The three shortlisted finalists for the 2016 RWCMD Cory Composition Prize have been announced: Light and Fast by Iestyn Harding; Those Gazing Eyes by Geert Jan Kroon; and Tanguero! By Richard Haydn Taylor.
The three pieces will all be played by Cory Band during the first half of its concert in the Dora Stoutzker Hall at the RWCMD in Cardiff on Saturday 21 May 2016, when the three judges Philip Sparke, Nigel Seaman and Kevin Price will cast their critical ears over each piece. During the interval of the concert they will be joined by Cory Band’s Musical Director Philip Harper in final deliberations about the overall winner, which will be announced during the second half of the concert, and performed again. The winning composer will be presented with a certificate and £250 donated by Kapitol Promotions Ltd presented by Director Philip Morris, and the winning piece will be recorded by Cory Band and published by Wright and Round Music Publishers in the future. Last year’s winner Lewis Furber, whose piece English Counterpoint has just been released by Cory on its Elemental CD, commented: “Writing for brass band was unfamiliar territory for me before taking part in the competition last year, but the resulting professional recording by Cory and a big commission for a Swiss brass band as a direct result of being involved in the competition have proved to be invaluable to my career as a composer.”
Philip Harper also revealed: “We had an unprecedented response to this year’s competition with entries from all over the world, including from Singapore and Brazil. I enjoyed whittling the great number of works down to the final shortlist, and I’m sure it will be another special occasion when we play these three pieces in the final in Cardiff. It’s so important to provide opportunities for new music for brass bands, and this is one of our key aims at Cory Band, so every member is really looking forward again to this night. May the best piece win!”
Tickets are available from RWCMD Box Office: telephone 029 2039 139, boxoffice@rwcmd.ac.uk
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