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Caerphilly Winds and Strings will be holding their summer concert this weekend.

The band will be performing at the Vanguard Centre, on Van Road, Caerphilly, on Saturday July 15.

The hour-long concert will get underway at 1pm.

Tickets will be available on the door for £5, with anyone aged 16 or younger able to attend for free.

The band usually holds two concerts a year, one in the summer and one in the winter, with monthly rehearsals taking place at the Vanguard Centre.

Currently, the band, which has around 20 players, consists of flutes, clarinets, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, violins, violas and cellos.

The band has spaces available for string players and is looking for players with a minimum standard of Grade 7 or 8.

The group’s repertoire covers a wide range of styles, including classical, radio, television and film themes, music theatre, and arrangements of traditional music, particularly Welsh folk songs and dances. 

History of the band

Caerphilly Winds and Strings was founded in September 2018 as a flue and clarinet ensemble, consisting of just five players who met up once a month.

It was created by retired music teacher Nigel Jones, who taught at a comprehensive school for 25 years before ten years working with Caerphilly Music Service as a choral specialist working with schools across the borough.

By November 2018, violins, viola and cellos were added, turning it into a woodwind and string ensemble.

A month later, it held its first concert at Caerphilly Miners’ Centre.

In July 2019, the band held its second concert at the Vanguard Centre and rebranded as Caerphilly Winds and Strings, with 15 players now in its ranks.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic took the wind out of the band’s sails, with lockdown restrictions meaning they couldn’t rehearse.

After nearly two years, the band returned to practice in spring 2022 and went on to hold its Christmas concert later that year.