Tredegar turns the tables in Wales

Megan Allen reports from the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea

Tredegar Town Band will head to the 2011 European Championships in Montreux in Switzerland after being crowned 2010 Welsh Champion in Swansea last weekend. Conductor Ian Porthouse drew an inspired performance of George Lloyd’s English Heritage out of his band to beat reigning Welsh, British Open and European champion, Cory Band, into second place. A delighted Pontins champion, Tongwynlais Temperance, will join the Welsh heavyweights at the Royal Albert Hall in October. Adjudicator, Malcolm Brownbill, told the audience at the Brangwyn Hall that the two top bands were “some distance” ahead of the rest of the field on the day, with the small difference between the two rivals, who have won the title 15 times between them since 1994, being the overall quality of the soloists on George Lloyd’s demanding work. That observation was further emphasised by the award of the Best Instrumentalist prize to Tredegar’s principal cornet player, Dewi Griffiths.

The winning conductor was obviously a delighted man when he spoke to BB after the results. “I really thought we deserved it today,” said Ian Porthouse, adding, “It was a magnificent performance and the best this band has played for me on a major contest stage. To beat Cory on its current form shows that we are making real progress, but all the credit goes to the players who have shown such commitment since I came back to the band.” Malcolm Brownbill reiterated his written remarks on the winner when speaking to BB, commenting: “It was a performance of real stature, with so much ensemble detail and clarity. The top two bands were magnificent and it was hard to separate them, but that extra quality in the solo lines came with Tredegar on this occasion.”