Events

Musicians and music fans are travelling from all over the world to visit Durham. Brass - The International Brass Festival is taking place in different locations around the Durham area from July 1 to July 15 with one of the strongest line-ups yet.

Brass music can often be confused and dismissed as your average "oom pah" band, but one of the main objectives of the festival is to show people brass music can come in many different forms.

The festival is in full swing and we caught up with organiser Neil Hillier to find out how it is going:

"One of the strengths of the festival is to bring in acts from all over the world, this year we've had bands from India, America, Norway, Austria, and anywhere else you can think of."

Kiku Collins

Kiku Collins can play the trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet, pocket trumpet and valve trombone, she also finds time to be a vocalist and aspiring actress. Kiku has already played the festival and was joined on stage by a selection of the north-east of England's top brass-based musicians.

If Kiku looks familiar, you may have seen her on stage playing the trumpet for Beyoncé Knowles. "Touring with Beyonce was busy and wonderful. She's a woman with a gift and the determination to make it all work.

"She hears things that many musicians don't. I'm looking forward to working with her again - she taught me a lot as a performer and is a very empowering woman to know."

Neil Hillier was pleased to have Kiku on board: "Having Kiku Collins performing in the region symbolises the ambition of the brass festival. We are wanting people to realise just how serious we are about putting the festival on the world music map and hopefully Kiku and her music counterparts can do this for us."

"We've had press in Italian and Serbian magazines and an American brochure and people are coming to Durham from those [places]. Some specifically for the festival and some who are in the country at the time, but they're seeing Durham as a place where things are happening."

Great little secret

So if you think brass isn't for you, then think again, Neil explains how you may already be a fan of brass and not know it! "I love the idea that people think they're not into brass, but I think you'll find most people are but they don't know it. It's a great little secret because brass is used in so many different forms.

"We're bringing in a different blend of brass to Durham, we've got brass in folk with Bellowhead, in jazz, ska music and even acid house. Jack Brass band has a rapper as their front man, so it can be very different from whatever your first inklings might be.

"We've got over 3,000 brass players in Durham alone and they don't all play in brass bands. We think they're important for the county, region and country as a whole."

...2008?

BBC Wear can reveal that plans are already in place for the festival to return once again next year. Neil told us: "Things are going so well this year, obviously apart from the weather, we've already started planning the festival for next year. We have a MySpace page which has over 1,800 friends from all over the world who are interested in playing the festival in Durham next year.

"We'll be talking to the top British brass bands as well to see if they can play too. So hopefully it will put Durham on the map, keep Durham on the map and put brass on the map as well. It's a win-win scenario for us and that's what so nice about it."