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Nigel Weeks was born in South Wales and started playing the Trombone in Tredegar Youth Band at the age of 14. He played in both the Senior and Junior Bands during the 1970’s alongside Robert and Nicholas Childs, with their father, the late John Childs, as conductor. This period provided some very successful and memorable banding moments and certainly helped influence Nigel to one day take up the baton.
In 1979 he was appointed conductor of the Crosskeys Silver Band. This proved to be a very successful partnership. He started with only a handful of 4 th section players, but within 5 years they had been promoted to Championship section and during this period he also formed and directed one of the countries most successful Youth Bands.
In 1986 he returned to Tredegar Town Band directing both the Youth and Senior Bands. With the youth band he won numerous contests and festivals, most notably the European Youth Championship in Falkirk in 1992. The Tredegar Town Band also enjoyed a tremendous amount of success, winning many competitions, including Pontins Championship in 1990, Welsh Brewers Challenge in 1989, 90, 91, 92, Radio Wales Band of the Year 1992, Champion Band of Wales on two occasions and gaining a 3rd placing at the European Brass Band Championships held in Rotterdam in 1991.
After qualifying for the National Championship in March 1993, Nigel resigned as conductor to take up the position of Musical Director of the Continental Airlines Auckland Brass NZ (now Dalewool Auckland Brass). In 1994 he flew out to NZ as Musical Director of Dalewool Auckland Brass where the band has enjoyed a period of great success under his musical direction winning the New Zealand Brass Band Championships in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004 and the Australian Championships in 1996, 1997 and 2003.
In his spare time, Nigel enjoys singing and has been a member of the Opera New Zealand Chorus. He is in great demand as an adjudicator and band trainer and has frequently worked with brass bands in New Zealand, Australia and Tonga. He has also been an examiner for the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB). In 1998 he was appointed Musical Director of the New Zealand National Youth Brass Band and remained with them until their successful tour of the UK in 2003. In 2002 he established and directed the New Zealand Secondary Schools Brass Band.
Nigel is a qualified music teacher having worked as a a Brass peripatetic teacher in Gwent and Head of Music Department at Abertillery Comprehensive School, Wales. Whilst in NZ, he proved to be a very successful Director of Music at The Manurewa High School, Auckland and King’s College, Auckland.
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