2024 State Band Championships
WHEN: July 27th and 28th , 2024
WHERE: Hawthorn Town Hall
The VBL is pleased to announce that the 2024 State Band Championships shall be held in Melbounrne on the weekend of the 27th and 28th of July.
The adjudicator for the event will be announced shortly.
Provisional Schedule
The provisional schedule for the 2024 State Band Championships is as follows. Please note that this schedule is not confirmed and changes are possible depending on entry numbers in each grade.
Saturday 27 July
- Open & Junior Concert Bands
- Junior Brass Bands
- Open D Grade Brass Bands
- Open A Grade Brass Bands
Sunday 28 July
- Open C Grade Brass Bands
- Open B Grade Brass Bands
Entry Information
Entries close May 10th
Relevant entry information for the 2024 State Band Championships can be found below:
Entry Forms
Contest entry forms can be found above. Entries must be submitted by Friday May 10th.
Entry Fees
Fees are able to be paid via direct debit, see the Contest Schedule for account information. The entry fee for the 2024 State Band Championships is $175.00
Scores & Synopses
A condition of entry into the State Band Championships is that all competitors must provide the VBL a copy of all scores which the band is competing with. Scores must have every bar numbered and all distinguishing marks removed. Bands should also prepare a short synopsis for each piece which will be read out to the audience during the competition. These must be received by Friday June 21st.
Scores and synopses must be emailed to the contest supervisor (contests@vbl.org.au).
Player Registrations
All players competing on-stage must be registered with the VBL or the competing band will be disqualified. Most players will have been registered at the start of the year but any additional players will need to be registered by Friday July 12th.
Contest Declarations & Player Lists
Once all players have been registered, all competitors must complete their Contest Declaration & Player Lists and forward them to the registrar (registrar@vbl.org.au) by Friday July 12th.
Season Passes (for band members)
All competitors will be required to buy a ticket to listen to results on the day. The VBL is offering discount tickets to all competing band members who wish to listen to other bands. These Season Passes are valid for the entire weekend and are available for $5 each. Competitors will not be admitted to the auditorium without a valid ticket..
Season Pass orders should be received by the contest supervisor (contests@vbl.org.au) by Friday July 12th.
Stage Plans
Stage plans should be received by the contest supervisor (contests@vbl.org.au) by Friday July 12th.
Music Selection
The music selection for the 2024 State Band Championships is as follows:
Open Brass & Concert Bands
Must perform four pieces as follows:
• Major Work
• March
• Sacred Item/Hymn
• Own Choice
Junior Brass & Concert Bands
Must perform three pieces as follows:
• Major Work
• 2 x contrasting Concert Items
The set work for each of the following grades will be:
Junior Concert Bands – Own Choice BUT one of the pieces in the program must be by an Australian composer
Junior Brass Bands – Own Choice
Open Concert Bands – Own Choice BUT one of the pieces in the program must be by an Australian composer
Open A Grade Brass – The Cosmographic Mystery by Ingebjørg Vilhelmsen
Open B Grade Brass – Traversada by Oliver Waespi
Open C Grade Brass – The Unfortunate Traveller by Imogen Holst (performing edition by Paul Hindmarsh)
Open D Grade Brass – A Bournemouth Suite by Ben Tubb-Herne