Creative Wales Awards enable artists to take time to experiment, innovate, and take forward their work. The awards aim to develop excellence by offering a period of research and development to some of Wales’ most interesting artists. Creative Wales Awards recognise the very best talent and potential of individual Welsh artists, and this year Euphonium virtuoso David Childs added to his impressive CV of artistic achievements in becoming a recipient of a 2014 Creative Wales Award. 

The 2014 Awards were presented at a reception held at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold on 6 February 2014. Presented by the Arts Council of Wales, the awards recognise the potential of individual artists and their significant individual achievement in the arts along with their aim to raise the profile of Welsh culture outside their home country. David’s achievements have already gained international recognition, with Karl Jenkins OBE referring to him as, ‘...a wonderful musician of the highest quality. A joy to write for both him and an instrument of such beauty and agility.’

Professor Dai Smith, Chair of Arts Council of Wales added: "Arts Council of Wales believes in risk taking and nothing is more exciting than to invest in the creativity of those individuals who make the art that delights and challenges us as a dynamic society."

The £12,000 award will be used to pursue the development of the euphonium in a new and very different manner, experimenting with non-traditional / Western-classical settings, particularly working with electronics and new technology. David told 4BR: "This is something I believe could lead to considerable additional performance opportunities for the instrument, vital for a solo instrument developing in an ever-increasingly digitally-based era."

With the focus on electronics at present, David is keen to hear from brass players and composers who have worked in the medium previously. Interested parties can contact David via the link at: Euphonium Foundation UK