Adjudicator Announcement – 2022 State Band Championships

The VBL is excited to announce that the Adjudicator for the 2022 State Band Championships is Andrew Snell.

Andrew Snell was born in Somerset, UK, and started playing trombone at the age of 10. After finishing tertiary study on the band degree course at Salford he was offered the position of bass trombone with the world-renowned Grimethorpe Colliery Band. After 11 years with the band, he emigrated to New Zealand in 2002. Since then Andrew has held professional roles in Australia as a lecturer at Charles Darwin University, the orchestra manager for the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and as Chief Executive Officer of the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music.

In 2013, he became the managing director of the Victorian Opera which he combined with the role of musical director at Darebin City Brass – Preston Band. During that tenure the band enjoyed a successful contesting record, winning the Victorian State Brass Band Championship on four occasions as well as the Latrobe Valley and Boroondara Eisteddfod titles. They also topped the own choice section of the 2017 and 2019 Australian National Championships and claimed a top-six place finish at the 2018 New Zealand Championships.

Andrew returned to New Zealand in 2019 to become the manager of Performing Arts at the Ara Institute of Canterbury in Christchurch and he was appointed musical director of the NZ National Secondary Schools’ Brass Band and Leopard Coachlines Canterbury Brass in 2020. Earlier this month he moved back to Victoria and has taken up the role of Manager Creative Venues, Events and Tourism for Latrobe City Council.