Top brass performance planned for city’s concert hall stage

One of the oldest and bestknown brass bands in the world is to perform a concert in Perth

The Cory Band’s programme will include John Williams’ iconic Star Wars theme and recent concert hits such as Valero by James Swearingen, Balkan Dance by Etienne Crausaz and Gøta by Peder Karlsson. Concert goers can also look forward to hearing the winner of the RWCMD Cory Composition Prize, Tarot, Tortuous Tarot! by Andy Wareham, which has proved popular with audiences in the last 12 months.

The line-up will boast two featured soloists, principal horn Ailsa Russell – making a comeback to her home country, having left Carnoustie to study music in Cardiff in 2009 – and principal cornet Tom Hutchinson, who will perform part of Derek Bourgeois’ stunning cornet concerto.

Formed in 1884 in the Rhondda Valley, the band is returning to Scotland for the first time in nearly four years.

It is currently beginning its 11th consecutive year as the highest-ranked brass band in the world.

Members will perform at Perth Concert Hall on Wednesday April 4, alongside the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland (NYBBS), after leading masterclasses and workshops with the young players earlier in the day.

The concert will be the climax of the NYBBS’s annual Easter course, which brings together the best young brass talent in the country.

Cory Band musical director Philip Harper said: “We were delighted to hear that we could link up with the NYBBS at Easter and we’re really looking forward to meeting and working with Scotland’s next generation of brass stars.”