At the end of October I travelled to Bolzano in northern Italy to play two concerts with Brassband Bozen Überetsch. We played the Palafiemme in Cavalese on the 27th and the Auditorium Haydn in Bolzano on the 28th.
This one goes back to 2022. The whole band travelled from Bolzano to Birmingham by coach to compete at the European Brass Band Championships. It was their first time there. They came second in the Challenge Section, one point behind the winners, which was a lot better than they had expected.
I played the Gala Concert that same weekend, and some of the band were sat in the first two rows. Last year Julius from the band got in touch through my website and asked if I would come and play with them.
Since Birmingham they have won the Challenge Section twice, in Malmö in 2023 and in Stavanger in 2025. For a band of volunteers that only started in 2008, that is an amazing story.
So it was nice to come full circle and play with them at home. They are an incredible band and it was a pleasure to do both concerts. I’m hoping to go back.
Thank you to Julius, who organised everything, and to everyone in the band.
Here are some photos from the concert in Bolzano, plus a couple from the rehearsal, the warm-up and dinner.
