Musgrave to feature at RNCM International Brass Band Festival
Robbie Guthrie
The 2026 International Brass Band Festival hosted by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester features an exhilarating line up of bands and composers including Thea’s wonderful Variations. Taking place on the weekend of the 23-25th January 2026, the festival features a great array of elite performers including the recently crowned Danish National Champion, Concord Brass Band directed by Stig Maersk, as well as Black Dyke (Prof. Nicholas Childs), Brighouse & Rastrick (Dr David Thornton), Cory (Philip Harper), Foden’s (Michael Fowles) and Tredegar Town (Ian Porthouse) alongside the Yorkshire Youth Brass Band (Richard Marshall), the RNCM Brass Band (Katrina Marzella-Wheeler) and RNCM Junior Brass Band (Mark Bousie).
This year’s festival pays homage to composer Philip Sparke in celebration of his 75th birthday, as well as featuring many top composers in the Brass Band sphere. Thea is programmed alongside Richard Blackford, Dame Errollyn Wallen, Philip Wilby and many more.
Variations was Thea’s first work for Brass Band, originally written as a result of a commission from the Scottish Amateur Music Society. It was written for the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland who gave the first performance in Scotland in 1966.
“The composer was intrigued by the unusual colouring which the brass tones offered, and in her Variations for Brass Band she uses the brilliant possibilities of these to full advantage, achieving fascinating effects. The work is based on an original theme, on which there are five variations.”
Black Dyke Band perform Variations on Saturday 24th January at 7.30pm in the RNCM Concert Hall. Get your tickets here or find out more about the festival here.