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Canceled
As a result of the current COVID situation, the organising committee has chosen to cancel the 2022 Nationals.

National Band Championships 2022 [CANCELLED]

April 15, 2022

1st Mar 2022

The NBCA are disappointed to announce the cancellation of the 2022 Australian National Band Championships. While we had seventy-eight bands register for the event based on our initial plans for the Easter weekend, we made the decision to postpone the event to a later date due to COVID. This in turn created a number of issues which has left us unable to find suitable venues on appropriate alternate dates.

After postponing, we attempted to find a weekend in June or July that didn’t interfere too much with existing state-based events, where a suitable venue in their state was available, and that would allow for each hub to be able to run profitably or at break even. Unfortunately, several of the hubs had at least one of the above conditions that they weren’t able to meet.

Our mission had always been clear: run a good event with representation across the country that could break even to avoid placing further strain on bands and state bodies. Under the current circumstances, we are not able to deliver on this.

We understand the frustration that will be felt by the community on this announcement. The council, as well as Danny Alexander from NSW and David Bremner from NZ, have spent many hours on prepping and planning for the event. For the WA council members, this is the second nationals in three years they have had to cancel. For the Victorian and SA members, this cancellation follows on from the cancellation of their states last year. We are all disappointed by the outcome, but we didn’t want to deliver a second-rate product, especially given the effort you would be putting into your performances.

We will process refunds for bands in the coming weeks. Finally, thank you to Tim at Brassbanned and Yamaha Music Australia for their amazing support of this project. For now, we encourage you to participate in other Australian banding events in 2022 and gear up for our return to a traditional Nationals in Newcastle in 2023. The team from NSW have started planning in earnest and I know they will put on a great show next year. I can’t wait to see and hear you all at Easter next year when we finally get our Nationals back!

Regards

Paul De Cinque
President
National Band Council of Australia

 

27th Jan 2022
Unfortunately this event has been delayed until further notice.  Please see a message from the President of the National Band Council of Australia below.


Notice: Delay to the 2022 Australian National Band Championships

As Omicron has spread around Australia over January, the NBCA has continued to assess the viability of the 2022 Nationals, and our ability to run a safe, fair, and financially viable event.

On safety, it is clear that many cases and sadly, a number of deaths have placed many bands into positions where they are either unable to rehearse, or would be significantly risking their health & safety in doing so. Band is meant to be an oasis of enjoyment, and to ask people to rehearse in a situation that makes them anxious for their safety is not something we want to do.

On fairness, the different peak times for Omicron around the country, risks of further peaks, and disparity of situations means an Easter event is not likely to be fair. Bands in some parts of the country may enjoy 10 weeks of consistent rehearsal in the lead up to the event, where others may perhaps not be able to rehearse properly until well into March. This does not allow for bands to be on an even-playing field, one of the primary issues for running a fair Nationals.

While we have had amazing support with 82 entries, we understand bands would potentially need to withdraw due to the health situation around the country. Withdrawals, and refunds, could lead to multiple venues no longer being financially viable. This was of course a primary concern for us from Day 1 of organising this event.

As a result of these three issues, the organising committee has chosen to postpone the 2022 Nationals. We are currently investigating options for this event to be run at some point during June or July, and we are assessing the best weekends over that time period for each state. We will make a detailed announcement of this new date by the end of February, and bands will be given an option to reassess their entries at that time.

The Organising Committee will continue to meet. We fundamentally believe a Nationals is possible in 2022, but we want to make sure it is the best event it can be. By delaying, we believe we are giving Australian bands the best option to participate in a fair and healthy way.

For all our bands across the country, stay safe, and follow the health advice in your state. Our bands are our families, and we want to see our families all back together when it is safe to do so.

Regards,
Paul De Cinque
NBCA President

https://www.facebook.com/ausbandchamps/posts/390608536199466

Details

Date:
April 15, 2022

Organiser

South Australian Band Association
Email
secretary@sabandassociation.org
View Organiser Website

Venue

Norwood Concert Hall
175 The Parade
Norwood,South Australia5067Australia
+ Google Map
Phone
(08) 8366 4557
View Venue Website