CHAMPION BAND OF EUROPE
On Wednesday 22nd April we travelled to Linz in Austria to make our debut appearance at the European Brass Band Championships, representing Gloucester and England on an international stage. We were full of anticipation after 19 months of fundraising and preparation since our qualification in September 2024, when we were placed runners-up and the highest ranked English band at the British Open.
Spoiler alert: we are extraordinarily proud to now call Flowers Band the EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS! We saw off fierce competition from 14 bands, most National Champions of their own countries, and the adjudicators placed us in first place on both days of the competition.
The first day was a set test piece. This year’s selection was a new commission by Austrian composer Thomas Doss, entitled ‘Alienus’. It tells the story of an alien encounter, with lots of muted brass and percussion creating an evocative soundscape. Interspersed within the alien-like sound effects are a hymn tune and a Bach cantata, and MD Paul Holland spent many hours pouring over the score to ensure we had the right balance across the band to bring out these important lines.
We were blown away by the response from the crowd at the Brucknerhaus, where we received an extended standing ovation and rapturous applause. We are so grateful to the Flowers supporters who travelled to Austria, as well as supporters of other bands who came into the hall to hear us and showed their appreciation loudly.
Adjudicator Margie Antorbus said about our day 1 performance: “You create a wonderful atmosphere. There is so much space in the music” and “The amount of detail you present is wonderful. Thank you for an amazing performance”. Fellow adjudicator Philip Harper described our rendition as: “some super details coming through here all over the band. You have control of everything. Overall - an epic performance in all respects - motto bravo!”
While we had some idea of the audience response, the adjudicators’ marks are kept concealed until the end of day 2, so after we played we returned to our rehearsal room to re-focus on the next day. Bands pick their own choice of test piece for day 2, and we were delighted to work with Swiss composer Oliver Waespi on a new commission entitled “West Wind: Metamorphoses for Brass Band”.
Oliver is well known in the brass band world for writing fiendishly difficult and spectacularly beautiful test pieces, and West Wind is no exception. We were delighted when he accepted the commission, it was a joy to prepare and a thrill to perform, and clearly appreciated by the crowd in the Brucknerhaus who once again gave us enormous cheers as Oliver joined us on stage. We are so thankful to Oliver for creating a masterpiece which we are sure will become a staple of the competitive brass band repertoire.
Thomas Ludescher said of our day 2 performance: “Bravissimo to all the soloists, all sections, especially the trombones!!! The middle section was chamber music playing of the highest quality. So perfect, so natural! Magnificent!”. Composer and fellow adjudicator Edward Gregson commented: “I have nothing to write - I just sit and listen to admire playing of this incredible quality! What a performance - what a premiere of a wonderful new addition to the brass band repertoire!”
It was a nervous wait for results, as we had heard from audience members and commentators alike that our performances were amongst the best, but we didn’t want to get our hopes too high! Our Band Manager Gregor Spence stood on stage as the compère counted down from 15th place and were asked to depart the stage, until only two remained: Flowers and Valaisia.
“So, the European Champion of 2026 is… Flowers Band!”. Immediately the hall was filled with cheering and screaming and more than a few tears. We never dreamed when we qualified two years ago that we could win the contest, the qualification itself was such a huge achievement, and over a week later we’re still somewhat in disbelief that we actually did it!!
Both performances, plus our winning moment from the results ceremony, are available to replay on WOBPlay, with a subscription. We highly recommend a listen!
We could not be prouder to be the European Champions, and to put Gloucester and the West of England in the spotlight on a global scale. We have received thousands of messages from supporters and fellow banders, for which we are incredibly grateful. We have also received unprecedented media coverage. Flowers has been played on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 6 and BBC Radio Gloucestershire. We have also been written about on the BBC News Website and appeared on Points West.
We are incredibly grateful to every single person who made it possible for us to attend this competition and make our debut. Without your support it simply would not have been possible.
We now have the honour to return to the contest in 2027 as Defending Champions. Montreux, here we come!
