NATIONAL YOUTH BRASS BAND OF WALESSUMMER 2022 CONCERT TOUR

PONTIO, BANGORThursday 4 August 20227.30pm

FISHGUARD AND WEST WALES INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVALFriday 5 August 20227.30pm

LLANDAFF CATHEDRALSaturday 6 August 20227.30pm

nyaw.org.uk029 2063 6466

#NYBBW22

Philip HarperConductor

Isobel DawsTrombone

Edward GregsonFanfare for a New Era (‘2)

Philip SparkeOrient Express (‘9)

Gordon LangfordRhapsody for Trombone (‘11)

Ian StephensColston Falls (World Premiere) (‘4)

Percy FletcherAn Epic Symphony (‘17)

Interval

Liz LaneDiamond Fanfare (‘2)

Edward GregsonOf Distant Memories (‘13)

Ray Steadman-AllenWalk With Me (‘5)

Arthur Pryor Blue Bells of Scotland (‘4)

Stijn Aertgeerts Hope (‘4)

J.J. Richards, arr. Harper La Suerte de Los Tontos (‘3)

Suggested Programme Donation:

£3

Text BURSARY followed by your donation amount (e.g.

BURSARY3) to 70580.

Texts are charged at the donation amount plus one standard network rate message. If you would like to donate, but would prefer not to hear from us, please text BURSARYNOINFO followed by your donation

amount to 70580.

Digital Programmes & Mobile PhonesThis year our programmes are available as digital downloads. We’ve made them accessible for everyone and it helps reduce our carbon footprint.

We kindly ask that you turn your phone to silent and enjoy your Digital Programme during the interval and before/after the performance.

SUMMER 2022CONCERT TOUR

CALLING TALENTED YOUNG WELSH PERFORMERS!

Regardless of background or location, if you have the talent and drive to succeed, National Youth Arts Wales will develop your skills through professionally led training and performance opportunities of the highest quality.

Our six youth ensembles nurture Wales’ most talented young performers during an intensive residential programme where members learn and perform alongside internationally renowned

artists.

NATIONAL YOUTH BRASS BAND OF WALES

NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR OF WALES

NATIONAL YOUTH DANCE WALES

NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF WALES

NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE OF WALES

NATIONAL YOUTH WIND ORCHESTRA OF WALES

2023 APPLICATIONSSign up now and you’ll be the first to hear when applications open for membership of our 2023 ensembles:

nyaw.org.uk/auditions

On behalf of the staff team and Board of National Youth Arts Wales, I am delighted to welcome you to celebrate the return of the National Youth Brass Band of Wales.

The last time we were able to get together to enjoy and experience the extraordinary talent of our young musicians was the summer of 2019. As the lead body responsible for delivering the national youth arts ensembles, National Youth Arts Wales was then barely a year old and looking forward to exciting new opportunities, with major plans to increase our support for young people with talent and potential, across Wales. Little did we know what the world had in store or indeed any sense at all of the enormous impact the pandemic would have on young Welsh musicians, their training and development and indeed, their wellbeing.

It gives me enormous joy to witness the brass band’s return to rehearsing and performing

together for the first time since 2019. It is wonderful to celebrate their 40th anniversary in person and it is fitting to have that happen under conductor of the World-famous Cory Brass Band, Philip Harper. We are thrilled our relationship with him continues this year.

The long-term impact of the pandemic on our musicians, with young people arguably being amongst the hardest hit, is still unknown. However National Youth Arts Wales has been able to weather the worst of the storm so far thanks to the support of the Welsh Government, the Arts Council of Wales and all our funders and sponsors. This has allowed us not only to continue to support talented young Welsh musicians and performers but also to continue to employ a creative workforce of several hundred freelance artists, tutors and more – all of whom work to support young people to reach their full potential. We are also grateful for the support every one of you provides in support of young Welsh talent on their professional journey. We hope to continue to celebrate their success with you, now and in the future.

Gillian Mitchell, Chief ExecutiveNational Youth Arts Wales

WELCOME FROM NATIONAL YOUTH ARTS WALES

When we said our emotional goodbyes to the class of 2019 at the final concert at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama that summer, little did we know quite how long it would be before we would see Wales’ best brass musicians come together to perform again.

After three long years it was difficult to predict exactly how things would go. When I welcomed the class of 2022 to our first rehearsals the new faces outnumbered the ‘old-hands’ significantly. Even those we’d welcomed to the fold during the COVID years and who had come with us on our digital journey had never attended an actual real-life residency. However, the class of 2022 have picked up where their 2019 counterparts left off. They have worked incredibly hard over the course of the residencies, going about the rehearsals with energy and enthusiasm and have thoroughly enjoyed working with Philip Harper again this year.

They have of course been guided by a first-class team of tutors and supported by our brilliant welfare and stage management teams, not to mention all the staff team at NYAW who have all worked tirelessly to ensure our members receive the best possible experience, and I would like to thank everyone for their valued contribution. But tonight is about the musicians on stage; they have done Wales and everyone they represent proud. Thank you very much for coming to support them this evening and enjoy the concert.

Matthew Jones, Senior ProducerNational Youth Arts Wales

SHARE YOUR NYBBW EXPERIENCE WITH US!Enjoyed the performance? Let us know on social media by tagging #NYBBW22 in your posts

and pictures, and by following us on our channels:

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Facebook facebook.com/nationalyouthartswales

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WELCOME FROM NATIONAL YOUTH ARTS WALES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

NYBBW 2022 AWARDSEach year, we celebrate our musicians who show the most promise and dedication. Recipients of the awards are decided by the sectional tutors during the residencies. National Youth Arts Wales would like to express its gratitude to those who have donated money for the creation of these awards: The John Childs Memorial Trophyfor the most promising player at this year’s residency

The David Mabey Prize for the most improved player on the residency

The Principal Cornet Award donated by Tony Small

Award recipients to be announced at www.nyaw.org.uk prior to the final concert.

National Youth Arts Wales gratefully acknowledges the practical assistance of the following organisations:

• University of Wales Trinity Saint David

• Welsh National Opera

• Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama

• Ev-entz

• Richards Brothers

• Pontio, Bangor

• Fishguard and West Wales International Music Festival

• Llandaff Cathedral

The support of Arts Council of Wales and Welsh Government allows us to subsidise all places on our residencies to keep costs as low as possible for all members.

We give out more than £50,000 a year of support through our generous Bursary Scheme, so no young person need worry about the cost of attending our residencies. This support can range from 35% - 100% of residency fees depending on circumstances. This year, more than 50% of NYBBW members have received a full or partial bursary towards their residency costs. Between them, they received discounted fees of more than £7,500. The Bursary Fund covers automatic fee waivers to those most in need, as well as travel costs and other expenses. Without the generosity of our Bursary Fund supporters, we simply wouldn’t be able to offer this level of support.

SUPPORTUS

How can you support the Bursary Fund?

Helping a young person to reach their full potential couldn’t be simpler. You can donate by: • giving a regular gift from just £3 a month• making a one-off gift to our fund • setting up a named bursary in memory of

someone However you choose to support the Bursary Fund, you’ll make a real difference to a young musician who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate.

Your support can help us give a musician the

opportunity to represent Wales, and to benefit from

world-class tuition and performance opportunities.

DONATE BY TEXT

Text BURSARY followed by your donation amount (e.g.

BURSARY10) to 70580.

Texts are charged at the donation amount plus one standard network rate message. If you would like to donate, but would

prefer not to hear from us, please text BURSARYNOINFO followed by your donation amount to 70580.

Thank you to all of our Bursary Fund supporters

The Neil and Mary Webber Bursary Fund (12 bursaries)

The David Mabey Bursary

SUPPORTUS

Principal Supporter, NYAW Bursary Fund In 2021, National Youth Arts Wales was awarded an Arts Scholarship grant of £165,448 from the Leverhulme Trust, which will support hundreds of young people from lower-income backgrounds to take part in our advanced performance training. The funding has allowed NYAW to substantially expand its current programme of bursaries and development programmes over the next four years, benefitting 240 young people each year by 2024-25 across all our ensembles.

Leave a legacy with a gift in your will In 2015, thanks to the incredibly generous support of Mr Haydn Webber, the Neil and Mary Webber Bursary Fund was set up to offer bursary support for instrumentalists for at least 25 years. By leaving a gift in your will, you can also make a significant impact on the lives of young people for generations to come. Every gift is precious and will make a huge impact on our work, no matter what the size. If you wish, you can specify how you would like your donation to be spent. For more information on leaving a gift in your will, or to discuss your wishes with us in confidence, please email David Hopkins: DavidHopkins@nyaw.org.uk

Philip Harper became Musical Director of the Cory Band in 2012. Since then, he has won all the major trophies many times, including an unprecedented Grand Slam of major titles in 2016: the European, the British Open, the Nationals and Brass in Concert, all won in a single calendar year, and then repeated in 2019.

Philip won the coveted 4barsrest.com Conductor of the Year Award in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020. In recent years he was a guest conductor of the Manger Musikklag Band in Norway, the National Youth Brass Bands of Great Britain, Switzerland and Wales and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Symphonic Brass, amongst many others. A resident of Gloucester, Philip was the Editor of Brass Band World magazine between 2009 and 2015 and, since 2005 has been the Music Editor of the historic Wright & Round publishing company.

Philip is a prolific composer, and his original works and arrangements are played the world over. In 2016 he composed A Shakespearean Triptych for a 650-strong joint ensemble and choir conducting the first performance in a packed Royal Albert Hall at the Last Night of the Music for Youth Proms. Philip graduated from the University of Bristol in 1994 before going on to take a master’s degree in Composition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. He had a successful performing career and was the Principal Tenor Horn of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and the Sun Life Band in Bristol, as well as winning through to the Brass Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1991. Between 1996 and 1998 he lived in Japan and was a guest soloist with most of the ‘British-style’ brass bands with whom he maintains a close connection, visiting annually - pandemics notwithstanding!

PHILIP HARPERCONDUCTOR

Isobel began to play the cornet at the age of 3 under the joint direction of her father, David Daws, and the late Maisie Ringham Wiggins MBE.

She moved onto the trombone in September 2008 and within six months gained a scholarship to study trombone and piano at The Purcell School of Music. After 8 years at the Purcell, she moved to Chetham’s School to study A Levels.

Isobel is a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, and winner of the Alumni Development Prize for a Singular Distinguished Musician. This month, she heads to Germany on the next stage of her career, having won a position in the prestigious Karajan Academy - the graduate arm of the world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Isobel is alumni of the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama, The National Children’s and Youth Brass Bands of Great Britain, and The National Children’s and Youth Orchestras of Great

Britain. She was one of the five finalists in the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year 2014 Brass Category Final, and in 2018 she was once again in the Brass Category Final where she went on to be crowned the winner. In 2017, Isobel was the winner of the BBC Young Brass Award playinglive on Radio 2.

More recently, Isobel has played with the London Symphony Orchestra whilst on trial for Principal Trombone, as well as playing with orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Hallé Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Chineke! Orchestra and brass ensemble, Septura. Isobel recorded her debut solo album with World of Brass in January 2022.

In her spare time, Isobel loves to bake and walk her dog.

ISOBEL DAWSTROMBONE

“Truly virtuosic Trombone playing; stunning artistry -

world class”- 4barsrest

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY NATIONAL YOUTH BRASS BAND OF WALES!

The National Youth Brass Band of Wales (NYBBW) was established in 1982 and has a long tradition of providing young brass banders with first-class training and performance opportunities.

Wales’ most talented young musicians, aged between 13-22, are selected from annual auditions in centres across Wales. NYBBW is a double-sized band of approximately 40 players who are awarded annual membership of the Brass Band following a successful audition process.

NATIONAL YOUTH ARTS WALESFollowing the establishment of National Youth Arts Wales Ltd in October 2017 the National Youth Brass Band of Wales, along with the other five national youth ensembles (Orchestra, Dance, Choir, Theatre and Wind Orchestra) came under a single management structure for the first time in their history.

The new organisation provides an opportunity to secure the provision of performing arts experiences at the highest level for future generations of Wales’ talented young people.

As with all NYAW ensembles, we pride ourselves in working with experts in the field of brass banding and our tutorial team are drawn from many of the top ranked bands in Wales and the UK. The Band has worked with well-known conductors who are leaders in their field, including Edward Gregson (founding conductor of the NYBBW), Robert Childs and current conductor, Philip Harper, conductor of the world famous Cory Band.

NYBBW 2022MEMBERS

SOPRANO CORNETMaya Ross

SOLO CORNETTom EvansOwain Llestyn (Principal)Erin MaloneyOsian MaloneyElisabeth Rogers

REPIANO CORNETAlex LintonSolomon Maghur

2ND & 3RD CORNETOliver BourneAaron Corcoran-LockleyMaya JonesKaty RennieBen Thomas

FLUGEL HORNCerys HughesThomas Pugh-Webb

SOLO HORNCarys Lewis

1ST HORNAmy HextEleri Kinsey

2ND HORNThomas KochalskiCarys Price

BARITONEElliot HarringtonLi Taylor

1ST TROMBONEIoan Jones

2ND TROMBONECallum Parkes

BASS TROMBONEGwenllian HoweGareth Rolland

EUPHONIUMEllie CarlsenCari Jones

Eb BASSAlice TraceyRhys Michael

Bb BASSSean LintonPatrick Miller

PERCUSSIONAlex EvansLucas FaramSamuel FaramSara Llewellyn

RESIDENCY &NYAW STAFF

CONDUCTORPhilip Harper

REHEARSAL CONDUCTORDewi Griffiths

TROMBONEIsobel Daws

TUTORIAL TEAMDewi GriffithsAnna Hughes WilliamsAilsa RussellSion JonesRebecca LundbergGavin SaynorChris Stock

WELFARE TEAMGareth Robinson (Residency Manager)Tom LazellMegan JacksonOmri Tau

STAGE MANAGEMENTSteve Barnett (Ev-Entz)

NYAW TEAMGillian Mitchell - Chief ExecutiveMatthew Jones - Senior ProducerAeron Fitzgerald - Trainee ProducerMegan Childs - ProducerAnna Sherratt - Theatre Projects ProducerNaomi Mckenna Lawson - Participation and Learning ProducerJamie Jenkins - Dance ProducerCamille Giraudeau - Dance Projects ProducerDavid Hopkins - Fundraising and Development ManagerSuzy Knott - Creative Fundraising InternHope Dowsett - Music Projects Producer Elina Lee - Music Futures Trainee ProducerBruna Garcia - Côr Skills Trainee ProducerJodi Voyle - Freelance Marketing ManagerJamie Chapman - Freelance Digital Producer

MID WALES OPERA

REPERTOIRENOTES

Edward Gregson - Fanfare for a New EraEdward Gregson wrote Fanfare for a New Era in response to a private commission by Lady Sheila Stoller. It celebrated the opening of the Stoller Hall at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester and was dedicated to Sir Norman Stoller, who donated the funding for the new concert hall.

Philip Sparke - Orient ExpressA BBC commission in 1986, Orient Express won first prize in the EBU New Music for Band Competition. It opens with the hustle and bustle of a busy station before its journey gets underway. A short moment of reflection, then it’s on to the final stage of the journey and arrival at the train’s destination.

Gordon Langford - Rhapsody for TromboneGordon Langford wrote many original works for brass band, and his test piece, Rhapsody for Trombone, is particularly well-known. He also orchestrated several scores for the West End and films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark and Clash of the Titans. His ‘March’ from the Colour Suite in 1971 won him an Ivor Novello Award for Best Light Music Composition.

Ian Stephens - Colston Falls (World Premiere)Commissioned by NYAW and Philip Harper in 2020, Ian Stephens’s Colston Falls was inspired by one of the most enduring scenes of lockdown: the toppling of Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol. The piece is framed by a tutti morse code rendition of the date of the protest, 07/06/2020, and features a chant of “bring it down, bring it down” on flugel, horns, baritones and timpani.

Ian Stephens is a composer and arranger of increasing renown. His original music has been widely performed in the UK and further afield by ensembles including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Brodsky Quartet, Fitzwilliam Quartet and Choir of King’s College Cambridge, and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4. Born in Sidmouth, Devon, Ian studied music at Bristol University and is based near Liverpool, where he takes a full part in the musical life of the city and the region as a composer, performer, lecturer and teacher. He is a mentor on the Rushworth Young Composer scheme, and a Composition Tutor at Chetham’s School of Music.

Percy Fletcher - An Epic SymphonyPercy Fletcher composed the first original test-piece for brass band in 1913. His landmark of musical sophistication and expression, An Epic Symphony, was used as the test piece for the Championship Section of the National Championships of 1926.

REPERTOIRENOTES

Liz Lane - Diamond FanfareDiamond Fanfare was commissioned by Lydbrook Band for the Royal Forest Jubilee in June 2012. In the composer’s own words: “Rhythmic drive and momentum is sustained by the percussion throughout whilst celebratory motifs are passed around the brass section, racing to a sparkling flourish at the finish.”

Edward Gregson - Of Distant MemoriesIn tribute to the early test-pieces and their composers is NYBBW Founder Conductor Edward Gregson’s Of Distant Memories. It pays homage to the musical languages, styles and forms used by early test composers like Percy Fletcher, in one continuous movement until the triumphant coda.

Ray Steadman-Allen - Walk With MeIsobel Daws, one of the UK’s leading young trombone players, takes the solo spot for Ray Steadman-Allen’s Walk with Me. It was originally written for a Salvation Army tour undertaken by Retired Songster Leader Maisie Wiggins in Australia in the 1970s.

Arthur Pryor - Blue Bells of ScotlandBlue Bells of Scotland was arranged by Arthur Pryor for trombone with accompaniment around 1899. It is based on one of the most well-known Scottish folksongs which can be found in Leroy Anderson’s 3rd movement of his ‘Scottish Suite’ (1954) and in a medley on Bing Crosby’s 1961 album ‘101 Gang Songs’.

Stijn Aertgeerts - Hope29-year-old Stijn Aertgeerts is a tuba player whose compositions have been performed by leading bands and soloists across Europe. Hope was written to highlight the importance of fighting hate with hope and love; believing that humanity can work together to create a better world.

J.J. Richards, arr. Harper - La Suerte de Los Tontos This arrangement by NYBBW’s long-term Conductor, Philip Harper, won Best New Arrangement at the 2019 Brass in Concert Championships. Befitting to the Brass Band’s 40th birthday, the concert draws to a celebratory close with this infectious Latin number. La Suerte de Los Tontos (The Fortune of Fools) is powerful, dynamic and exciting with an infectious rhythmic feel.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

National Youth Brass Band of Wales04/08/2022 - Pontio, Bangor05/08/2022 - Fishguard and West Wales International Music Festival06/08/2022 - Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff

Music Futures24/08/2022 - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

National Youth Theatre of Wales30/08/2022 - Theatr Clwyd, Mold31/08/2022 - Theatr Clwyd, Mold02/09/2022 - Sherman Theatre, Cardiff03/09/2022 - Sherman Theatre, Cardiff

National Youth Choir of Wales01/09/2022 - Prichard-Jones Hall, Bangor02/09/2022 - Aberystwyth Arts Centre03/09/2022 - Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff

National Youth Dance Wales04/11/2022 - The Riverfront, Newport05/11/2022 - The Riverfront, Newport

nyaw.org.uk029 2063 6466

#NYBBW22