Tongwynlais appoint new principal

Tongwynlais Temperance Band has appointed 18 year-old Harvey Rees as its Principal Cornet.

The appointment follows the decision of the band’s Principal Cornet of two years, Charlotte Chambers, to take a step into the Repiano Cornet seat due to increased working commitments.

Charlotte’s tenure saw the band qualify for the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015, as well as a top-six finish at the Grand Shield in 2016, and two podium-place finishes at the Welsh Open in 2015 & 2016, taking the prize for the best cornet in 2016 for outstanding solo contributions in Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s Enter the Galaxies and Andy Scott’s Space Invaders.

Speaking of the appointment, Resident Conductor Christopher Bond said: ”It is with great sadness that we see Charlotte step down, but I am delighted she has agreed to remain with the band on repiano cornet. Her dedication to the band, particularly in the last two-year period has been without fault, and she has led the cornet section with distinction. I am hugely looking forward to working with Harvey as he also embarks upon his studies at RWCMD, and know he will shine in his new role with us.”

Harvey joined Tongwynlais Temperance Band three years ago as a back-row cornet player, during which time he has worked his way onto the solo cornet bench. In March 2016, he played Principal Cornet with the band for the first time at the Regional Championships in Swansea, which led to the band’s fifth successive qualification to the National Finals. He was offered a place to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama where he will commence his studies in September.

The band would like to thank Charlotte for leading the cornet section during the last two years, and are delighted she’ll be remaining a crucial part of the team.

For more news stories like this subscribe to BBW Digital