www.lewismerthyrband.com
Lewis-Merthyr Band
  • About
    • Musical Director
    • Personnel
    • Donate with Amazon
  • News
  • Engagements
    • Book The Band
    • Tours >
      • Current Tours
      • Belgium 2019
  • Media
    • All Media
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Images
    • YouTube Channel
    • Downloads
    • Brass and Voices of Wales
    • The Glory of Christmas
  • History
    • Band History
    • Historical Images
    • Vintage Video
    • Conductors
    • The Collieries
  • Commissions
    • Commissions to date
    • Broadcasts
    • Significant Works
    • New Directions
    • Fulling Mill Lea
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Rehearsal Rooms
    • Constitution
    • Rules
    • Annual Awards
    • Life Members
    • Youth Band
    • Donate with Amazon

Lewis Merthyr Band

"A damn fine band" - HRH Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII)
Picture
Founded in or before 1855, Lewis Merthyr Band is the oldest brass band in South Wales' Rhondda Valleys. Originally known as the Cymmer Military and Cymmer (Porth) Colliery Band, Lewis Merthyr adopted its present title in 1949

The band has been highly successful in competition throughout its history, becoming Champion Band of Wales, Welsh League Champions, Miner's Welfare Entertainments (CISWO) Champions and more

​Lewis Merthyr has represented Wales in the Championship section of the National Championships of Great Britain on eight occasions at the Royal Albert Hall, London; at the European Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark; and at the 2022 World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands. The band also accomplished the unique achievement of winning the Second and Third Section UK titles of the National Championships of Great Britain, in consecutive years. Lewis Merthyr is currently ranked in the First Section and were the 2015 Runner-Up WWBBA Champions; 2016 Runner-Up SEWBBA Champions & Runner-Up Welsh League Champions in both 2015 & 2016. 2017 was a particularly successful year for the band and saw Lewis Merthyr become the WWBBA and - for the first time in 21 years - Welsh League First Section Champions

The band has been equally successful on the concert stage, performing at a wide variety of locations across Wales and beyond, including the Royal Albert Hall, London; Llangollen Pavilion; St David's Hall, Cardiff & the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. Lewis Merthyr has also performed for Royalty on a number of occasions, parading through the streets for the visit of His Majesty King George V and Queen Mary to Rhondda in 1912, and for the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, in 1932. On June 2nd, 2022, the band also featured in an incredible performance for the Beacon Lighting ceremony on the Thames Bank, London, in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

​Throughout its history, the band has performed with numerous leading artists, including "Signor Foli" (Allan James Foley) in the late 1800's, and with Sir Geraint Evans, Glyn Houston and most recently Sir Bryn Terfel. In recent years, the band has also featured in a series of concerts
under the baton of renowned orchestral conductor Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, which included a St David's Day Gala Concert at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea; a performance in the Speech Room at Harrow School, London; and two performances at Wales' national classical music festival, the Welsh Proms, in July 2018 & 2019, at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff

Lewis Merthyr has featured in a wide range of radio & television broadcasts, dating back to a recently rediscovered BBC Radio broadcast from 1927, and Pathé newsreel footage of the band marching before King Edward VIII in 1932. More recently, the band was featured in the 2015 BBC television programme "The Taff: The River That Made Wales" which continues to be repeatedly screened on BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC Wales. Lewis Merthyr also recently recorded a special television feature with the renowned international baritone soloist Sir Bryn Terfel, which was screened nationwide on Christmas Day 2017 and repeated for the opening night of the National Eisteddfod of Wales 2018. The band featured again on nationwide television, performing live in the National Eisteddfod, on stage at the Donald Gordon Theatre in the iconic Wales Millennium Centre the following day

Lewis Merthyr Band has featured in a wide range of major events, performing on numerous occasions at the Principality Stadium, playing to 52, 981 people plus international television audience for the Wales vs Italy warm up match for the 2015 Rugby World Cup; to record Pro14 crowds of 68,262 and 62,338 for Judgement Day 2016 & 2018; and for the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 World Golden Oldies International Rugby Festival, which featured 120 participating teams representing 25 different nations from across the globe

Lewis Merthyr was also the core of Wales' first all-female band for each of Wales' 2017 Women's Rugby Six Nations Championship home matches, and again for the 2018 Women's Suffrage Centennial "Processions" event at Cardiff Castle in July 2018. The band also performed for the televised Women's Rugby Six Nations international matches at Cardiff Arms Park for the full 2019, 2020 and 2022 seasons

Lewis Merthyr featured in National Theatre Wales' 2016 “City of the Unexpected” Roald Dahl 100 celebrations, performing across Cardiff city centre to tens of thousands of people, and which was again the focus of national television broadcasts. In April 2018, the band also supported the 11.2 metre "Man Engine" events at Cyfartha Castle and Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd. In June 2018 the band's symphonic brass ensemble performed for the launch of the Music Education report for Wales at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, additional contributors to which included Sir Karl Jenkins, Nicola Benedetti CBE, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and former Royal harpist Claire Jones

In October 2019, the band then travelled to Belgium to perform alongside groups from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and South Korea at the Internationale Taptoe Belgie, held at the 5000 seat capacity Versluys Dome, Ostend. In July 2022, the band returned to Europe to perform in the prestigious World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands, and in September, members of the band then also travelled to Colorado, USA to perform with City of Bristol Brass Band at the 2022 Estes Park International Tattoo. The band has been invited to return to Colorado in 2023

Lewis Merthyr Band has a long history of performing and broadcasting new works, and has held a close association with numerous prominent composers, notably Mervyn Burtch and John Golland. The band gave the premiere broadcasts of Dr. Peter Graham's "Dimensions" and Goff Richards' "Oceans" on BBC Radio in the 1980s, and in 2018 gave the premiere performances of Helen Woods' "Man Engine Anthem" and Dr. Christopher Wood's "Aberfan", also undertaking the premiere recording of the latter on the band's most recent commercial recording "Brass & Voices of Wales" with the massed choirs of Bridgend & Pendyrus, conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes. The band's latest album, a recording of the brass works of Mervyn Burtch, will be released in autumn 2022

Through the latter half of 2020, with the support of the Arts Council of Wales, the band created the project "New Directions", a partnership with a selection of leading composers and performers from across Wales and wider, which saw newly commissioned works from Steve Bingham, Chris Marshall, Christopher Painter and Andrew Powell. Through 2021-23, with the additional support of ACW, the Moondance Foundation and Ty Cerdd, the band has commissioned and will premiere three major new works for band from Chris Marshall (Fulling Mill Lea), Gareth Trott (Eastern Horizons) and Gareth Wood (Under Milk Wood Suite: Rum & Laverbread)


Lewis-Merthyr remain thoroughly committed to supporting our local community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, through the presentation of concert performances across the county borough and wider, supporting local events & functions, and providing tuition for local young brass & percussion musicians through our Youth Band programme. The band looks forward to continuing to represent Rhondda Cynon Taf and Wales at the highest level throughout all our performances across the nation and beyond

Registered Charity No. 1000499

www.lewismerthyrband.com


Lewis Merthyr Band is indebted to the following organisations for their current support
​- The Arts Council of Wales
- The Moondance Foundation
- National Lottery
​- Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
​- Ty Cerdd
​- Welsh Government 

Brass & Voices of Wales CD Recording

The band's most recent recording "Brass & Voices of Wales", featuring Lewis Merthyr Band and the Massed Male Choirs of Bridgend & Pendyrus conducted by Welsh Proms Artistic Director Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, is available on CD or for instant download

The disc features much of Wales’ most beloved music, together with the premiere recording of a new work by Dr. Christopher Wood, entitled and dedicated to the memory of "Aberfan"; Gareth Wood’s scintillating creative arrangement of "Sosban Fach"; the Miner’s hymn “Gresford”; music from the iconic Hollywood movie “Zulu” and much more!

For full information and to purchase a disc by mail order, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/cd or to download the album direct today, visit our Bandcamp site at   

lewismerthyrband.bandcamp.com
Picture

BBC Feature: The River Taff

The band was featured in Episode 2 of the BAFTA nominated BBC television production "The Taff: The River That Made Wales" with presenter Will Millard. The programme has been broadcast on BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC Wales on numerous repeated occasions. The excerpt here is the central feature focusing on Lewis-Merthyr Band and Trustee Ivor England, a former miner at the Lewis-Merthyr Colliery

Christmas Day Broadcast: Cwm Rhondda with Sir Bryn Terfel

Lewis-Merthyr Band here perform Arwel Hughes' setting of Cwm Rhondda, which was specially transcribed for the band and Sir Bryn Terfel by Christopher Painter and broadcast nationwide on Christmas Day 2017 and Christmas Eve 2018

For further archive videos of the band in performance, visit the video section of the website here

BBC Broadcast Archive

Picture
An archive of the band's BBC radio and television broadcasts ranging from 1927 to present day can be found here Additional audio footage of the band, both past and current, can be found here

Personnel

Musical Director
Craig Roberts


Cornets
Louise Russell

Robert Sweet
Gareth Hanson

Nick Parker

Morgan Rees

Samantha Bridger
Fred Nicholas
David Griffiths

Laura Pegg
Amie Roberts

POSITION VACANT

Horns
Robert Smith
Rhiannon Griffiths
Bethan Wilkes
David Brimble
Allen Wells


Baritones
Ruth Mellor
Claire Thomas

Brian Paull

Trombones
Mark Wilkes
Lydia Moore
Colin Lee
Dave Short

Euphoniums
Ron Andrews
Gareth Davies

Tubas
Paul Stephens
Elizabeth Stephens

Howell Billington
Dafydd Owen

POSITION VACANT

Percussion
Mike Evans

Sarah Jackson
Grace Bayton
Stephen "Fly" Harris
Joanne Huxton



​Trustees

Ivor England
Gareth Hanson

Brian Paull
​Robert Smith (Chair)
Paul Williams

If you are interested in membership, please contact us via the contact page of the site here, or through our various social media channels, accessed via the icons above

Rehearsals are held on Monday & Wednesday evenings from 8:00-9:45pm at the Bandroom, 5 Office Street, Cymmer, Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF39 9AL


Guest players are always welcome at rehearsals. Seat share options are also available

All membership enquiries will be dealt with in the strictest confidence

Lewis-Merthyr also operate a Youth Band, further information on which can be found here 


Musical Director

Lewis-Merthyr Band Musical Director Craig Roberts is one of the most well known and widely respected brass band conductors in Wales

He has performed in some of the finest concert halls in the UK and overseas, touring across five continents of the globe and working with some of the world's finest artists

Craig has been successful in competition at the highest level, winning the Welsh League Championship on three occasions; the North Wales Championships twice; and all contests in the Welsh League Championships series. In 2004 he was named Conductor of the Year by SEWBBA and WWBBA for his achievements

Further detailed information on Craig and his activities can be found in the Musical Director section of the website
here

Management Committee

Chair: David Short
Vice Chair: Claire Thomas
Secretary: Samantha Bridger
Treasurer: Amie Roberts
Logistics & Equipment Manager: David Griffiths
Uniform & Merchandise: Rhiannon Griffiths
Librarian: Unassigned
Committee Member: Robert Smith
Committee Member: Gareth Hanson

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.