Players aiming for more success at Open
THERE are 14 concert bands taking part in the Welsh Open Brass Band Entertainment Championships which take place on Sunday, February 20, at the Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre in Newport.
Three of the bands taking part are the BTM band, Ebbw Valley Brass and Markham & District.
There have been changes in all the bands since their inception including new names and different band room locations.
The present BTM was re-established with its present name in 1972. Cynan Jones who was a brass teacher in Caerphilly decided to try to form a band and named the band after the names of the three villages where they were based – B for Bedwas, T for Trethomas and M for Machen. Some of the instruments were from the defunct Windsor Colliery Band.
The BTM Band started competing in 1975 and gained a 5th place in the Welsh Regional Championships. They gained Championship status in 1985. In 1994, they represented Wales in the European Championships at Montreux, Switzerland.
BTM have represented Wales on 10 occasions at the National Championships of Great Britain. In 2018, they appeared in the televised Final of the prestigious SC4 Band Cymru. The band were at the National Finals representing Wales in the First Section at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2021.
BTM has made many radio broadcasts the highlight being Radio Wales Champion Band for two consecutive years. They have featured in three separate TV documentaries their most recent TV appearance was being featured on the Co-op’s Christmas advert.
In 2010, the band refurbished its band room with a grant from the Welsh Assembly’s Community Facilities and Activities Programme (CFAP) which enabled them to create a ‘state of the art’ recording studio as well as additional rooms. Another CFAP grant enabled the installation of solar panels and rainwater harvesting facilities.
The BTM Band is proud to have established two youth sections, BTM Next Generation and BTM Learners which should ensure the sustainability and longevity of the band as well as offering high quality tuition and performance opportunities to children and young people not otherwise available.
The present Ebbw Valley Brass was created by merging the Cwm Town Band and the Ebbw Vale Town Band in September 2011. Both bands had suffered from declining numbers and both committees decided to get together to try to maintain a band in the area.
A new logo was designed to reflect the newly formed band’s thinking and identity. The primary focus of the band is to work with the community and develop links in order to deliver a wide range of concerts and increase the image of brass banding.
The band has won over 35 trophies in its first year of competing and continued the high levels of success with Welsh League Section 2 Champions(2015) and Welsh Regional Section 2 Champions (2015) being added to the list of achievements.
Ebbw Valley Brass completed a historic triple of National Final titles by winning Section 4 in 2013, Section 3 in 2014, and Section 2 in 2015.
The Band is the first Welsh band to complete the triple in progressive sections in consecutive years. In addition to this, the band won the Best Instrumental Prize at each of the three finals during the same time scale - an incredible feat for any band.
The band continues to participate in numerous local engagements including the Ross on Wye ‘Last Night of the Proms’ celebration.
Markham & District Band was originally formed as the Markham Colliery Band in 1928.
In 1979 after a fire destroyed their band room in Markham the band moved to Blackwood. The Band played at the investiture of HRH The Prince of Wales in 1968 – hence the privilege of the ‘three feathers’ on its logo. The pit wheel on the logo signifies its link to the mining industry and communities.
Markham has competed in all sections over the years , but is now in the First Section. The band has represented Wales in the National Finals in the Championship Section, has been a faithful participant to local association contests and has performed in concerts and competitions at numerous Eisteddfodau.
Markham & District Band is very proud to have developed many young players over the years some of which have played with the National Youth Brass Band of Wales, studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music.
Former Markham players have achieved great success with bands like Black Dyke, Grimethorpe and Cory and the Band is very proud of of all their members, past and present of all their achievements.
They are looking forward to competing at the Welsh Open.