The National Youth Brass Band of Wales will head north, west and south on its travels this August to give performances to conclude its summer course.

Led by Cory MD, Philip Harper, the band, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, will head to Bangor on Thursday 4th August, before heading west to Fishguard the following day before ending in Cardiff.

Colston Falls

50 or so players aged between 14-22 will meet under Philip's baton for an exciting, and demanding programme of works, that will include the long awaited world premiere of Ian Stephens' 'Colston Falls'.

Written in 2020 and delayed by Covid-19, it is inspired by the symbolic action of the pulling down and dumping of the statue of the slave trader and merchant Edward Colston into the waters of Bristol Harbour.

Intriguing brace

Edward Gregson's 'Of Distant Memories' and Percy Fletcher's 'An Epic Symphony' will also form an intriguing brace of major test-piece works.

Fletcher's composition was first used at the Crystal Palace National Championship in 1926 and has remained a perennial favourite ever since, whilst Gregson's work pays homage to it and others of the so called pre-war 'Golden Period' when the likes of Holst, Elgar and Ireland were persuaded to write for the medium.

The repertoire list also sees Liz Lane's 'Diamond Fanfare' written for the Royal Forest Jubilee in 2021, and Philip Sparke's 'Orient Express', commissioned by the BBC in 1986 and which won the EBU New Music for Band Composer prize.

Concerts:

Pontio Theatre
Bangor
Thursday 4th August
7.30pm

Fishguard International Music Festival
St David's Cathedral
Friday 5th August
7.30pm

Llandaff Cathedral
Saturday 6th August
7.30pm