Editorial

The second International Brass Congress (IBC2) took place recently. Readers will remember the first, which was held in Montreux, in Switzerland, in 1976 thanks to the Institute for Advanced Musical Studies (an ephemeral “US-international” institute which for several years benefited from the amazing generosity of an extremely wealthy Italian-American businessman).

That first meeting was an inspiration to the 500 brass players who took part. An outstanding bill of about 150’000 Swiss francs ($ 80’000) had to be paid by the Institute (its last act of generosity before disappearing from the scene). The founder, the tuba player Harvey Phillips, had envisaged a congress every four years but the economic problems of the last few years prevented him from doing so and it was certainly not easy to find a town and an institution which would agree to assume the inevitable deficit (IBC2 is said to have a budget of $ 200’000). Harvey Phillips, together with his colleagues from the various American guilds, eventually found the necessary support on his doorstep in Bloomington, at Indiana University, in one of the biggest schools of music in the world.

First problem

The location. Bloomington is a small university town and not very easy to get to, especially from overseas (Washington, New York, Boston or Chicago would have been easier) but it had to be done where possible.

Second problem

The date. The musical season and the academic year in American institutions are different from most of those in other countries, especially from those in Europe, where the music college exam period is at its height and the concert season has not finished. The dates 3rd-8th June were convenient from a US domestic point of view and so, understandably enough, they were chosen. The home market had to be considered first. The American brass guilds, although styled “international”, are in fact national, and characteristically American, in their structure, in keeping with the special criteria of that great country.

Third problem

The cost. The American guilds have organised several collections with a view to setting up scholarships to help students to participate. These scholarships will, naturally, go first to young American students. Meanwhile foreigners have to pay the whole cost of transport (which is considerable) as well as accomodation and congress fees (both of which are reasonable).