Brass Band Nationals 2024: Hamilton City Brass a family affair

Musical families, from left: Leighton Ginever, Quentin Ginever, Lizzie Barr, Anessa Ginever, Te Reo Genefaas, Malcolm Barr, Walter Genefaas, Walter Hughes, Sara-Jane Flint, Michelle Panko, Elizabeth Humberstone, George Humberstone.

The National Brass Band Championships at the Pacific Festival of Brass in Auckland are set to be a huge event for five musical Waikato families.

New Zealand’s brass band national championship is one of the oldest musical competitions in the world. This year’s event will take place from July 10-13.

The first event was held at the Christchurch Drill Hall in 1880, with six bands competing. The audience of 2500 chose the Invercargill Garrison Band as the winner.

This year, more than two dozen bands over four senior grades and a youth division will converge on the Due Drop Events Centre to be judged on Sacred Item/Hymn, Test selection and Own Choice, plus open and junior solo and ensemble pieces, and hit the streets for the Street March title.

Hamilton City Brass is preparing for the competition under the baton of musical director Todd Smith to contest the hotly contested A-Grade section, with elite bands from around New Zealand and Australia.

For the Own Choice section, the band will premiere a 19-minute piece that has never been performed in the Southern Hemisphere.

Hamilton City Brass with musical director Todd Smith performing at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts.

Smith considers it the hardest piece the band has ever played.

“However, they are rising to the challenge, and I can’t wait for their performance on the contest stage,” he said.

The band is currently spending weeknights and whole weekends rehearsing and preparing for the four-day competition.

They placed third in 2022 and fourth last year so will be looking for a solid placing this year, their first with Smith at the helm.

Brass banding is a family affair for many of the Waikato brass musicians - they make up over a third of the membership of Hamilton City Brass.

Mother and daughter duo Michelle Panko and Sara-Jane Flint are among those for whom brass playing is instilled into their DNA: The family has over 100 years of family brass playing.

Starting in the early 1900s, their family members started performing in the St Hilda Colliery Brass Band from South Shields, near Newcastle upon Tyne in Northern England.

Flint has played for 21 years, including in Cambridge Brass, Te Awamutu Brass and Bras & Brass when her mum was the conductor.

Both play tenor horn and this is the first time they have played in the same section in the same band.

Hamilton City Brass performing at Hamilton's Anzac Day Civic Service.

Meanwhile, George Humberstone encouraged his younger sister Elizabeth to join him in the Ōhaupō School Brass Band learner group.

Since then they have played together in the Hamilton Auxiliary Brass and now in the senior band, Hamilton City Brass.

Having played four instruments over the years (cornet, tenor horn, euphonium and bass), the elder sibling now holds the Principal Eb Bass seat while his sister is a respected part of the back row cornet team.

Brass banding is also an integral part of the Barr family’s life.

Malcolm Barr began playing trumpet at age 10, joined Hamilton Auxiliary Brass a few months later, and was promoted to Hamilton City Brass at the age of 15 where he is still a member nearly 30 years later, currently holding the Principal Trombone seat.

Daughter Lizzie followed a similar pattern, receiving her first cornet lesson from her dad at a very young age then moving through the Brass Factory and into Hamilton Auxiliary Brass.

The 14-year-old is now one of Hamilton City Brass’ newest members, joining the band to perform at the National Championships this year, where she will also compete in the Under 15 Cornet solo competition.

Hamilton City Brass competing in the NZ Brass Band Championships Street March event in Dunedin this time last year.

Further east in the Waikato, the Ginever family, of Morrinsville, has been involved with brass bands in Hamilton since 2017.

Dad Quentin, mum Sandra and brother and sister Leighton and Anessa have all played in the Brass Factory and Hamilton Auxiliary Brass and now Quentin, Leighton and Anessa all hold seats in Hamilton City Brass.

Anessa joined Hamilton City Brass recently and will compete in the Under 15 and Junior Trombone sections while Leighton is entered to compete in the Open Eb Bass solo.

Another family which is deeply involved in Hamilton City Brass is the Genefaas/Hughes household, with three members holding top seats.

Son Walter Hughes (19) holds the Principal Euphonium seat while his dad Walter Genefaas is the band’s Principal Cornet and his mum Te Reo Genefaas is the Principal Horn.

Continuing the family tradition, it is likely the two youngest members, Piki Te Ora and Kararaina, will also follow suit. Piki Te Ora (8) is already having lessons from her mum, dad, and brother.

Those interested in hearing the competition pieces before the band heads off to Auckland are invited to a concert on Sunday, June 30 at 2pm in the Chapel at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls. Admission is by koha/donation.