Young players shine at annual competition
RADIO 2’s Young Brass award 2017 – its annual search for the next brass star – took place earlier this year and due to the congestion of the brass band contests in Wales, England and Europe there has been no available space to use to give this excellent musical event any coverage.
The semi-final took place in February at the Philharmonic Studio, Salford. The competition is open to brass players between 16 and 21 and resident within the UK, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
Taking part in the semifinal were Lewis Bettles (Trombone), James Nash (Flugel Horn), Samuel Taber (Bass Trombone), Ross Dunne (Tenor Horn) Cory Band, Isobel Daws (Trombone), Siobhan Bates (Tenor Horn), Adam Neild (Cornet) and Ellena Newton (Trombone). Each player performed up to 10 minutes of music with Foden’s Band (Sandbach, Cheshire).
Four were selected for the final – Ellena Newton, Siobhan Bates, James Nash and Isobel Daws and after a very close competition Isobel Daws (Trombone) was announced the winner of the Young Brass Award of 2017.
Young Ross Dunne is now playing with world number one band, Cory, and I am sure that he will be seen again in this competition in future years.
Present at the Award Ceremony was last year’s winner Daniel Thomas, who is now Principal Euphonium with the world famous Black Dyke Band. Daniel, like Ross Dunne, is from south east Wales. It is really good to see that young players of a very high standard are continuing to be produced in South Wales.
It is quite pleasing to see a steady growth of junior, youth and new training bands being set up and there is a certain amount of funding available in education despite fairly restrictive economic conditions. At the recent South East Wales Brass Band Association Spring Festival contest there were eight Junior/Youth bands taking part, two of whom were from the City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) organisation.
With the reassuring growth of interest in brass playing by these young players it might be of interest to think about the past and remember a real pioneer in the brass band world who helped to create a junior band at Cory, namely, Ceri Lewis.
Ceri played with Cory from 1950 to 1974 and he should always be remembered when we see young bands taking part in band contests and concerts. It was Ceri who persuaded local bands to hold a meeting at Pentre to discuss how to develop the creation of some organised tuition for youngsters and the result was the gaining of Lottery funding and creating the arrangement of two tutors being employed in the Rhondda to visit schools to teach the pupils brass instruments.
Ceri had the foresight to create what is happening today whereby lots of children are being taught brass and percussion.
There are a number of players and individuals, who have selflessly worked for brass bands without any form of recognition and it would be a shame if such commitment should pass by without some recognition.
On May 6, at the SEWBBA Spring Festival, the following people were recognised for their unstinting commitment to brass bands in the local area: Dean Evans, Mair Evans, Robert Gowing, Clayton McCann, Mark (Stan) Richards, Andrew Robins and Paul Williams as they were created Life Members of the South East Wales Brass Band Association.