Dewi GRIFFITHS

Dewi hails from Bethel, a small village in North Wales at the foot of Snowdon, and started to play the Cornet at the age of 7 with the Llanrug Silver Band, quickly rising through the ranks from youth band to Principal Cornet with the senior band. Dewi moved on to play Principal Cornet with the Menai Bridge band for a couple of years, before moving to Beaumaris Band where he held the position of Assistant Principal for 6 years. In 2004, he accepted the Assistant Principle position at the Yorkshire Building Society Brass Band, and held this for just over 2 years before finally moving back over the border down to South Wales, where he currently plays Principal Cornet with the Tredegar Town Band.

Dewi is currently considered to be one of the finest Principal Cornet Players of his generation, and to support this claim, he has won numerous “Best instrumentalist awards”, which include 4 at the Welsh Regional Championships in Swansea (2008, 2010, 2013, 2016), two in the Grand Shield contest held in Blackpool (2009 & 2010) and the “Best Soloist” award at the prestigious British Open Championships held in Birmingham (2013). Dewi has also been awarded the Harry Mortimer Best Principal Cornet Award at the Brass in Concert Competition at the Sage, Gateshead in 2011 and 2014.

Dewi gained a BMus(hons) from the University of Wales Bangor in 2004, where he was awarded the prize for the best “Solo Performance”. He went on to do a PGCE, also at Bangor University, and is now working as a Peripatetic Music Teacher with Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Music Service.

He has won numerous 1st prizes in various Eisteddfodau throughout Wales as a soloist and is currently one of two “Official Fanfare Trumpeters” for the Gorsedd y Beirdd within the National Eisteddfod of Wales, a job that puts him in the spotlight on Welsh television every year.

Dewi’s skills are sought after all over Europe as a player, with numerous visits to Norway, Austria and Holland playing with some of Europe’s finest Brass Bands at various contests, including the Norwegian, Austrian and Dutch National Championships, the European Brass Band Championships, and the World Championships.

Dewi’s musical highlights include playing with the YBS band at the world famous Sydney Opera House, and being part of the historical 2010 year with Tredegar where they held the Grand Shield and the British Open shields simultaneously.