News

In the Top Half at the British Open Spring Festival

The band returned to Blackpool for a 3rd consecutive year to compete in the Senior Trophy at the British Open Spring Festival on Saturday 11th May 2024. Inside the sweltering Spanish Hall at the Winter Gardens, the band performed the set test piece ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ by Peter Graham.

The band were pleased to be awarded 7th place in a field of 17 bands, equaling the result from 2022. The adjudicators were Helen Douthwaite-Teasdale and John Doyle. Thanks go to Matthew Jenkins who stepped in to conduct the band with Paul Jenkins being unavailable.

Full results for the section are below.

PositionBandConductorDraw
1Ebbw Valley BrassGareth Ritter9
2Newtongrange SilverAnne Crookston3
3Haverhill SilverMatthew Brown12
4Marsden SilverAndrew Lofthouse16
5Tongwynlais TemperanceOwen Farr4
6Roberts BakeryMike Jones14
7PontardulaisMatthew Jenkins11
8EnderbyGareth Brindle13
9Eccles BoroughMareika Gray2
10East London BrassJayne Murrill6
11Blackburn & DarwenDaniel Thomas17
12WoodfallsPaul Holland1
13LongridgeMark Peacock15
14Parc & DareDewi Griffiths10
15Yorkshire ImperialGarry Hallas8
16Unison KinneilRaymond Tennant7
17Easington CollieryMichael Fowles5

Best Instrumentalist: Stephen Sykes – Trombone (Ebbw Valley)

Welsh Regional Championships 2024

In its second appearance in the Championship Section at the Welsh Regional Championships following promotion to the section ahead of the 2023 contesting season, the band performed the set test piece, ‘Variations on an Enigma’ by Philip Sparke, at the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on Sunday 17th March 2024.

In a section containing two bands that had already pre-qualified for the Finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain to be held at the Royal Albert Hall later in the year, the band was awarded 7th place in a field of 8 bands.

Full results for the section are below.

PositionBandConductorDraw
1Cory BandPhilip Harper1
2Tredegar Town BandIan Porthouse7
3Tongwynlais Temperance BandOwen Farr2
4Ebbw Valley BrassGareth Ritter5
5Tylorstown BandRobert Westacott6
6Llwydcoed BandJoshua Ruck3
7Pontardulais Town BandPaul Jenkins8
8City of Cardiff (M1) BandChristopher Bond4

Best Instrumentalist: Glyn Williams – Euphonium (Cory Band)

Best Cornet: Tom Hutchinson – Cory Band

Best Basses: Cory Band

Welsh Open Result

The band started its 2024 contesting season with an appearance at the Welsh Open Entertainment Contest, held at The Riverfront in Newport on February 17th 2024.

Welsh Open 2024
Pontardulais Town Band
Photo credit: Welsh Open Brass Band Entertainment Championship Facebook

Fourteen Championship and First Section bands competed, with adjudicator Sheona White tasked with selecting a winner. The band was pleased with its performance, which was narrated by the event’s compère, David Hayward, and were placed 8th. The band choose to present the following ‘Peter Pan’ themed programme:

  • The Flight to Neverland, John Williams arr. Sofie Brems Sørensen
  • A Motley Crew, Trad arr. Philip Harper
  • Tango, Gavin Higgins
  • Beneath the Stars, Jonathan Bates
  • Main Theme from Cutthroat Island, John Debney arr. Philip Harper

Full results for the contest are shown below.

PositionBandConductorDrawPoints
1Ebbw Valley BrassGareth Ritter8196
2Wantage Silver BandChris King9195
3Parc & Dare BandDewi Griffiths14194
4Llwydcoed BandJoshua Ruck11193
5City of Cardiff (M1) BandDaniel Hall3192
6Tongwynlais Temperance BandOwen Farr13190
7Tylorstown BandRob Westacott4189
8Pontardulais Town BandPaul Jenkins7188
9Milton Keynes BrassMatthew Brown10186
10Filton Concert BrassGary Davies6185
11Forest of Dean BrassMartyn Patterson2184
12B. T. M. BandJeff Hutcherson1183
13Lympstone BandNigel Seaman5182
14Chapeltown Silver Prize BandColum O’Shea12181

Highest Placed First Section Band not in Prizes: Milton Keynes Brass

Most Entertaining Stage Presentation: Llwydcoed Band

Best Soloist: Imogen Fewster – baritone (Wantage Silver Band)

Best Cornet Player: Becky Cale (Llwydcoed Band)

Best Soprano Player: Brian Thomas (Wantage Silver Band)

Best Horn Section: Parc & Dare Band

Best Euphonium: Alison Millin (Forest of Dean Brass)

Best Trombone Section: Ebbw Valley Brass

Best Tuba Section: Ebbw Valley Brass

Best Percussion Section: City of Cardiff (M1) Band

Youngest Instrumentalist: Garyn Jones (Parc & Dare Band)

Invitation to compete at the 2024 Spring Festival: Parc & Dare Band

Best of Brass Concert

Saturday November 18th 2023 saw the band head over the Severn Bridge to take part in a concert outside Wales for what is believed to be the first time!

Held at the Salvation Army Hall in Easton, Bristol, the ‘Best of Brass’ concert featured Filton Concert Brass and Pontardulais Town Band, along with guest Euphonium soloist Daniel Thomas, of the Cory Band.

Filton Concert Brass, with guest conductor Anri Adachi, opened the concert and chose to perform their recent Wychavon Festival of Brass set, before accompanying Daniel on ‘Rhapsody for Euphonium and Brass Band’.

The second part of the concert saw Pontardulais Town Band, conducted by Paul Jenkins, take to the stage to perform their own selection of pieces and to accompany Daniel on ‘In Gardens of Peace’ and ‘Fantasie Originale’.

The final part of the concert saw both bands combine to perform four pieces together, with Anri and Paul sharing conducting duties, appropriately closing with a rendition of ‘Fire in the Blood’ – a piece which was originally commissioned to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the International Staff Band of the Salvation Army.

All proceeds from the concert went towards the Salvation Army’s work in the Easton region of Bristol.

The full programme of music from the concert is below.

Filton Concert Brass (Anri Adachi)

Clans CollidePhilip Harper
Cry Me a River
Cornet Soloist: Neil Allen
Arthur Hamilton arr. TBC
AdagioSamuel Barber arr. Keith Griffin
I Got RhythmGeorge Gershwin arr. Alan Fernie
Thunder and LightningJohann Strauss arr. Frank Wright
Rhapsody for Euphonium and Brass Band
Euphonium Soloist: Daniel Thomas
Johan Evenepoel

Pontardulais Town Band (Paul Jenkins)

Amazonia (from Windows of the World)Peter Graham
Sosban FachGareth Wood
In Gardens of Peace
Euphonium Soloist: Daniel Thomas
Philip Harper
Fantasie Originale
Euphonium Soloist: Daniel Thomas
Ermanno Picchi/Simone Mantia
arr. Margaret Antrobus
Finale from Symphony No IVPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
arr. William Gordon

Massed Bands

March – PraiseWilfred Heaton
Banana IslandEtienne Crausaz
Nimrod (from Enigma Variations)Edward Elgar arr. Eric Ball
Fire in the BloodPaul Lovatt-Cooper
ENCORE – Climb Every MountainRichard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein
arr. Philip Harper

Mid-Table Finish at the British Open Spring Festival

The band once again competed in the Senior Trophy at the British Open Spring Festival on Saturday 13th May 2023. The contest was held in the Spanish Hall at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, with the set test piece ‘The Accursed Huntsman’ by Cesar Franck and arranged by Edrich Siebert, selected to challenge the competing bands.

The band were placed 13th in a field of 21 bands, with Mark Wilkinson and Brett Baker as adjudicators.

A highlight of the day was one of our Academy Band members, Iolo Evans, making his first contest appearance with the senior band, playing bass drum, alongside his dad on Flugel Horn.

Full results for the contest are below.

PositionBandConductorDraw
1Thundersley BrassMelvin White16
2AmershamPaul Fisher12
3Stannington BrassSam Fisher14
4TylorstownRobert Westacott15
5Tongwynlais TemperanceOwen Farr13
6Blackburn & DarwenDaniel Thomas5
7Unison KinneilRaymond Tennant21
8Eccles BoroughJon Davis6
9LongridgeMark Peacock7
10Yorkshire ImperialGarry Hallas17
11Easington CollieryStephen Malcolm18
12Ebbw Valley BrassGareth Ritter19
13PontardulaisPaul Jenkins10
14EnderbyStephen Phillips8
15Parc & DareDewi Griffiths9
16Haverhill SilverPaul Filby2
17Filton Concert BrassNathan Jenkins1
18Vernon Building SocietyAdam Delbridge-Smith3
19Thoresby CollierySimon Oates20
20Bo’ness & CarridenCharlie Farren4
21Haftield & Askern CollieryStan Lippeat11

Best Instrumentalist: Keith Schroeter – Horn (Thundersley)

Championship Section Return at the Welsh Regionals

Following its victory in the 1st Section at the Welsh Regional Championships in 2022, the band was promoted to the Championship Section for the 2023 contest, which was held on Sunday 19th March 2023 at the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea.

Making its first appearance in the top section in Wales since 2013, the band faced the challenege of performing the set test piece, ‘Red Priest’ by Philip Wilby.

The band achieved 6th place in a very strong field of 7 bands.

Full results for the section are below.

PositionBandConductorDraw
1Tredegar Town BandIan Porthouse1
2Cory BandPhilip Harper2
3Llwydcoed BandJoshua Ruck3
4City of Cardiff (M1) BandChris Bond7
5Tongwynlais Temperance BandOwen Farr4
6Pontardulais Town BandPaul Jenkins5
7Tylorstown BandGary Davies6

Best Instrumentalist: Robert Westacott – Soprano (Tredegar Town Band)
Best Cornet: Tom Hutchinson – Cory Band
Best Basses: Cory Band

Welsh Open Title Defence

The band kicked off its 2023 contesting season, hoping to defend its title of ‘Welsh Open Champions’, with an appearance at the Welsh Open Entertainment Contest, held at The Riverfront in Newport on February 18th 2023.

Welsh Open 2023
Pontardulais Town Band
Photo credit: Welsh Open Brass Band Entertainment Championship Facebook

Fourteen Championship and First Section bands competed, with adjudicator Glyn Williams given the task of selecting a winner. Unfortunately, the band was unable to hold onto the CISWO Challenge Trophy, but was pleased with its performance, once again narrated by radio DJ and local Swansea personality, Kev Johns. The band choose to present the following programme:

  • A Fantasy of Joy, Fredrick Schjelderup
  • O Verona, Craigh Armstrong arr. Philip Harper
  • Banana Island, Etienne Crausaz
  • Ar Lan y Môr, Welsh Traditional arr. Leigh Baker
  • Enchanted Kingdom, Paul Lovatt-Cooper

Full results for the contest ar shown below.

PositionBandConductorDrawPoints
1Ebbw Valley BrassGareth Ritter12198
2Llwydcoed BandJoshua Ruck7197
3City of Cardiff (M1) BandChris Bond14196
4Burry Port Town BandAndrew Jones13194
5Parc & Dare BandDewi Griffiths2193
6Brunel BrassDaniel Hall5192
7Filton Concert BrassNathan Jenkins3191
8Tongwynlais Temperance BandOwen Farr9190
9Pontardulais Town BandPaul Jenkins4189
10Jackfield Brass BandRyan Richards10188
11Michelmersh Silver BandMelvin White11187
12Tylorstown BandGary Davies8186
13B. T. M. BandJeff Hutcherson6185
14Lewis Merthyr BandCraig Roberts1184

Highest Placed First Section Band not in Prizes: B. T. M. Band

Most Entertaining Stage Presentation: Llwydcoed Band

Best Soloist: Philip Howells – Xylophone (Ebbw Valley Brass)

Best Cornet Player: Andrew Smith (Llwydcoed Band)

4BR Best Soprano Player: Tom King (Llwydcoed Band)

Best Horn Section: Brunel Brass

Best Percussion Section: Ebbw Valley Brass

Youngest Instrumentalist: Sioned Evans (Burry Port)

Invitation to compete at the 2023 Spring Festival: Burry Port

National Finals 2022

The band was placed 9th in the First Section Final of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, held at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse, on September 17th 2022. The band gained the invitation to represent Wales at the contest through winning the First Section at the Welsh Regional Championships in March.

All 16 competing bands were required to perform the set test piece ‘Trittico’ by James Curnow, with three adjudicators to impress – Roger Webster, Ian Porthouse and Gary Davies.

Full results for the section are below.

PositionBandConductorDraw
1StanningtonSam Fisher15
2Marsden Silver PrizeAndrew Lofthouse13
3StaffordshireCraig Williams14
4Sandhurst SilverDavid Johnson16
5Acceler8Jef Sparkes8
6Ebbw ValleyGareth Ritter1
7Ashton under LyneMartyn Evans6
8Bo’ness & CarridenCharlie Farren9
9Pontardulais TownPaul Jenkins7
10HydeNigel Seaman2
11Dalkeith & MonktonhallJames Chamberlain3
12Kirbymoorside TownSarah Woodward11
13Gresley CollieryCraig Stevens10
14East of England Co-opNigel Cooper4
15HoughtonMichael Franey5
16Bodmin TownSimon Badge12

Best Instrumentalist: Rachel Dines – Flugelhorn (Ashton under Lyne)