The UniBrass Foundation needs your help!

The UniBrass Foundation exists to nurture and grow University brass bands, the vital link between youth and adult banding. Without a flourishing University banding community, we could see players stop participating in banding and see a decline in the number of players going on to be part of the banding community.

The Challenge

This year, participants of the UniRun challenge will attempt to run/walk the distance from Sheffield to Warwick, 111 km, over the course of December. As the UniRunners follow the path of the UniBrass contest from its old home to its new, you'll hear from them as they take on this gruelling challenge in the hope of reaching Warwick by New Years Day.

Our Work

UniBrass Contest

The main focus of the Foundation is the support of the UniBrass contest, an annual student run brass banding competition. Since the creation of the UniBrass Foundation, we’ve seen the number of participating bands increase from ~10 to ~25, now running two sections in parallel to accommodate all those wanting to take part. Each year we have ~800 students descending on the chosen host university for a day of great entertainment and student music making. The UniBrass contest is thought to be the largest student-run event of its kind in the country. 

Returning to its usual format after the pandemic, the UniBrass 2022 contest was hosted in Sheffield in February 2022. The Trophy section was won by Royal Birminham Conservatoire and the Shield section by the University of Leeds. The UniBrass 2023 contest will be hosted by the University of Warwick on Saturday 11th February 2023.

UniBrass Band Camp

The UniBrass Foundation has branched out into organising its own summer school aimed at young adult brass banders. This has been held twice to great success. The course sees the banders come together for 6 days of intense tuition, lead by David Thornton, with the week culminating in a concert at Sheffield Cathedral. The UniBrass Band Camp will return again this summer!

The UniBrass Foundation needs your continued support in order to keep these opportunities open to students from across the country.