Brass Whanganui claims fourth at this year's New Zealand Brass Band National Championships

Brass Whanganui in action during a rehearsal at the Royal Whanganui Opera House last week. Photo / Michael Davis

Brass Whanganui has been confirmed as one of the best in the country, finishing fourth at the New Zealand Brass Band National Championships.

The band has only just been promoted to the national A Grade competition after dominating the B Grade over the past few years.

The band travelled to Wellington for the nationals and musical director Bruce Jellyman said the result surpassed all expectations.

"That [promotion] puts you in the position where you're basically the 10th best band in the country," Jellyman said.

"We've gone from there to fourth. That's big."

There were three sections of the competition, with Whanganui placing second in sacred item, third in test, and eighth in own choice.

"The band that beat us [in sacred] - Wellington Brass - got a perfect 50 out of 50. We came in at 48.5," Jellyman said.

"The test piece is chosen by the adjudicator that everybody has to play. Getting third in that was just mind-blowing."

It required five percussionists.

"Normally we get away with three," Jellyman said.

"I suspect they are an enormous part of why we did so well."

Overall, it was the best result for the band in around 30 years.

A second Brass Whanganui Band, Concert Brass, finished fifth in the D Grade competition.

"That band is made up of 50 per cent kids aged between 10 and 13, and they were up against bands with much more mature players," Jellyman said.

"I thought they did splendidly well."

Junior Ensemble A members (from left) Bryn Morgan, Luke Squire, Reagan Carver, and Toby Clark. Photo / Supplied

There was also success for Whanganui in the individual, duet and ensemble competitions.

Hamish Jellyman and Ian O'Malley came second in open duet and Jonathon Greenwell picked up a silver in the open bass trombone.

Fendall Hill claimed bronze in open soprano.

In the junior competition, Arahan Pilkington came third in cornet, Bryn Morgan and Toby Clark got silver in duet, and Bryn Morgan, Luke Squire, Reagan Carver and Clark came second in junior ensemble A.

Clark also came third in junior horn and first in the junior baritone.

Mitchell Cosford took home silver in Under-15 cornet.

In the Under-15 Other category, Bryn Morgan picked up first place, followed by Concert Brass members Arne Leiva-Benegas in second and Moata Leiva-Benegas in third.

Jellyman said the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic had impacted this year's competition with one section of the band competition, the street march, not going ahead.

"We were short five players but the band fraternity is such an amazing thing that everybody looks after everybody," he said.

"A few friends helped out and we managed to get the thing over the line."

After "settling down a bit", the band would analyse the judge's report and look for any shortfalls, Jellyman said.

"When you sit and listen to a whole bunch of bands in a row, who to all intents and purposes have the same instrumentation, it's amazing how different they sound.

"We are after a particular sound and we think we're really close to it.

"Playing A Grade means we have to keep working away on technical things."

Jellyman said it was the best team he had ever worked with, with the entire band working hard to achieve its goals.

"This is the fruit from that.

"It's just been a really exciting week."