Milnrow to replace tredegar at Brass in concert in 2026

Grand shield champions invited to the glasshouse stage, following a change in the championship line-up

There is a last-minute line-up update for one of the most anticipated dates in the brass banding calendar. Organisers of the Brass in Concert Championship have announced that Milnrow Band will be taking to the stage at this year's contest on Saturday 14th November at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead.

The call-up comes after Tredegar Band was forced to make the difficult decision to withdraw from this year's event due to financial pressures.

Addressing this decision, Tredegar President, Rob Westacott, shared warm wishes for the upcoming championship:

“Unfortunately, Tredegar Band has had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from this year’s Brass in Concert Championship. We are very grateful to Nigel Stevens and his team for their understanding and the professional way in which they have worked with us. We wish them and all the competitors the very best for what we are sure will be yet another fantastic weekend and hope to be able to return to the banding world’s premier entertainment contest in the future."

Golden opportunity for a band on the rise

While Tredegar's absence will certainly be felt on the day, the invitation marks an exciting milestone for Milnrow Band.

The band have enjoyed a stellar run on the contest circuit, by winning this year's Grand Shield, alongside securing back-to-back Scottish Open titles. Despite the tight timeframe to prepare a full entertainment set, a spokesperson for Milnrow expressed their excitement for the upcoming performance:

 “While we sympathise with Tredegar Town Band in being unable to perform at this year’s Brass in Concert Championship, we are also very honoured to have been invited to take their place at one of the real highlights of the brass band calendar. Despite the short turnaround preparations are fully in motion and we are determined to make an impact on the band’s debut at the Glasshouse.”

11th on stage: preparing for the Glasshouse debut

Speaking on behalf of Brass in Concert, the event's CEO, Nigel Stevens commended Milnrow's swift commitment:

“We are very grateful to Milnrow and musical director Chris Binns for stepping at this advanced stage to replace Tredegar, and we would like to thank them for showing remarkable commitment. Milnrow will take Tredegar’s draw - 11th - on what promises to be a fantastic day’s entertainment, as bands compete for the biggest prize pot in the band contesting world. Tickets are still available for the Sunday’s Youth Brass in Concert in which eight brilliant youth bands will take part. With Saturday’s contest now sold out, anyone without tickets will be able to catch all the action online at WobPlay.com so sign up now and enjoy the show!”