Competitions
We are not currently accepting submissions for any competitions - check back soon!
Youth Solo Competition Winner - Ishan Nandi
On May 31 2026, Ishan will perform Gallop from The Comedians by Dmitri Kabalevsky on xylophone accompanied by PBB at our Spring Pops Concert!
Ishan Nandi is a 13-year-old musician from Bridgewater, NJ who began studying drums at age eight and percussion at age nine. A versatile instrumentalist, he performs in his school’s audition-based Wind Ensemble and Jazz Club, as well as Modern Band and an outside pop-rock group as a drummer and vocalist. This year, he was also selected as a mallet player for the CJMEA Symphonic Band. Ishan further balances his artistry as a songwriter, a student of Indian classical Carnatic vocal music, and a three-year member of the NJ All-State Choir. Outside of music, he is a competitive club swimmer and represents his school in regional and state-level math and science competitions.
Composition Competition
Our first ever Composition Competition closed on April 10th and we are thrilled with the overwhelming quantity and quality of the responses! We received submissions from composers all over the world including but not limited to Australia, Brazil, Finland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the USA, and the UK. This competition seeks to encourage the creation of new works for brass band, with the winner receiving a world premiere performance of their work with the band in 2027. The winner will be announced this coming fall!
About Our Judges
Russell Gray: Scottish born musician Russell Gray is one of the most sought after conductors and soloists with brass and wind bands in the world today. As a conductor he has won many awards including 16 National Championship titles and 7 open titles so far.
Russell is an internationally endorsed performing artist with Yamaha and has toured the world as a soloist many times over the years.He has been asked to adjudicate many of the most important music festivals around the globe including the European Brass Band Championships, National Brass Band Championships of New Zealand, Australia, North America, France, The Netherlands, and Switzerland.
In 2016 Russell received the Iles Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians in London for his services to the Brass Band World. He is currently Professional Conductor with the Fodens Brass Band and Musical Director of the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra. Future engagements continue to take him far and wide.
Mareika Gray: Mareika is the Musical Director of the Eccles Borough Band, based in the northwest of England, and the Musical Director of the Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass Band. Up until recently she was the Artistic Director of The Ratby Band, a position she enjoyed for 8 years.
As a conductor she has made several appearances at the Australian, Danish, Norwegian, and British Nationals Championships, gaining podium finishes at each contest.
As an adjudicator she is internationally in demand as well, having judged at the National contests in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand and the Youth Championships of Great Britain. In 2019, Mareika accepted an invitation to adjudicate in Chengdu, China, at the Young Cultural Ambassadors Group Performing Festival.
In 2016, Mareika was invited to be Assistant Musical Director on the summer course for the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. In 2023, she was invited on the summer course to be the Musical Director for the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain.
Originally from Australia, Mareika started her musical life with the violin before picking up the baritone and joining her father in the Brisbane Excelsior Band. Moving to the United Kingdom in the late 90’s, she played euphonium with many bands including The Ransome Band, Bodmin Town Band, Leyland, and the Fairey Band.
Mareika has now established herself among the leading brass band conductors with her inspiring concert programs and her unique interpretations of major brass band works.
Dorothy Gates: “You use a mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul” – George Bernard Shaw.
Dorothy Gates was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Like her fellow countryman, George Bernard Shaw, she believes in the power of art to see your soul and transform the world. Dorothy received her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition and Trombone Performance from Queens University Belfast, Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. in Composition from the University of Salford. Her principal composition teachers were Kevin Volans, George Wilson, Joseph Turrin, and Peter Graham.
Dorothy spent twenty years as the Senior Music Producer for The Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory in New York and the Composer-in-Residence for the New York Staff Band. She was the first woman Composer/Editor to be employed by The Salvation Army in this role. Currently, Dorothy and her husband Mark live in Staunton, Virginia where they serve as Salvation Army officers.
Brass Band Engraving Guide
Below is our brass band engraving guide, demonstrating the written and sounding pitches for the British Brass Band as well as how they should appear in score order. The full instrumentation breakdown of a brass band is as follows:
Eb Soprano Cornet
Solo Cornet (Up to 4 part divisi)
Repiano Cornet
2nd Cornet (Up to 2 part divisi)
3rd Cornet (Up to 2 part divisi)
Flugelhorn
Solo Horn
1st Horn
2nd Horn
1st Baritone
2nd Baritone
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
1st Euphonium
2nd Euphonium
Eb Bass (Up to 2 part divisi)
Bb Bass (Up to 2 part divisi)
Timpani (4 drums)
3 additional percussion parts (Access to all standard percussion equipment is available. If you have any questions about what is available, please reach out.)