Success at the National Concert Band Festival

Congratulations to the Cardiff University Wind Ensemble on recent success at the National Concert Band Festival Finals.

The Ensemble entered the 'open' category, defined by the Festival as 'the premiere wind band class', and was awarded the joint-highest mark in this category. Judges praised the band for innovative programming, with a set consisting exclusively of music by School of Music alumni.

The Ensemble's set included 'The Smile' by Matthew Hall (featuring undergraduate soloists Andy Wareham, Andrew Mitchell, and Jack Orton), and 'Looking In' by Tom Davoren. The set also featured 'Unexpected Reincarnation' by current PhD student Joseph Hillyard, which was commissioned by the Ensemble for the Festival.

The National Concert Band Festival has been running for 30 years and is the UK's largest wind band and big band festival. This year's finals were held at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Visit our Student Blog for a more indepth look at the Wind Ensemble. PhD student Martin Humphries, who has been conducting the Ensemble for the past two years, has written about the Ensemble's recent activities, including news of an upcoming CD release and some exciting future collaborations.