THE traditional and cutting edge elements of brass will be brought together in one of the great climactic events of Brass: Durham International Festival – the Durham Miners’ Gala.

For the third year running, traditional brass bands from former colliery villages and towns will join forces and play alongside contemporary musicians from across the world, in a day-long extravaganza of music and cross-cultural experience and historic splendour.

Festival organisers hope fans and players alike of military-style marches and much-loved hymns will be inspired by brass from the other side of the globe, with all styles influencing each other to create a wonderful musical melting pot on the streets of Durham City on Saturday, July 11.

Here’s a look at what foreign talent we can expect to be performing at the gala alongside some of the very best traditional British brass bands from across the UK.

El Autentico Tamborazo Zacatecano come from a former silver mining community in central Mexico, where – like Durham – traditional industry has died away to be replaced by leisure and tourism and a reputation for throwing a good party.

Tambarazo Zacatecano – a traditional Mexican marching band composed of trumpets, trombones and drums and which translates as the drum-beat of Zacatecas – come from a tradition of street performing in the town of Zacatecas, a hidden gem in the dry, hilly area of central Mexico.

BANDS would gather in the town squares on a Sunday and perform classical pieces, often using instruments left behind by European ensembles. Gradually, local and traditional dance music – appealing to the taste of the locals – seeped into the repertoire and the performances grew more and more animated.

British trumpet player Byron Wallen has been working in 2008-09 with El Autentico Tamborazo Zacatecano to produce a new kind of callejonada that combines the distinctive Mexican musical tradition with influences from jazz and contemporary music.

Wallen is “one of the most innovative, exciting and original trumpet players alive”, according to Jazzwise Magazine, and he is constantly travelling the world recording, teaching and performing.

He has played with artists as varied as Courtney Pine, Mica Paris, Desmond Dekker and Craig David. He has travelled and played widely in the developing world, especially Africa. He has written and recorded seven albums under his own name and others with a number of artists, including Red Snapper, and has appeared in four films.

Global Kryner is an Austrian six-piece that plays a fusion of pop, punk and polka.

They have released three CDs and appeared naked covered in paint on the cover of the most recent release, Weg.

The band consists of clarinet, bass trombone, guitar, trumpet, accordion, a singer and a yodeller.

In 2005, after Global Kryner finished 21st out of 25 in the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, the Austrian broadcasters were so angry that they pulled out of the competition for a year.

Their music, they claim, “acts as an antidepressant, painkiller and dementia blocker”. It consists of a combination of Austrian oompah, Cuban rhythm and yodelling, and they are famous for their cover versions of well-known songs such as Over the Rainbow, Like a Virgin, and Eye of the Tiger.

Oompah Brass, who so many people enjoyed at last year’s festival where they were a great favourite, will also perform.

This year’s event will be the 125th Durham Miners’ Gala, with the tradition dating back to 1871. Over the years, the gala, also known as the Durham Big Meeting, the Big Meet and simply Durham Day, has become a firm fixture in the musical calendar.

With the added attraction of the hand-painted banners, it is also getting a following among fans of historic events who come to enjoy the tradition and visual feast that the banners and the bands provide.

The gala has only been called off because of the First World War, Second World War and strikes in 1921, 1922, 1926 and 1984.

Traditionally, many brass bands would play a concert in their home town or village on the preceding Friday evening, before everyone in the community – not just the musicians and their families, but dozens and hundreds of people at a time – would gather early on the Saturday morning, board a hired bus and make their way to Durham.

At its peak, the gala attracted more than 250,000 people – about six times the current population of the city as a whole.

Numbers may have fallen, but Durham Miners’ Gala still attracts tens of thousands of music fans, residents and visitors alike and over the past few years attendance has started to increase.

With the added ingredient of international flavour, creativity and experimentation, this year’s promises to be among the best.