Stellar adjudication panel for Scottish Open
Hannes Buchegger 
Simon Dobson 
Howard Snell
The Scottish Brass Band Association (SBBA) has announced that the adjudication panel for this year's Scottish Open Championships, to be held at Perth Concert Hall on Saturday 20 November, shall comprise Howard Snell, Hannes Buchegger and Simon Dobson.
Speaking to BB, SBBA's Event Manager, Peter Fraser MBE, commented: "Since taking the decision to opt for open adjudication at the Scottish Open, we have been aware of the importance of engaging musicians of the highest calibre, and we are delighted that we have been able to attract three such outstanding men in Howard Snell, Hannes Buchegger and Simon Dobson to Perth."
Peter Fraser added: "In Howard Snell we have one of the finest musicians ever to grace brass banding, but one who has enjoyed considerable success in Scotland over the years, while Hannes Buchegger has also made a tremendous impact on the European banding scene as the inspirational conductor of Brass Band Oberösterreich with which he gained third place at the recent European Championships. Simon Dobson will also bring a unique insight into the music as the composer of the specially-commissioned test-piece and we are extremely confident that our 'new' method of adjudication, of which more will be announced in the near future, will be well served by three highly-regarded professionals."
Speaking to BB during a visit from his home in France to the Royal Academy of Music in London, Howard Snell commented: "Having spent a considerable part of my childhood and much of my professional life in Scotland, I'm delighted to have been engaged to adjudicate at the Scottish Open Championships. I'm also very pleased that the SBBA has commissioned a new work from Simon Dobson and, in addition to getting to know the score well in advance of the event, I'm looking forward to meeting and working with both the composer and Hannes Buchegger."
Howard Snell added: "I'm very mindful of the effort that goes into a performance by the players and conductors, so it is vital that the adjudicators are thoroughly familiar with the music, so I will be trying to do the best job I can. It is a few years since I last adjudicated at a brass band contest, but I think that having three judges working separately in the open is an excellent compromise to a difficult problem and it is good to see that the SBBA is exploring new avenues in adjudication as well as all the other fine work it is doing these days."
Hannes Buchegger commented "After adjudicating in Switzerland , Germany and Norway I am looking forward to my first adjudicating in Scotland.
I think open adjudication is no problem for me because I already adjudicate sometimes at Symphonic Windband Competitions in Austria which is open adjudication. I am looking forward also to the Youth Contest on Sunday, because a few years ago at the European Championships in Glasgow I was very impressed by the Scottish Youth Brass Band at the Gala Concert.
During the last years I worked very often also with young people in Austria and Switzerland, since two years I conduct the Austrian Youth Brass Band.
