Tredegar Band has been directed by a host of outstanding musicians over its 160 year history – many enjoying long, and successful tenures, other shorter, but no less significant.

Many of the earliest names first appear in local and regional newspaper reports (see timeline), whilst in later years contesting success in particular was reported in the nationwide brass banding press.

Research employed for the band’s Heritage Lottery Project has benefited from a proactive link with the Gwent Archives, based in Ebbw Vale, as well as on-line research through the British Library and National Library of Wales, and local resources held by the Tredegar Local History Society and Tredegar Community Archive.    

Further research is currently being undertaken as part of the band’s Heritage Lottery Fund project to complete details on all conductors of the band from 1849 to date.

Timeline:

William Sewell
Conductor: 1851 - unknown

Joseph Gwyer
Conductor: 1874 - 1875

John Robert Tidswell
Conductor: 1875 - 1877

Tom Hardy
Conductor:  1877 - 1897 (approx)

Eli Shaw
Conductor:  1904 - 1934

Sam Mounfield
Conductor: 1934 - 1946

Cornelius Buckley
Conductor:  1946 - 1970

John Childs
Conductor:  1970 - 1977

David Thomas
Conductor:  1978 - 1979

Tudor Williams
Conductor:  1979 - 1980

Albert Meek
Conductor:  1981 - 1982

Steve Walkley
Conductor:  1982 - 1984

Nigel Weeks
Conductor:  1984 - 1993

Nicholas Childs
Conductor:  1993 - 1997

Jim Davies
Conductor:  1997 - 1998

Philip Bailey
Conductor:  1998 - 1999

Steve Bastable
Conductor:  1999 - 2002

Russell Gray
Conductor:  2003 - 2004

Michael Fowles
Conductor: 2005 - 2007

Ian Porthouse
Conductor:  2007 - date

Other notable conductors engaged on a professional basis include: Walter Hargreaves; Peter Kitson; Richard Evans; John Hudson; James Scott; Jeremy Wise; Garry Cutt; Thomas Wyss; David Hirst; David Evans; Allan Ramsay.