BRASS: Durham International Festival is about to blast back into the region for a third year, following two hugely successful international festivals to date.

When the Durham Brass Festival was relaunched in 2007 as Brass: Durham International Festival, organisers hoped it would grow to become a musical extravaganza of global significance.

Just two years on, the event, which includes the Durham Miners’ Gala and will this year be held between Saturday, July 4, and Sunday, July 19, is already one of the biggest dates in the North-East cultural calendar.

More than 150,000 people have had some involvement in the festival since its launch.

Brass provides a chance to hear some of the best brass musicians from across the world, but it’s about more than listening to music – it’s about fun and enjoyment.

Turn a street corner or go to catch a train and you may meet a band of musicians performing in front of you.

LAST year’s Brass featured 125 free performances. Musicians and acts travelled from across the world to take part, coming from countries such as the US, Colombia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, India, Australia and Macedonia.

This year’s line-up of countries taking part is equally impressive with acts joining the festival for the first time from Iceland, Mexico and Nigeria.

A total of 270 professional musicians showed off their talents last year, combining with more than 1,000 local amateur musicians.

As well as high-profile concerts, there were participatory workshops and performances in schools across County Durham, reaching out to and engaging with more than 1,000 children.

There were eight concerts in special schools, five in care homes and seven in community venues and a number of community groups took advantage of a pilot scheme to provide free transport and tickets.

A new addition this year will be the Brass Bus that will take music and workshops to rural villages and hard-to-reach places across the county.

At the last festival the response from visitors, musicians and residents was overwhelmingly positive. A total of 97 per cent of people who were interviewed as part of an evaluation project thought Brass was either good or very good.

Organisers are looking forward to another successful event and are delighted to have produced another truly stunning programme for the festival.

Neil Hillier, Durham County Council’s strategic manager for heritage and culture, said: “Last year, we had such an eclectic mix of music I thought it could not be beaten, but I was wrong.

“Yet again those programming the festival have come up with the goods.

“We continue to have the bands from across the world coming to perform at Brass alongside our local musicians.

“This year, we also have a stunning contemporary element to the programme that keeps Brass playing right up to date.

“There is nothing else like Brass: Durham International Festival.

“In a time when you can’t move without stumbling upon a music festival and, frankly, many are the same as each other, Brass does offer something different – something that, like Durham, is unique, lively and inspirational.

“Its roots are in history, but it’s bang up to date and ready to lead the way, not just in this country, but across the world.”