Brass Band
Our Brass Band is probably the busiest ensemble in the Conservatoire! It rehearses under the expert baton of Ian Porthouse, Director of Brass Band Studies, twice a week throughout the year.
Unlike comparable courses elsewhere, because of the size of the department, we are able to accommodate all our brass band pathway students in the band throughout their time in college.
In addition to termly concerts of varied and challenging repertoire (in the last two years alone the band has performed works such as “Metropolis 1927”, “Volcano”, Janacek’s “Sinfonietta”, as well as many new commissions), the band accompanies student soloists in concerto performances (as a part of their Final Projects). Most years we have also travelled to UniBrass and to the Whit Friday Marches, where we have achieved some excellent results!
Tredegar Town Band
The Conservatoire enjoys a flourishing partnership with the legendary Tredegar Town Band (TTB), our Brass Band in residence with whom we have given a number of joint concerts.
A number of Conservatoire students are regular members of TTB, while others appear on an occasional basis.
Youth Brass 2000 (YB2K)
In 2021 we were delighted to welcome our Youth Band in Residence, the brilliant YB2K. They will work alongside us in performance settings, both giving these talented young musicians a taste of life at RBC, and also giving our students invaluable mentoring and pedagogical experience.