Virtuosic, full of drama and contrasts and, I hope - good tunes: Richard Blackford's first piece for brass band, Orbital

Whilst composers of new music for brass band have often got brass band experience, there are also intriguing examples of composers from outside the brass banding world taking the plunge with remarkable results. A collaboration between five British championship brass bands and BBC Radio 3 is aiming to extend this by commissioning new music from establish composers who have not yet written for brass band, inviting them to write a new work which fits the precise format required for national and international championship competitions and thus ensuring a minimum of five performances.

This innovative project is spearheaded by the Cooperation Band, Cory, Flowers, Foden’s and Tredegar Town Band alongside conductor Martyn Brabbins who learned to play the euphonium during his youth at Towcester Brass Band. The first composer is Richard Blackford, whose new work for brass band Orbital is premiered at the International Brass Band Festival at the Royal Northern College of Music by the Cory Band, conductor Philip Harper on 25 January 2026 with a broadcast in February and further performances throughout the UK during 2026. 

The Festival runs from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 January 2026 and is definitely worth exploring: there are premieres of works by Claire Cope, Phil Lawrence, Bruce Broughton, Jacob Vilhelm Larsen, Simon Dobson, Helena Zyskowska, and Dorothy Gates along with works by established composers such as Paul Mealor, Per Nørgård, Derek Bourgeois, Thea Musgrave, Errollyn Wallen, George Lloyd.

Orbital is based on Samantha Harvey’s 2024 Booker Prize winning novel which follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station as they orbit Earth, reflecting on subjects including the existence or nature of God, the meaning of life, and existential threats such as climate change. Blackford describes his new piece as "virtuosic, full of drama and contrasts and, I hope - good tunes."

Philip Harper, speaking on behalf of the five championship bands commented: "We’re delighted to be working on this project together. At several moments across brass band repertoire history, new voices have emerged which injected energy, innovation and new ways of thinking into our music. Composers such as Gilbert Vinter, John McCabe and Philip Wilby were all well-established before they wrote for brass band later in their careers, with such huge and long-lasting impact".  

Full details from the RNCM's website.