Wealth of musical history at 21st Welsh Open competition
THE Welsh Open Entertainment Contest has become an annual affair since 1998 and this is its 21st event which is held at the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl, on Saturday, February 17, with an 11am start.
Three of the competing bands are pictured and BTM are the initials of the three villages who decided to merge their players together to create quite a formidable band. The villages are Beddau, Trethomas and Machen and since 1972 they have become one of the most famous names in Welsh banding.
BTM has represented Wales twice at the European Championships and have appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in the National Championships of Great Britain on no less than 13 occasions. The BTM Society is made up of four bands, BTM, BTM That’s Brass, which is a 10-piece ensemble, and two junior bands.
Tylorstown have been competing since 1885, but disbanded during World War II. They re-formed in 1945 and have been going ever since.
The band were Welsh Champions and National Second Section Champions of Great Britain in 2010. They became National First Section Champions of Great Britain in 2013. They gained Championship status in 2014 and gained second place in the Welsh Open. They have combined with Ynyshir to create the Rhondda Fach Youth band.
One of the English bands competing at the Welsh Open is Jackfield band whose origins go back to 1893 as a fife and drum band.
In 1998 they became National First Section Champions of Great Britain and gained entry to the Championship Section in 2003 under the baton of Chris Lewis.
In 2009 Simon Platford was appointed musical director and this has seen the band enter the most successful period in its long history.
The band was invited to take part in the Open Spring Festival Senior Trophy in 2013 and they gained promotion to the Senior Cup in 2016.
Jackfield won the First Section at The Midlands Region First Section in both 2015 and 2016 which saw them promoted back to the Championship Section.