Brass: Durham International Festival takes place next month from 3-18 July in venues across the city, including the Gala Theatre, Durham Cathedral, Durham Town Hall, and St. Brandon’s Church. The festival features brass players from around the world playing everything from classical to contemporary, jazz, and fusion music.

This year’s festival launches with Streets Of Brass, a weekend of brass band street music, featuring bands from the Always Drinking Marching Band from Spain to the UK’s Tongues of Fire. Indoor performances kick off on the evening of 3 July with the Fodens Brass Band featuring 2008 BBC Young Musician Of The Year Peter Moore. Other highlights of the first week include jazz funk saxophone legend Pee Wee Ellis in concert with three regional youth ensembles on 5 July, the Matthew Halsall Quintet on 6 July, Maceo Parker on 8 July, as well as the James Taylor Quartet and Batucada Sound Machine on 9 July.

Week two’s line-up starts with the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band in the afternoon and London Brass in the evening on 11 July. The Glenn Miller Orchestra plays in the Gala Theatre on 14 July, and Led Bib plus Empirical play a double header on 15 July. On 15 and 16 July the film The Miners’ Hymns, commissioned for the festival, will be screened with live musical score, performed by a specially selected ensemble including members of the NAS-UWT Riverside Band, conducted by Gudni Franzson.

Other artists include Hypnotic Brass Band, Haggis Horns, Japan’s Black Bottom Brass Band, Benin’s Fanfare Eyo’nle, and French brass band Fanfare Le Snob accompanying German open-air theatre company Theater Titanick’s show Firebirds on 13 July.

Another feature of the festival is an educational programme of workshops and concerts that allow young players to meet and work with the musicians appearing at the festival. This year’s participating players include Pee Wee Ellis, London Brass, and L’imperial Kikiristan.

For more go to www.brassfestival.co.uk 

 — Nivedita Sarnath