Newly crowned Welsh Champion Tredegar took a break from their preparations for the forthcoming European Championships in Malmo by welcoming back some of the cohort of composers they are working with as part of their artistic link to the 2023 Vale of Glamorgan Festival.

Opportunity

The partnership has given the opportunity to six composers to work with them alongside award-winning composer David John Roche to develop works that will add to the brass band medium.

This was the second of a series of visits made to enable them to hear the band rehearse the emerging drafts of their works. Lucy McPhee, Hannah Paloma Rattigan, Rhiannon Barber joined David at the bandroom with Tim Collett and Florence Anna Maunders on-line.

Invaluable experience

"It was another invaluable experience for the composers,"David said. "Their works are at different levels of development but all have benefitted greatly from being performed and recorded by the band once again.

My thanks got to Ian and the band for making us so welcome and going through each of the works in detail."

Extra insight

In response Ian Porthouse said: "We are really enjoying working with the group and hearing their individual brass band voices emerge. David is a great mentor and the process also gives us an extra insight into the creative process."

Tredegar will perform as part of the Vale of the Glamorgan Festival in September, where they will feature 'So Spoke Albion' by Gavin Higgins and 'Nine Daies Wonder for Violin and Brass Band', featuring Mark Fewer, who gave the UK premiere of Bramwell Tovey's work at the RNCM Brass Band Festival in 2009.

We are really enjoying working with the group and hearing their individual brass band voices emergeIan Porthouse

Trombone gift

Another visitor on the night was 85 year old Don Wilkes who made the trip down to hear the band and donate a trombone to be used by a young player in Tredegar's Beginner Group.

Don once lived in Tredegar before moving away to work as an economist. He had also been a keen amateur saxophonist before ill health saw him turn his attention to playing the trombone. Now he says the time has come to enable a young player to enjoy music making.

"It's been great to visit such a wonderful band that is doing so many great things. I hope a young player will benefit from the instrument and hopefully go on one day to play for Tredegar. They are a real inspiration with their music making."