Below is more information on the band's euphomium and baritone players.

Principal Euphonium - Jayne Smith

Jayne Smith lives in Rhymney in Cardiff and has worked as an administrator in the car industry throughout her career. She has played at RAF St Athan Voluntary Band for 25 years or so and has also played in other bands around South East Wales including Melingriffith, Tongwynlais, Pencoed and Newport Borough Band. She took up playing at the age of 11 to avoid double in school and has also played the cornet and baritone.

Jayne's favourite type of band engagements are concerts, although her highlight during her time in St Athan Band is the American Tour of New York, New Jersey, Washington and Virginnia at Easter time in 1996.

Jayne has many other hobbies as well as playing and they include almost anything craft orientated, including knitting, sewing and card making.

2nd Euphonium - Alan Lewis

Alan Lewis lives in Barry and is married to Percussionist Debbie and father of Rachael on Horn. He is a HGV driver who is also a qualified Carpenter and used to be a publican when his family was young. He took up playing when his Mum decided he needed a hobby to keep him out of trouble as a child and he received lessons from his cousin Derek Holvey. He has played with Wantage Silver Band, Witney Town Bands in Oxfordshire and in Wales he has played for the Parc & Dare Junior Band and the Vale of Glamorgan Band. He has always played Euphonium, but once he played cornet in a contest – rumour has it the cornet has to be reinforced beforehand so the bends didn’t get straightened out! Alan really enjoys the contesting element to the band’s work and his best moment would have been playing at the National Finals in Harrogate with the band in 2005. His most embarrassing moment was enthusiastically playing the opening bars of Swinging Safari whilst the rest of the Band started a beautiful and sensitive rendition of In Switzerland! In his spare time, Alan loves caravan holidays with friends, fishing, playing darts and going to the pub – well he does have to check that pubs these days are still up to his own standards as a landlord doesn’t he?

Baritones

Ian Tomlinson

Ian Tomlinson began his association with the band in 1999 when he was employed at RAF St Athan working in the Tornado Hangar and now works at Abbeywood, Bristol for the Ministry of Defence as a Programme Manager, a job which regularly takes him all around the world.  Ian grew up in Deal, Kent but now lives in the village and plays as a member of the band pub quiz team.

Ian began playing aged 12 and has played for Betteshanger Welfare and City of Chester Bands.  He joined the band on cornet and after a drunken night in the pub in 2000 agreed to a short term move to Baritone and has played Solo Baritone ever since!  His worst moment in the band comes when a very young player suffered sun-stroke on the Millennium Stadium pitch and as we were marching off the pitch he was sick all over Ian’s back. This was a double blow for Ian as he particularly enjoys the larger scale engagements that the band gets to play at. Although flying in a BA 146 or the Queen’s Flight as it is known in the Airforce was a great way to travel to London to play.

Ian travels around the country to race remote control miniature cars in his spare time, when he’s not globetrotting, practising, playing in the pub quiz or travelling back and forth to Bristol to work! Phew!

 Alice Jones

Alice Jones grew up in North Wales when her family moved to Beaumaris when she was young. Whilst at school Alice played for her local Beaumaris Band and she has also played for the National Youth Brass Band of Wales. She became involved with RAF St Athan Voluntary Band when she moved to the area to study for her music degree at Cardiff University, she graduated earlier this Summer. Alice now lives in Cardiff and is a founder member of the Cardiff University Brass Band.

Alice is now working in the Entertainment business fixing up celebrations and parties for all eventualities and she even shares a house with a Drag Queen.

Chris Gordon

Chris is a Year 10 student at Cowbridge Comprehensive School studying for his GCSE exams next year. He lives in Llysworney with the rest of his very musical family, brother Alex plays bass, sister Harriet plays piano and cornet and Mum Wendy plays the Tenor Horn and Dad David plays on the Front Row of the Band's cornet section and are all regular visitors to the bandroom.

Chris joined the Youth Band with the rest of his family when his parents thought they should learn to play a brass instrument. Chris has been coming along with his Dad, David and his big sister to the Senior Band for about 18 months now and as such has become a regular face around the band stands. Chris enjoys playing at the smaller concerts and appearances that the bands makes and really enjoys the social aspect of playing with other like-minded musicians in a Brass Band. We are looking forward to great things from Chris as he begins to push back the boundaries of his playing further each week under the careful guidance of his Baritone Buddies, Ian and Alice.