Lifestyle & Entertainment
29 September, 2026
Grampians Brass to raise the roof
ARARAT’S Town Hall is set to come alive with the sound of brass music when the Grampians Brass Festival returns on October 3rd. Hosted by the Ararat City Band, the ninth annual festival will bring together brass bands from across Victoria, including Western Brass, Aberfeldie Brass, Boroondara Harmony Brass and the City of Greater Dandenong Band.
Newly appointed Ararat City Band president Dave Tolputt said the festival was an opportunity to showcase the talent of brass musicians while bringing something different to the community.
“The brass festival is really quite a major thing for us, and it's our joy to highlight and bring other groups from across the state,” he said.
The festival has developed a reputation for combining high-level brass music with entertainment and choreography.
“It's a different kind of festival, it's not just brass music, it's brass music at the highest level, but it's also choreography,” Mr Tolputt said.
Previous festivals have featured themes ranging from ABBA to German music, with musicians dressing up and incorporating theatrical flavour into their shows.
“You had band members dressed up like the ABBA band playing their instruments,” Mr Tolputt said. “I've not actually seen anything like it before. It's a lot of entertainment.”
He said brass musicians were among some of the hardest-working performers, with the music requiring significant technical skill and stamina.
“In an orchestra, your brass section might play for a few bars. Not in a brass band, it's fast and it's furious and the technical skills needed are next level. When you hear a good one, it's breathtaking.”
While the Ararat City Band will not be performing at the festival, the band has enjoyed recent success at the State Championships, finishing sixth in its class despite being the smallest band competing.
“We were only like two points away from third place,” Mr Tolputt said. “It was very close.”
Mr Tolputt, who recently took over as president from David Cosgriff, having served on the committee for several years.
“I'm looking forward to the next season of the band, it's a good solid group.”
The 160-year-old band, which Mr Tolputt described as Ararat's longest-serving arts group, is also looking at new ways to perform and engage with the community.
“The band is pretty good nick at the moment, we are always looking for new players but we are starting to see kids from the school band filter into the band,” he said.
“We are also looking at different ways to perform.”
Looking ahead, Mr Tolputt said he would also like to see the band host a dedicated concert for the local community.
“Personally I would actually like to see us do something that's actually just music appreciation for the community. I think there is room for us to be able to put on a concert in town that would be good for the band.”
Tickets for the Grampians Brass Festival are $20 for adults and $15 concession through the Ararat Town Hall website.
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