Brass - Maroochydore - 21 July

QSEC - Queensland Solo and Ensemble Competition - Saturday 1 June - Brisbane

Qld State Championships 2013 - 5th and 6th October 2013 -  Brisbane

2012 Queensland State Championships Results

The rain could not dampen the spirits of the 15 bands who competed in Maryborough over the Queen's Birthday long weekend for the title of Champion Band in Queensland.  Under the adjudication of Mr Nigel Weeks (New Zealand) and Mr Ken Bradley (NSW) the following bands earned themselves the title of Champion Band in their respective grades:

A Grade:   Brisbane Excelsior

B Grade:   Cairns Brass

C Grade:  Sunshine Brass (Nambour & Maroochy)

D Grade:   Sunnybank Brass 2

Junior Grade:  Brisbane Brass Juniors

The Parade of Bands went ahead this year with clouds threatening and this spectacle was led by the NSW Fire and Rescue Band and their troupe of marching girls.

Champion Drum Major for 2012 went to Noel Kingston - Brisbane Brass 2 and the Most Entertaining Band at the Gala Concert went to Brisbane Excelsior.

A special trophy was presented to the best soloist in the Test Selection this year and these went to:

A/B Grade:   Kirsty Smith - Brisbane Excelsior

C/D/Jun Grade:   Tanya Torpy - Sunnybank Brass 2

Full Results: Parade of Bands

Full Results:  Test and Sacred Item

Full Results:  Own Choice, Stage March and Aggregate

-Sunshine Brass under the Musical Direction of Kevin Brown - C Grade State Champions

Australian National Band Championships - Melbourne 2012

Congratulations to all of the Queensland bands and soloists who participated in the National Championships in Melbourne over the Easter weekend.  Being the Contest Liaison Officer, I was able to see most of the performances of our Queensland bands and they have been wonderful ambassadors for our state.

Brisbane Excelsior narrowly missed out on the Champion A Grade Band title but did win the Highest Aggregate A Grade band over all events.  Brisbane Brass 1 and South Brisbane Federal both scored very highly in all of their events with Brisbane Brass 1 winning the A Grade Parade of Bands.  Townsville Brass and Brisbane Brass 2 competed B Grade with Townsville Brass placed 2nd in the Hymn and Test and 3rd in the B Grade Championship.  Townsville Brass also won the Parade of Bands and the Most Entertaining Change of Direction.

Queensland soloists led the way with several Australian Championships coming to our state.

Australian Champion - Soprano Cornet - Mitchell Buckley - Brisbane Brass

Australian Champion - Bb Cornet - Dale Hosking - Townsville Brass

Australian Champion - Tenor Trombone - Oscar McDonald - Brisbane Brass

Australian Junior Champion - Bass Trombone - Matthew Kachel - Brisbane Brass

Alexander Rogers - Cairns Brass - 2nd in Junior Cornet

Stuart Bent - Brisbane Excelsior - 3rd in Tenor Trombone

Daniel Hitzke - Brisbane Excelsior - 1st in Open Mallet

Congratulations to all competitors!!

For the full set of results, see the Results 2012 section in the Competitions Menu on the left.

Annette Ries, President QBA

2014 Nationals Committee

The QBA are calling for Expressions of Interest for positions on the Management Committee for the 2014 National Championships to be held in Brisbane over Easter.  Planning has commenced for this event and we are now looking for interested persons to fill some key roles on the Contest Committee.

Contest Chairperson, Contest Administrator and Contest Treasurer job descriptions can be found under the 'Forms and Documents' link.  If you are interested in any of these positions, please email a brief resume of your experience in these areas to Annette Ries, President QBA: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   or Geoff Fry, Vice President, NBCA:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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