Tickets
Check ticket availability on Stavanger Konserthus' website.
Sold out Saturday
Tickets for the Challenge Section & Own Choice Championship Section are now completely sold out, and no further sales will take place.
Tickets available for the rest of the week
A limited number of tickets remain for the Set Test Piece Championship Section on Friday. Tickets are also still available for other events, including the Conductors competition, the Gala Concert, the European Youth Brass Bands Championships, and more. Check the homepage for a full overview of all the events that will take place during the week.
The Championships
If you join us for the EBBC 2025 in Stavanger, you will have the opportunity to listen to top brass bands from all over Europe. They will be competing in four different sections, including two sections for youth bands. The bands are all qualified through national competitions or nominated by their national brass band federation. The EBBC 2025 will also host the Conductors competition.
On Sunday the 11th of May, you can experience The European Youth Brass Band Championship. This Championship provides a platform for Europe’s finest youth brass bands to perform a programme of musical excellence which is also entertaining in a competitive environment. In doing so, this will encourage the development of youth brass bands throughout the member countries of the European Brass Band Association, fostering enduring social links between the young people taking part and will help to create a better understanding of the cultural diversity throughout Europe. They will be competing in the Premier Section and the Development Section.
EBBC - Championship Section
The Championship Section consists of the winning band from the previous year and the champion band and/or nominated band from each European country. The competition consists of a set test piece, this year written by the Norwegian composer Fredrick Schjelderup. This will be preformed by all bands on Friday the 9th of May. The bands will also play an own choice on Saturday the 10thof May.
EBBC - Challenge Section
The Challenge Section features a line up of brass bands consisting on a level just below the Championship Section. Bands in the Challenge Section will play a new test piece, composed by the Norwegian composer Ingebjørg Vilhelmsen, plus an own choice program in a single performance. The total playing time shall not be longer than 25 minutes. This section is on Saturday the 10th of May before the Championship Section own choice.
EYBBC - Premier Section
The Premier Section features senior youth bands. They play a programme not longer than 25 minutes, including a set test piece, this year by the Norwegian composer Kjetil Djønne. The competition is on the 11th of May. The bands can also feature a soloist, as there is a prize for best soloist.
EYBBC - Development Section
This section is for younger youth bands. They will play a programme not longer than 20 minutes, including a set test by the Norwegian composer Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen. The bands can also feature a soloist, as there is a prize for best soloist.
About the venues
Stavanger Konserthus
Stavanger Konserthus consists of three great halls, Fartein Valen, Zetlitz and Kuppelhallen. Fartein Valen will be our hall for the championships, and this grand hall has 1500 seats. The hall is a very popular concert venue for both brass bands and symphonic orchestras and is used for example in the prestigious Siddis Brass entertainment contest which takes place every November. The roof in the hall is adjustable, giving the desired acoustics for whoever plays there. For the competition, the roof will be set to give optimal acoustics for brass bands.
Kuppelhallen
Kuppelhallen will be the venue for the semi-final and the final of the conductors competition. The hall has 1 000 seats and produces great sound with an intimate atmosphere. When Stavanger was host for the Europeans in 2008, Kuppelhallen was the hall where the entire competition found place, as Fartein Valen and Zetlitz was still on the drawing board.
Tou Scene
Tou Scene will be the location for the Opening Ceremony on Friday morning. Tou is one of Norway’s largest independent cultural institutions and is located in Stavanger city centre. The atmosphere of the building is industrial and rough, as it was once one of Norway’s old breweries. Tou scene hosts over 400 different arts – and cultural events during the year.
Ledaal
Ledaal was once built as a holiday home for the well-known Kielland family in the late 18th century. Later the building was turned into a museum, and eventually became the king’s residence in Stavanger. Ledaal will be the venue for the formal reception Thursday afternoon. The reception is by invitation only.
About the composers and set-pieces
In 2025 we will have four new set-pieces, and NMF and EBBA has agreed on the composers. All the pieces are published by Norsk Musikkforlag, who have also created the illustration art for each individual work.
Championship Section - Fredrick Schjelderup
The set piece for the Championship Section will be written by the young and talented composer Fredrick Schjelderup from Bergen, Norway. Fredrick was born in 1990 and has a bachelor’s degree in compositions from the Grieg Academy in Bergen. He started his composing career in 2008 and is now one of the most popular Norwegian composers and delivers compositions to many of the top bands in Europe.
Stavanger is the oil capitol of Norway, and the title of the EBBC set test piece, “Transitions in Energy'', is a term used in the oil industry. NMF was granted 165 000 NOK from the Norwegian Composers Foundation (Det norske komponistfond) to support the writing of the piece.
Olav M. Skår developed the initial concept of the piece. The piece reflects on the role of energy in the development of earth and society, climate concerns and hopefully a positive future beyond. Transitions in Energy is written in 3 movements, The Past, The Present and The Future, played continuously: The Present contains an “In Memoriam” to Alexander L. Kielland, the most impactful oil and gas disaster in Norway which capsized during a storm on the 27th of March 1980. 123 lives were lost and many norwegians still seek full closure.
Challenge Section - Ingebjørg Vilhelmsen
The set piece for the Challenge Section, "Embracing Duality" is written by another young aspiring composer. Ingebjørg Vilhelmsen was born in 1993 and has a master’s degree in musicology from the University of Oslo, as well as extra credits in composition from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2022 she won the award for break-through of the year within classical/modern music in Norway. Ingebjørg has written commissioned works for many large brass band events, such as an own choice piece in the 2023 Norwegian National Championships and set pieces for international competitions.
“Embracing Duality” depicts Hel, the ruler of the underworld in Norse mythology. Hel is a complex figure reflecting the Norse worldview’s emphasis on the cyclical nature of life and death. She represents the idea that death is not to be feared but accepted as a natural part of existence, and her realm, Helheim, serves as a place of rest and judgement for departed souls. Hel is often depicted as a figure with a dual appearance, where one half of her body is that of a living woman, while the other half is that of a corpse, showing signs of decay. This duality symbolizes her dominion over both life and death.
EYBBC – Premier Section – Kjetil Djønne
Kjetil Djønne is the composer of the set piece for the Youth Premier Section "Northern Passages". Born in 1996, Kjetil Djønne, is a young but accomplished composer. He has a master’s degree in conducting from the University in Stavanger, as well as a bachelor’s degree in compositions from the Grieg Academy in Bergen. In 2021 he won the award for break-through of the year within classical/modern music in Norway. In 2025 Kjetil Djønne's "Catharsis" was chosen as the set-piece for the Norwegian National Championships. He is a sought-after composer in both Norway and abroad and has written music for several top bands in Europe. The Youth Premier Section in EBBC has a very high musical level and Kjetil will contribute to maintain the standard.
Northern Passages is a four-movement work that portrays the Norwegian landscape through traditional Norwegian dances. In the first movement the music paints a picture of fjords and mountains, building up to a powerful climax before moving forward. The second movement is a playful mazurka inspired by the musical “Småtroll” of Johan Halvorsen and Edvard Grieg. The Hardanger fiddle is the inspiration to the third movement, “Bånsull”, and the fourth movement is a traditional Norwegian dance halling.
EYBBC – Development Section – Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen
The set piece for the Youth Development Section is written by the experienced composer Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen. Born in 1964, Torstein Aagard Nilsen is a freelance composer, arranger and conductor. He studied at the Bergen University and Bergen Music Conservatory. His music is direct and impulsive. Sometimes narrative, sometimes occupied by visual aspects, like experience of nature. Harmony and melody are treated merely like objects, which gives a certain freedom regarding tonality and timbre.
He has written the set piece for the Champion Section in EBBC twice, in 1996 (Seid) and in 2003 (Aubade – Dawn Songs of the Fabulous Birds). His piece, “Dirty dancing”, was chosen as the set test piece for the European Championship for Wind Orchestras (ECWO) held in Oslo in May 2024. Pieces by Torstein has been selected as the set piece for the Norwegian National Championships in 1990, 1999, 2005, 2014 and 2018. Torstein has been awarded several awards for his compositions for a large range of different ensembles, and we are pleased to bring his level of professionalism and experience into writing the set piece for the Youth Development Section.
The piece, "Four Brief Actions" is divided, as the title infers, into four short movements. The first movement, "Chasing" resembles a canon. All instruments play the same short motive as a musical chase. A fragment of a melody heard in the ending of the movement. In the second movement "Running", 16th notes (semiquavers) dominate and proceed with a funky rhythm. In the third, "Singing", some instruments play melodic fragments; others play small melodies. All instruments are asked to play in a cantabile, singing way. The fourth and final movement "Ending (with a Viking tune)", promises energetic music based on an old Norse song: Sigurd Fåvnesbane (Sigurd the Dragons Slayer).
The participating bands
A total of 28 bands will take part in this year’s championships, which for the second time is taking place in Stavanger, Norway.
Championship section
In the Championship section we have a record with 15 participating bands.
Defending champions Brass Band Treize Étoiles will be joined by Valaisia Brass Band from Switzerland. Foden’s band will represent England, and from Wales the Cory Band will take the stage in the Stavanger Konserthus. The Scandinavian countries will be represented with Göta Brass Band from Sweden, Lyngby-Taarbæk Brass Band from Denmark, and Eikanger-Bjørsvik Musikklag from Norway.
In the Championship section we will find some newcomers – Brass LT from Lithuania who won the challenge section in 2024 and Brass Band Regensburg who will represent Germany and who are also previous winners of the challenge section in 2022.
Given a line-up that also includes excellent competitors like the cooperation band, Italian Brass Band, Brass Band Oberösterreich, Hauts-de-France Brass Band, Brassband Rijnmond and Brass Band Willebroek it promises to be an exciting, high quality championship section.
Challenge section
This year we find three bands in the Challenge section. Brass Band Überetsch from the Italian province of South Tyrol, Downshire Brass from Northern Ireland, and Gjesdal Brass Band from Norway.
European Youth Brass Band Contest
Since it was established ten years ago in 2014 at Perth, Scotland, the European Youth Brass Band Contest is an established part of the European Brass Band Championships.
This year’s edition will have a total of 10 bands.
Defending champion in the Development Section, Smørås Skolemusikk (Norway), will be joined by Ytrebygda Skolekorps (Norway) and they will compete against Brass Band Aukštyn (Lithuania), Wardle Academy Youth Brass Band (England) and Youth Brass Band PotzBlech (Germany).
In the Premier section we find the defending champions Brass Band Sklepučini (Lithuania), together with the champions from 2023 Catch Basin Brass Band (Austria).
These will be joined by two newcomers - BML Talents (Switzerland) and Hordaland Ungdomsbrassband (Norway).
The bands own choice music
There is an absolute feast of original brass band repertoire in all sections of Championships. As has become commonplace, there are some real blockbuster own choice selections in the Championship section, with two new works by Thomas Doss and one from the pen of Pierre-Antoine Savoyat.
There will be two performances of Jesus in Tibet, which will form an interesting comparison, and other returning works, which have proved so popular and successful in previous years.
The Challenge and Youth sections see a diverse selection of brass repertoire with some well-loved arrangements also featuring as a welcome addition.
The adjudicators
After the European Youth Brass Band have assembled on the first weekend of the event, the competitive element of the championships begins with the first round of the European Conductors Competition on the Sunday morning. Twelve candidates will arrive Stavanger for the first round, and each will work with the Sola Brass Band. Selecting the six semi-finalists from this pool will be Isabelle Ruf Weber (Switzerland) and Allan Withington (Norway), both highly respected conductors and educators.
The semi-final of the Conductors’ Competition takes place on Tuesday evening, again judged by Isabelle and joined by EBBA Music Commission member, Benjamin Haemhouts, a renowned orchestral and opera conductor from Belgium. The semi-finalists have an opportunity to work with the professional sinfonietta, Insimul.
On Thursday evening, we have the final of the European Conductors Competition where the three finalists will conduct the Stavanger Brass Band in performances of three major original works for brass band, judged by the esteemed panel of Allan Withington, Russell Gray (Scotland) and Michael Bach (Switzerland). Of course, there is also an audience prize in the final, so be there if you want input into the results.
To judge the Championship Set Test, the highly talented trio of Isabelle Ruf Weber, Bert van Thienen (Belgium) and Corsin Tuor (Switzerland) will be in the box. Each juror will bring a unique perspective to the panel will have a very clear picture of how excellence should sound on the demanding set-test.
For the Challenge Section on the Saturday morning, we see Bert van Thienen and Allan Withington. Later, on the Saturday, a highly experienced judging team of Frode Amundsen (Norway), Michael Bach and Jan de Haan (The Netherlands) will make the important decisions on the fearsome task of judging the Championship Own Choice.
Making the important decisions in the Youth Competitions on the Sunday see the return of Russell Gray, Jan de Haan, Corsin Tuor, joined by Stavanger local, Arfon Owen (Norway).
Where to practice in Stavanger
Wonder where to practice with the band in Stavanger? We got you covered! We have composed a list of available venues along with contact information and location. You can find it here.