Ebbw Valley Brass
In September 2011 Ebbw Valley Brass was formed following the merger of Ebbw Vale Town Band and Cwm Town Band.
Both of the former bands experienced low points in recent history following a decline in player numbers and general interest. With the two bands being in close proximity, the Committees openly expressed a desire to work together in order to ensure a sustainable future for brass banding in the Ebbw Valley and ensure that the heritage of music is maintained and developed. Ebbw Valley Brass was born and a new logo commissioned and designed to reflect the band’s new thinking and identity.
Under the leadership of the band’s Musical Director, Gareth Ritter, the band has built strong foundations on which to build a robust organisation that caters for everyone. The primary focus is to work with the community and develop these links in order to deliver a wide range of concerts and increase the image of brass banding.
The band has experienced considerable development in a short space of time. The band 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 outfit to complete the triple in progressive sections in consecutive years. In addition to this, the band won the Best Instrumentalist Prize at each of the three finals during the same timescale – an incredible feat for any band.
A full list of the band’s competitive results can be found at: www.brassbandresults.co.uk/bands/ebbw-valley-brass
Our Personnel
Ebbw Vale Town Band
Cwm Town Band
Support Us
Ebbw Valley Youth
Our Personnel
Huw Davies
Principal Euphonium
‘I’m a Rhondda boy, raised 100 yards from Ynyshir’s band room. My father started me in the junior band at the age of seven on trombone, and my first teacher was Alan Rowe.
‘At 10 I joined Ynyshir senior band on trombone and enjoyed the banter and amazing characters in the band, like euphonium player Derek Andrews, later of Cory band.
Derek left the band when I was 16, so I moved to euphonium.
‘When Jim Davies, now principal cornet of Cory, came to conduct Ynyshir I was further inspired to improve, eventually playing Principal Euphonium for the NYBBW and competing in the National Solo Championships against the likes of Nick Childs and Peter Dodds, again inspiring!
‘I loved making music with the people in the band I’d grown up with, but when Jim left to go north, I lost heart and had 20 years away from playing. After losing my beautiful wife, Angela, I came back to banding – I know she’d be happy I’m playing again.
‘I’m so grateful to Ebbw Valley Brass for giving me another chance to enjoy the sound of the brass band that captivated me in my youth.’
Charlotte Hann
Principal Cornet
‘I was born in the Isle of Man and grew up there. I started on cornet at seven, taught by Ian Clague MBE, and played for the Manx Youth Band and Manx Concert Brass.
‘When I was 14, I won Young Musician of Mann, joined the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and started having lessons with Howard Snell. Two years later I moved to Manchester to study for A levels at Chetham’s School of Music, then went on to study trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music under Rhys Owens and Jamie Prophet.
‘After playing for Fodens and BT band, I moved to Cardiff and joined Tongwynlais on Solo Cornet. I did a short stint with Cory in 2011, winning the British Open, then returned to Tongwynlais where I have played Solo Cornet, Rep, Principal and Flugel positions.
‘I met my husband, Gareth, whilst playing for Tongwynlais and we now have three children.’
Cornets
Charlotte Hann, Principal Cornet
John Smith, Soprano Cornet
Lawrence Savage
Matthew Loud
Ellen Waite
Diane Mogford
Colin Rees
David Carey
Helen Kedie
Flugel Horn
Ffion Haf Williams
Tenor Horns
Deborah Bull
Tianna Thomas
Gabrielle Brill
Baritones
John Jones
Jacquelyn Johnson
Euphoniums
Huw Davis
James Slater
Trombones
Bethan Cooke
Maia Wilson
Mark Winstone
Eb Basses
David Johnson
Will Marston
Oliver Gwyn-Williams
Bb Basses
Andy Jones
Dean Woods
Percussion
Philip Davies
Neil Zeraschi
Karen Smith
Philip Howells
EVB non-playing members
Gareth Ritter, Musical Director
Anne Cooke
Donna Hardman
Ron Powell
Gareth Harvard
Nick Smith MP, President
Philip Morris, Vice President
Alun Williams, Vice President
Ebbw Vale Town Band
Brass banding has a varied and rich history in this community, going back as far as 1846, when Ebbw Vale Brass Band was known to be active, and Ebbw Vale Firemen’s Club Brass Band, which was active in 1851 under their conductor J Marrints. A third band – Ebbw Vale Good Templar Brass Band – was active in 1875.
Ebbw Vale Brass – under conductors including J Lewis in 1888 and Mr Templeman in 1892 – was still going in 1900, when it was conducted by John Davies. Two further bands: Ebbw Vale Volunteers Band, active in the 1900s; and Ebbw Vale Works Band, active in the 1920s, were also playing around that time.
Ebbw Vale Municipal Band was formed in the 1950s and was later known as Ebbw Vale Town Band, which merged with Cwm Town Band to form our band today.
Cwm Town Band
Right: Cwm Town band outside their band hut in Cwm,1940.
Click through our gallery for photos of Cwm Town Band from the 1920s and 1980s.
Support Us
If you would like to become a Friend of Ebbw Valley Brass and support the band’s work in a practical way – watch this space! We will soon be launching our own supporters’ scheme so everyone can get involved – you’ll get a newsletter full of information on the band’s activities, free concert tickets and more.
Ebbw Valley Youth
Learn a brass or percussion instrument in a fun, friendly and safe environment.
To find out more about Ebbw Valley Youth Band, please contact our Band Manager, Dean Woods, on: 07949 826955 or email: ebbwvalleybrass@aol.com