Trio all set for European Youth Band experience

Three members of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland (NYBBS) will travel to The Netherlands tomorrow to take part in an experience of a lifetime as they assemble in the Dutch town of Ede to join up with the European Youth Brass Band (EYBB).

Cornet players Kyle Fitzsimmons, who also plays with Co-operative Funeralcare, and Bathgate Band's Storm Robertson will join tenor horn player Iona McVicar, who resides in Cyprus, as the EYBB's 36-player ensemble are guided through a tough series of rehearsals under the baton of Ivan Meylemans.

Kyle Fitzsimmons during the recent Cory concert

Located 30 miles east of Utrecht, the town of Ede will also host the first of several concerts the EYBB will take part in with the town's music training centre, Akoesticum, the venue on Wednesday, 2 May. The band will then perform at concerts on each of the following four days, bringing the 2018 European Championships to a close with an afternoon concert in Utrecht's TivoliVredenburg on Sunday, 6 May.

Bathgate Band's Storm Robertson

Auditioning for seat placement will take place from Saturday before the players embark on perfecting a demanding repertoire set for the week which includes Philip Sparke's Partita, Stijn Aertgeerts' Osterfjorden and Gavin Higgins' Ivory Ghosts not to mention Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba.

Tenor horn player Iona McVicar

Everyone at the Scottish Brass Band Association (SBBA) sends best wishes to the lucky trio who are about to embark on an experience which will no doubt live long in the memory.