Musical Director - Craig Roberts
Craig is one of the most widely known and respected brass band conductors in Wales. He has worked with and conducted the majority of the top bands in the nation, including the world number one brass band Cory, who Craig guest conducted for the Golden Jubilee procession through London of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.
Craig has been successful in competition at the highest level, winning the Welsh League Championship on three occasions with three different bands; the North Wales Championships on two occasions, and every individual contest in the Welsh League Championships series. In 2004 he was named Conductor of the Year by SEWBBA and WWBBA for his achievements.
Craig studied music at the University of Salford, gaining first his B.A. (Hons) and M.A. Masters degree there, studying with Dr Roy Newsome and Prof David King. Whilst at university, in his final year Craig was awarded the Roy Newsome Conducting Prize as the outstanding undergraduate conductor of the academic year 2000.
Within the UK he has performed in most of the country’s finest concert halls, and abroad has toured to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Libya, Russia, Ukraine and the United States of America. Both at home and abroad Craig has worked on a wide variety of large scale and innovative concert projects with numerous leading artists and ensembles, further details of which can be found at his website www.croberts100.com
Within the world of brass, Craig has worked with a number of the world’s leading bands including Black Dyke, Brighouse & Rastrick, Grimethorpe Colliery & more. He has also worked closely with numerous renowned conductors, soloists and composers, from the latter of whom he has commissioned a wealth of major brass and orchestral works. Craig is also a respected adjudicator and in 2019 was a member of the adjudicating panel for the Finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
Craig also often works overseas. For a period of 20 years, he worked, latterly as Assistant Director, with the world's largest annual indoor show, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. He was also a founder Director of the successful North American Brass Band Summer School (NABBSS). Craig has also worked as a production consultant / advisor on numerous other large scale events including the Canadian Beating Retreat Fortissimo (Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada), Kremlin Zoria and Immortal Regiment Parades (Red Square, Moscow), World Military Music Festival (Green Square, Tripoli, Libya), Mediterranean International Festival of Arts (Eleftheria Square, Heraklion, Crete, Greece) and Liberation 70 (Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine). From 2022, Craig will take up the post of Director with the Internationale Taptoe Belgie in Ostend & Lommel, Belgium and with the Estes Park International Tattoo in Colorado, USA
Formerly Artistic Director of the Welsh Brass Arts Festival and Wales Development Manager to Making Music, the national support body for UK voluntary music, Craig is now Business Development & Marketing Officer at the £2 million restored St Elvan's, Cynon Valley and Director of the Rhondda Arts Festival (RAFT). He also remains a leading freelance arts management consultant, working with numerous leading artists and organisations across Wales and wider
Craig began his brass band contesting career as a member of the Lewis-Merthyr Band and is delighted to now return to the band as Musical Director. He also currently holds the post of Musical Director with City of Bristol Brass Band and Symphonic Brass Wales
Further information on Craig's activities can be found at his website www.croberts100.com while information on past conductors of Lewis Merthyr Band can be found in the Conductors section of the website here
Craig has been successful in competition at the highest level, winning the Welsh League Championship on three occasions with three different bands; the North Wales Championships on two occasions, and every individual contest in the Welsh League Championships series. In 2004 he was named Conductor of the Year by SEWBBA and WWBBA for his achievements.
Craig studied music at the University of Salford, gaining first his B.A. (Hons) and M.A. Masters degree there, studying with Dr Roy Newsome and Prof David King. Whilst at university, in his final year Craig was awarded the Roy Newsome Conducting Prize as the outstanding undergraduate conductor of the academic year 2000.
Within the UK he has performed in most of the country’s finest concert halls, and abroad has toured to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Libya, Russia, Ukraine and the United States of America. Both at home and abroad Craig has worked on a wide variety of large scale and innovative concert projects with numerous leading artists and ensembles, further details of which can be found at his website www.croberts100.com
Within the world of brass, Craig has worked with a number of the world’s leading bands including Black Dyke, Brighouse & Rastrick, Grimethorpe Colliery & more. He has also worked closely with numerous renowned conductors, soloists and composers, from the latter of whom he has commissioned a wealth of major brass and orchestral works. Craig is also a respected adjudicator and in 2019 was a member of the adjudicating panel for the Finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
Craig also often works overseas. For a period of 20 years, he worked, latterly as Assistant Director, with the world's largest annual indoor show, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. He was also a founder Director of the successful North American Brass Band Summer School (NABBSS). Craig has also worked as a production consultant / advisor on numerous other large scale events including the Canadian Beating Retreat Fortissimo (Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada), Kremlin Zoria and Immortal Regiment Parades (Red Square, Moscow), World Military Music Festival (Green Square, Tripoli, Libya), Mediterranean International Festival of Arts (Eleftheria Square, Heraklion, Crete, Greece) and Liberation 70 (Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine). From 2022, Craig will take up the post of Director with the Internationale Taptoe Belgie in Ostend & Lommel, Belgium and with the Estes Park International Tattoo in Colorado, USA
Formerly Artistic Director of the Welsh Brass Arts Festival and Wales Development Manager to Making Music, the national support body for UK voluntary music, Craig is now Business Development & Marketing Officer at the £2 million restored St Elvan's, Cynon Valley and Director of the Rhondda Arts Festival (RAFT). He also remains a leading freelance arts management consultant, working with numerous leading artists and organisations across Wales and wider
Craig began his brass band contesting career as a member of the Lewis-Merthyr Band and is delighted to now return to the band as Musical Director. He also currently holds the post of Musical Director with City of Bristol Brass Band and Symphonic Brass Wales
Further information on Craig's activities can be found at his website www.croberts100.com while information on past conductors of Lewis Merthyr Band can be found in the Conductors section of the website here
