2015 Festival Debrief

The 2015 NZCBA Concert Bands Festival was held over the 18th and 19th September in Rotorua and was a huge success. This year saw us entering the 21st century and having the festival live-streamed by Brassbanned. This was a huge success and the festival was viewed in many parts of the world. We also ran two masterclasses, one with saxophonist Michael Jamieson and one with clarinettist Marcel Luxen.

Twenty-five bands came away with either a gold, silver or bronze award, having been adjudicated by Debbie Rawson and Owen Clarke. We also featured a solo and ensemble section with similar awards, adjudicated by Hayden Sinclair and Mike Ashton. The results are included in this article.

We were also able to award two NZCBA life memberships at this festival – one to Maxine Treweek, and the other to Kathleen Mulligan.

We would like to acknowledge the hard work of the Rotorua Symphonic Band, our fantastic festival hosts. Without them playing such a huge part in the running of the festival, we would not have had such a successful weekend. We are very grateful for their efforts. We would also like to thank our sponsors, KBB, Dr. Toot and TourTime.

Please mark into your diaries the 2016 festival. This will be held in sunny Gisborne on 5th and 6th August 2016!

Festival Results

The Robert Lutt Annual Concert Band Award for an Outstanding Festival Band

Manukau Concert Band

Robert Lutt Trophy for Best Performance of a Piece

West City Concert Band – “Blue Shades” by Frank Ticheli