Rich and vibrant tones of brass music could be heard right across County Durham last week, as organisers declare the success of Durham Brass Festival.
More than 30,000 people attended events across the county – between Sunday, July 9 and Sunday, July 16 – in a week packed with spectacular performances, new commissions, free concerts, community activities, and lively street bands.
The event brought in talented musicians from across the globe to perform energetic sets in the county’s streets while venues such as Aycliffe town park, Gala Durham, Consett Empire and Durham Town Hall were transformed into lively gig settings.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “Once again Durham Brass Festival has been a huge success, attracting tens of thousands of people to the county to enjoy the energy and variation of brass music, from lively contemporary to treasured traditional brass.
“We’re committed to our dynamic festival and events programme as part of our aim to make County Durham the culture county. Durham Brass does just this by creating opportunities for residents and visitors to experience brass music in accessible community settings. We hope everyone had a fantastic time at any of the events they attended, and we’re already looking forward to welcoming people back for next year.”
In total, 30,000 people joined in with Durham Brass, including 15,000 pupils at 63 schools.
Big and Little Brass Bashes then brought the party to the people throughout the week, with a series of free community concerts in Shildon, Crook, Trimdon, Aycliffe and Spennymoor.
The bashes culminated with Streets of Brass over the final weekend, July 15 and 16, taking over Durham City with a two-day street band bonanza of festival favourites Artistas del Gremio, Backchat Brass, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, Girlesque and many more.