THE top brass of Bolton's musical talent will finish a championship year on a high note tomorrow night with a headline performance at one of the world's most prestigious concert venues.

World-beaters from Smithills School's Senior Brass Band will take to the stage at London's Royal Albert Hall to celebrate a year which has seen them sweep all before them in a string of high-profile musical competitions.

To date this year, the 44-strong band of young musicians have been hailed the World Champion School Brass Band in Holland; National Youth Brass Band Champions of Great Britain; BBC Radio 2 School Brass Band of the Year; and National Festival of music for Youth Champions.

And on top of all that, band leader and Smithills director of music Chris Wormald has been crowned radio station Classic FM's Music Teacher of the Year.

Tomorrow's concert, part of the Royal Albert Hall School Promenades, comes as a reward for the band taking top honours in the Music for Youth festival and they will be just one of two brass bands to play in front of a sell-out audience of 7,000 people.

Providing civic support, the Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton, Cllr Kevan Helsby and Mrs Alice Kilcoyne, will make the journey to the capital to cheer the band on from the wings.

Mr Wormald said: "We are preparing to take to the stage in the final night, sell-out 'all winners' concert. It should be the most fantastic night for Smithills and for Bolton."

Since their championship achievements over the summer, the senior band can hardly be accused of resting on their laurels. They have completed a number of successful concerts in Gloucester and Birmingham.

On November 28, the band has been invited to play at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham as part of the national Sixth Form Conference in front of their biggest-ever audience - 12,000 people. And, just in time for Christmas, they are getting ready to release their latest compact disc, Sinfonietta, on December 1.

Mr Wormald added that the Albert Hall concert would be particularly memorable because it marks their first performance at the legendary venue for exactly two years.

He said: "The Royal Albert Hall is the most famous concert venue in the world and the atmosphere will be electric. It is exactly the same as the Last Night of the Proms. We are taking two coachloads of parents and for everyone involved it should be a very memorable evening."