This year, Torfaen County Borough Council is the host Authority for Wales to commemorate the Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) on 27th January 2012.

Torfaen County Borough Council has organised a week of free public events across the borough. The theme for this year's HMD is 'Speak Up, Speak Out' from the poem, 'First They Came' by Pastor Martin Niemoller.

The launch of HMD week was attended by Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister, Welsh Government at Cwmbran Stadium on Monday 23rd January.

Ensembles from Torfaen Music Centre and Greater Gwent have been performing in the Torfaen area since Saturday and again tonight at the Pontypool Education Settlement Centre, tomorrow at Blaenavon Workmens Hall and on Friday at St Gabriel's Church, Cwmbran.

For more information click here

There are still places left for strings, brass, woodwind and percussion players who receive tuition with GMSS of grade 3 -6 standard for this year's Greater Gwent Intermediate Orchestra's annual course to be held at the Urdd Residential Centre, Llangranog.

The course will run from Wednesday 15th February 2012 (coaches leave Cwmbran Stadium at 4.00pm) until Sunday 19th February 2012 with a concert at Caerleon Comprehensive School at 6.30pm.

The full cost of the course including accommodation and meals will be £145

For more information if you are interested, please contact Gwent Music Support Service on gwent.music@newport.gov.uk

Greater Gwent Youth Brass Bands Festival

Saturday 28^th January 2012

The Greater Gwent Youth Brass Bands Festival will take place at Coleg Gwent, Crosskeys Campus on Saturday 28^th January. With a very good entry of twenty youth bands for the day coming from Mid, South and West Wales and the Forest of Dean, the Debutante section bands will start at 9.00am, School bands at 10.30am, Music Centre/County bands at 12.30pm and Independent/Community bands at 3.15pm.

The adjudicator for the Debutante and Music Centre/County sections will be David Childs and the adjudicator for the Schools and Independent/Community sections will be Brian Buckley. The compere for the day will be David Hayward.

Bands in the Debutante section will play a programme of no more than 10 minutes, Schools section a programme of no more than 15 minutes and bands in the Music Centre/County and Independent/Community sections a programme of no more than 20 minutes.

All bands in the Independent/Community section are also allowed to play seven adults. The bands entered are:

Debutante Section: Abergavenny Borough (9.00am), Cwmtawe Training (9.20am) and Carmarthenshire Training (9.40am)

Schools Section: Croesyceiliog (10.30am), Treorchy (11.15am), Caerleon (11.35am) and Monmouth (10.50am) Schools

Music Centre/County Section: Cwmtawe Youth (12.30pm), Blaenau Gwent (12.55pm), Greater Gwent Schools (1.25pm), North Powys Youth (1.50pm), Aberystwyth Youth (2.15pm)

Independent/Community Section: Abergavenny Borough (3.15pm), Cwmbran Brass (3.40pm), Usk Youth (4.00pm), Cinderford Academy (4.25pm), Blaenavon Town (4.50pm), Lydbrook Training (5.15pm), BTM Band (5.40pm), M3 (6.05pm)

All the above performance times are approximate and should be used as a guide only.

Anyone wanting a super day out can listen to twenty brass band concerts for £3 adults and £2 concessions for the whole day. Tickets will be available on the day.

The Greater Gwent Schools Brass Band will hold an extra rehearsal in preparation for the Gwent Youth Brass Bands Festival on Saturday 21st January 2012 at Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School from 1.00pm to 3.00pm.

Players who are also in the Greater Gwent Modern Ensemble must attend the Modern Ensemble rehearsal from 1.00pm to 3.15pm.

The performance time for the Greater Gwent Schools Brass Band at Crosskeys College on Saturday 28th January will be 1.25pm and all players are expected to be at the College from 12.30pm (unless you are playing in the morning session).

We would be very grateful if this message can be passed on to members of the Greater Gwent Schools Brass Band.

Thank you

Sean O'Neill
Senior Brass Tutor

On Sunday 22nd January, the Greater Gwent Youth Brass Ensemble and the RWCMD Symphonic Brass will join forces to present an American Celebration in Brass.

The programme will include:

Gershwin: An American in Paris
Gershwin: A Gershwin Portrait
Webb: MacArthur Park
Ward Hare: Battle Hymn of the Republic

There will also be additional items from Ensembles within the combined forces.

"A sumptuous and brassy celebration of the best of American music delivered by the combined forces of the Greater Gwent Youth Brass Ensemble and the RWCMD Symphonic Brass" RWCMD website

The concert will take place in the new Dora Stoutzker Hall of the RWCMD and tickets will be £7 and £5 concessions.

The concert will commence at 2.30pm.