Heart and Seoul for Cory band as they enjoy tour of S.Korea
THE 45th Brass in Concert at Sage Gateshead, in association with Yamaha, Banks Group and World of Brass, will take place on Saturday, November 19.
The judges who will be covering the Quality of Performance, Entertainment, Presentation, Programme Content, Soloists and Individual Awards have been appointed and are as follows: Howard Evans and Martin Winter will adjudicate the Quality of Performance; Kevin Hathway and Liz Lane will adjudicate the Entertainment and Presentation; Programme Content will be judged by Frode Rydland; and James Fountain will judge the Soloists and Individual Awards.
Howard Evans has been National Bandmaster of the Salvation Army, Bandmaster of the Amsterdam Staff Band and Director of Classical Performance at University of Salford.
Martin Winter plays trumpet in Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and is an influential conductor, composer and arranger in Norwegian brass banding. Being from the West Midlands region he played principal cornet with Desford Colliery then Foden’s and Eikanger-Bjorsvik Musikklag.
Kevin Hathway is a percussionist with the Philharmonic Orchestra and is Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion at the Purcell School.
Liz Lane, a composer whose music has been broadcast on TV and radio, has composed extensively for brass bands and lectures at University of West England, Open University and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
Frode Rydland, of Norway, is a composer and arranger having been commissioned by many bands and the Norwegian Band Federation. He has been a freelance trumpet player and currently is soprano cornet with Byorsvik Brass.
James Fountain is one of the finest brass soloists in orchestral and brass band worlds. He is Principal Trumpet with London Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Trumpet at the Royal
College of Music. He was a former principal cornet with the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, GUS Band and Grimethorpe Colliery Band.
The competing bands at the Brass in Concert are Krohengen Brass (Norway), Carlton Main Frickley Colliery, Cory, The Hammonds Band, Flowers, NASUWT Riverside, Brighouse & Rastrick, GUS, Foden’s, Friary Brass, Tredegar Town, and Grimethorpe.
The best two brass bands in Wales are really hitting the heights with Tredegar playing at the BBC Proms on two occasions in the same season – an event totally unheard of in the past! They were a huge hit and received rave notices about their performances.
Meanwhile the Cory band are sweltering in the humidity on their tour to South Korea, initially, without their musical director, Philip Harper, who contracted Covid.
However, he managed to get clear of it and managed to catch a flight to be on stage to conduct the band’s fourth and final concert on the Island of Jeju.
The first three concerts of the tour were conducted by Nigel Seaman, who is an exceptionally experienced conductor, and there could not have been a better deputy.
On Sunday morning the Cory band teamed up with the Seoul Salvation Army Band and joined them at their Sunday morning service.
There are some fine brass musicians throughout the world who are Salvationists and as an example we will be able to hear the International Staff Band of the Salvation Army presenting a concert at Ebbw Vale at Christchurch, Church Crescent, NP23 6UG on
Saturday, October 29 at 7pm.
Tickets are £10 with over-60s and under-16s £8. For tickets and more information contact Nicholas Brill on 07799 468 864 email: ns.brill@btopenworld.com.
There is a Sunday morning worship at 10.30am at Aubrey Terrace, Cwm NP23 7SN and a Sunday afternoon concert at 2pm at Christ Church, Church Crescent, Ebbw Vale and the International Staff Band will be involved.
There are no tickets required for the afternoon concert.
The Band of the Prince of Wales are very proud of their Principal Trombonist, Lance Corporal Josh Herman for recently performing with Tredegar Town Band at the two performances of the BBC Proms.
One alongside the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and then the Late Night Prom. Josh is a full time brass band Army Band musician and is an exemplary example of making your hobby your career!
There are many exceptional musicians playing in the British Army Bands and many still play with civilian bands and orchestras.