Hawthorn Arts Centre, 14 to 16 August 2026. Three days, every Victorian brass and concert grade, and a proper changing of the guard at the top: Footscray-Yarraville City Band are Victorian A Grade champions for the first time since 2017, ending Darebin City Brass, Preston’s run of six straight titles. Brassbanned streamed every note of it, free to the world, and it’s all below.
Watch the full broadcast
Friday: Open B Grade Brass
Saturday: Junior bands, Open A Grade Brass and the Open concert grades
Sunday: Open D Grade Brass and Open C Grade Brass
Open A Grade Brass
Saturday · Set test: Moonscapes · Adjudicator: Richard Shirley
Drawn last of six, Footscray-Yarraville under Tim Francis put up 99 on the test piece and never looked back. Darebin’s 49 for own choice was the highest single own-choice mark of the grade, but not enough to hold off a band that led three of the four disciplines. Boroondara’s total carries a 30-point time penalty.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Test | Sacred | Own Choice | March | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Footscray-Yarraville City Band | Tim Francis | 99 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 244 |
| 2 | Darebin City Brass, Preston | Andrew Snell | 97 | 46 | 49 | 48 | 240 |
| 3 | Glenferrie Brass | Phillipa Edwards | 94 | 45 | 47 | 46 | 232 |
| 4 | Glenorchy City Concert Brass | Simon Reade | 95 | 43 | 46 | 46 | 230 |
| 5 | Geelong West Brass Band | Jason Mears | 90 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 222 |
| 6 | Boroondara Brass | Daniel van Bergen | 90 | 44 | 45 | 44 | 193 |
Open B Grade Brass
Friday · Set test: Lift High the Cross · Adjudicator: Richard Shirley
Three bands, one point in it. Whitehorse Brass, drawn first under Broden Ford, held off Diamond Valley by 230 to 229, with the test piece the difference.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Test | Sacred | Own Choice | March | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitehorse Brass | Broden Ford | 96 | 42 | 46 | 46 | 230 |
| 2 | Diamond Valley Brass | Jeff Steele | 93 | 45 | 46 | 45 | 229 |
| 3 | City of Greater Dandenong Band | Jamie Lawson | 92 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 224 |
Open C Grade Brass
Sunday · Set test: Arkansas · Adjudicator: Richard Shirley
Ten bands, and the draw-one band won it: Box Hill Academy Brass under Lauren Innes topped the test piece and the sacred item. Darebin’s Northern Brass, playing last at 9pm, ran them closest.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Test | Sacred | Own Choice | March | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Box Hill Academy Brass | Lauren Innes | 96 | 46 | 47 | 45 | 234 |
| 2 | Darebin City Brass, Northern Brass | Bethany McAuliffe-D’Rozario | 95.5 | 44 | 46 | 45 | 230.5 |
| 3 | Hyde Street Youth Band | Phillipa Edwards | 95 | 45 | 44 | 45 | 229 |
| 4 | Footscray-Yarraville Western Brass | Jared McCunnie | 94 | 40 | 43 | 47 | 224 |
| 5 | Moonee Valley Brass | Dean Hughes | 93 | 41 | 46 | 43 | 223 |
| 6 | City of Greater Bendigo Brass Band | Cally Bartlett | 92 | 40 | 45 | 46 | 223 |
| 7 | Creswick Brass Band | Katrina Bird | 91 | 43 | 45.5 | 43 | 222.5 |
| 8 | Sparrow Park Brass | John Collinson | 90 | 44 | 44 | 42 | 220 |
| 9 | City of Ballarat Municipal Brass Band | Belinda Sileni | 90 | 39 | 41 | 41 | 211 |
| 10 | Frankston City Brass | Aaron Richard | 89 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 208 |
Open D Grade Brass
Sunday · Set test: The Journal of Phileas Fogg · Adjudicator: Louisa Trewartha
Another draw-one winner. Auburn Brass under Sean Lambert didn’t win the test piece (Warragul did, on 92.5) but a 48.5 for the sacred item, the highest mark of the day in any discipline, carried them home. Croydon and Stonnington tied on 213.5, split on the major work. Mornington Youth & Citizens’ Band withdrew.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Test | Sacred | Own Choice | March | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn Brass | Sean Lambert | 88.5 | 48.5 | 48 | 46 | 231 |
| 2 | Warragul Municipal Band | Cameron Sanders | 92.5 | 43.5 | 43 | 46.5 | 225.5 |
| 3 | Croydon Citizens’ Band | Melina Benger | 86 | 39.5 | 45 | 43 | 213.5 |
| 4 | Stonnington City Brass | Kevin Hillier | 84.5 | 42 | 45.5 | 41.5 | 213.5 |
| 5 | Sale City Band | Tom Cousin | 82 | 44.5 | 43 | 42 | 211.5 |
| 6 | Ararat City Band | Wade Carman | 83.5 | 40 | 44.5 | 41.5 | 209.5 |
| 7 | Boroondara Harmony Brass | Robyn Lowenstein Waugh | 82 | 42.5 | 43 | 40.5 | 208 |
| 8 | Mildura District Brass Band | Leigh Penna | 78 | 41.5 | 41 | 40.5 | 201 |
| 9 | Morwell Citizens Band | Joseph Bonnici | 80 | 38.5 | 39 | 41 | 198.5 |
Junior and concert sections
Saturday also carried the Junior C, B and A Grade Brass, the Primary School section and all four Open concert grades (B, D, C and A Grade Concert), from an 8am start to a 10.30pm finish. Every performance is in the Saturday replay above, and the results are announced on the stream at the end of each session.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Victorian State Band Championships? Footscray-Yarraville City Band, conducted by Tim Francis, won the Open A Grade on 244 points from Darebin City Brass, Preston (240) and Glenferrie Brass (232). It’s Footscray’s first Victorian A Grade title since 2017 and ends Darebin’s run of six consecutive titles.
Who won the other grades? Whitehorse Brass (B Grade), Box Hill Academy Brass (C Grade) and Auburn Brass (D Grade).
Where was it held? Hawthorn Arts Centre, Hawthorn, Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August 2026.
Can I watch it again? Yes. All three days are embedded on this page, free.
More championship replays
The complete results and replay archive covers every championship Brassbanned has streamed. Next up: the 2026 NSW State Band Championships, two halls, live from Penrith on 22 and 23 August.
