First place (again!) for University Brass Band at UniBrass 2026

‘UniBrass’ is the annual university brass band contest for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Each year over twenty university bands compete between two highly competitive sections, with additional prizes given for individuals and special features. This year the competition was at the ICC Newport, with performances happening throughout the day between two performance spaces.

Last year, the band were thrilled to be placed first in the Trophy Section, marking a historic victory for University Music. This year, the 50-strong band successfully defended their title, impressively taking home the top prize for a second-year running.

Directed by Steve Kane, this year’s programme told the tale of a dramatic storm rescue, taking inspiration from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s 1964 TV series ‘Stingray’. The set began with the opening theme from Stingray by Barry Gray, setting the scene on the open sea before the weather takes an unfortunate turn for the worse... Up next was T.J. Powell’s menacing piece Thundercloud for which the band also took home the prize for ‘Best March’. Final-year Economics student Thomas Britt took to the stage to perform the soprano cornet solo Live and Let Die, written by Paul McCartney for the James Bond film of the same name, and the band followed with a reflective piece by Ben Hollings called The Spirit Within. With the storm rescue a success, Stingray celebrated with Mark Knopfler’s Going Home to draw the set to a close.

The adjudicators congratulated the band on their “fantastic ensemble playing”, with a particular note to soloist Thomas Britt for his “polished and exciting” playing during Live and Let Die.

With no ability requirements and no cap on membership, the band is often the largest at the competition and is primarily made up of non-music students, making it a truly inclusive and welcoming ensemble.

This victory marks an incredible and historic achievement for the band, and we are grateful to musical director Steve Kane for his continued hard work in developing the ensemble.

If you’d like to see the band in action, they will be performing in the Elgar Concert Hall on Friday 20 March 2026. Tickets are available on the University Music website.