AROUND 500 young musicians from across South-East Wales gathered in Cwmbran yesterday to play their hearts out for judges.

The brass and wind ensembles of the 11-21 year olds, which included more than 20 groups from Gwent, were competing in the regional stage of the Music for Youth festival.

The entrants included brass and wind bands from schools as well as groups representing regions including Torfaen, Newport, Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent.

Alun Williams conducted Newport Music Centre Brass Band and North Monmouthshire Senior Wind Band in the festival. He said the audience at County Hall, Cwmbran, had enjoyed a fantastic day of music.

"When you see a standard like that continued all day, it's a credit to the teachers in the area who do such a fantastic job," he added.

Mr Williams said the varied styles of music illustrated the diversity of the youth music scene in Gwent.

"There were performances from a Cajun band, folk groups, even a steel drum group in the first day of the festival on March 11," he explained.

The festival had been postponed from March 12 due to heavy snow.

The groups will learn within three weeks whether any of them will be invited to perform at the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham's Symphony Hall this July. The season culminates with the Schools Proms held at the Royal Albert Hall every November, to which groups from the National Festival may also be invited.

Two groups from Gwent played in last year's Schools Proms - the Greater Gwent Percussion Ensemble and Newport-based One String Loose.