Youth Brass Band is our senior brass band, aimed at pupils who are grade 5 and above. The award winning band is one of the longest established youth bands in Wales and it currently has 33 members. They rehearse on Wednesday evenings at Cantonian High School.
The band has toured extensively over Europe and was awarded a gold medal at the 2016 European Youth Brass Band Festival held in Lille, France. More recent competition successes include those in the annual Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, held at various locations across the UK. The band has a busy schedule and often performs in multiple prestigious venues across Wales and England. It has appeared on TV several times, most recently a broadcast from the Senedd in Cardiff. The band are touring North Wales in the Spring of 2025.
The band rehearse every Wednesday during term time at Cantonian High School from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
| Term | Start Date | End Date |
| Term 1 – Autumn | 16 September 2026 | 25 November 2026 |
| Term 2 – Spring | 6 January 2027 | 10 March 2027 |
| Term 3 – Summer | 7 April 2027 | 30 June 2027 |
Conductor Biography
Charles Maynard is the conductor of Youth Brass Band. Originally from Manchester, he was awarded a scholarship in sixth form to study trombone at the Royal Northern College of Music, followed by a graduate course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in composition, then a postgraduate year at the Royal Academy of Music. Charles studied conducting with Malcolm Binney and Sir Simon Rattle as well as postgraduate composition with Dr Paul Patterson and Sir Michael Tippett.
Charles has worked for the music service since 1992 and is now Head of Brass and a creative lead tutor. He has been the conductor of YBB since 2011.
