Cory Academy is the youth outreach arm of the Cory Band. Cory currently enjoys an envious position as the world’s number one ranked brass band, a position it has enjoyed for an unprecedented ten consecutive years. Cory recognise the issues facing all brass bands in the 21st century – the need to be relevant and forward thinking, to engage with new and wider audiences, and to recruit into the brass band movement additional new players, both young and old alike.
Cory aim to tackle these issues both locally throughout South Wales and wider, through Cory Academy, encouraging greater engagement with youth, increased participation in brass band music making, and greater collaboration between brass players and bands across the whole of Wales.
On 21 March 2013, Cory launched the RCT Academy for bands across Cory’s home county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. Supported by a major award from the Arts Council of Wales, within 3 months Academy membership stood in excess of 100 children in membership of 8 bands throughout the county borough. In June of that year those children then all came together for their first non-residential weekend course with expert Cory tutors at Porth County Community School, after which they then undertook their first public performance, appearing in concert with the world’s number one band in concert at the Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.
The Academy programme was expanded in 2014, to encompass and launch an additional four bands, and has undertaken numerous additional workshop weekends and public performances since, including a recent performance with Cory and the world renowned Morriston Orpheus Choir at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea on St David’s Day 2015.
In June 2014 the Cory Academy was awarded the prestigious W.S. Gwynn Williams Award by the centre for Welsh music, Ty Cerdd, for its contribution to Welsh music and local community. The Cory Academy now look forward to perpetuating its activities in 2017 and beyond thanks to the continued support from the Arts Council of Wales.
For further information on how your child can get involved with one of the Academy supported bands throughout south Wales please get in contact via the Cory Academy Facebook Page.
Academi Cory yw cangen gwaith maes ieuenctid Band Cory. Ar hyn o bryd mae Cory yn mwynhau safle eiddigeddus fel band pres rhif un y byd, safle y mae wedi ei ennill am ddeg mlynedd o’r bron, camp unigryw. Mae Cory yn llwyr sylweddoli’r materion sy’n wynebu pob band pres yn yr unfed ganrif ar hugain – yr angen i fod yn berthnasol a blaengar, i ymgysylltu â chynulleidfaoedd newydd ac ehangach, ac i recriwtio chwaraewyr newydd ychwanegol, yn ifanc a hŷn, i’r mudiad bandiau pres.
Mae Cory yn anelu i fynd i’r afael â’r materion hyn yn lleol trwy Dde Cymru ac yn ehangach, trwy Academi Cory, gan annog gwell ymgysylltiad â phobl ifainc, mwy o gyfranogi mewn creu cerddoriaeth bandiau pres, a chynnydd mewn cydweithio rhwng bandiau a chwaraewyr pres ar draws Cymru gyfan.
Ar 21 Mawrth 2013, lansiodd Cory Academi RCT ar gyfer bandiau ar draws Rhondda Cynon Taf, sef y fwrdeistref sirol sy’n gartref i Cory. Gyda chymorth dyfarniad ariannol sylweddol gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, o fewn 3 mis roedd aelodaeth yr Academi’n fwy na 100 o blant, yn aelodau mewn 8 o fandiau ar hyd a lled y fwrdeistref sirol. Ym mis Mehefin y flwyddyn honno, daeth y plant hynny i gyd ynghyd ar gyfer eu cwrs penwythnos dibreswyl cyntaf gyda thiwtoriaid arbenigol Cory yn Ysgol Gymunedol Sir Y Porth, ac wedi hynny cymerodd y bobl ifanc ran yn eu perfformiad cyhoeddus cyntaf, gan ymddangos mewn cyngerdd gyda band rhif un y byd yn Theatr y Parc a’r Dâr, Treorci.
Ehangwyd rhaglen yr Academi yn 2014 i gwmpasu a lansio pedwar band ychwanegol, ac ers hynny cynhaliwyd gweithdai penwythnos a pherfformiadau cyhoeddus ychwanegol niferus, yn cynnwys perfformiad diweddar gyda Cory a Chôr Orffews Treforys, sy’n fyd-enwog, yn Neuadd Y Brangwyn, Abertawe ar Ddydd Gŵyl Ddewi 2015. Ym mis Mehefin 2014 derbyniodd Academi Cory wobr arobryn W.S. Gwynn Williams gan Tŷ Cerdd, canolfan cerddoriaeth Cymru, am ei gyfraniad i’r gymuned leol a cherddoriaeth yng Nghymru.
Nawr mae Academi Cory yn edrych ymlaen at barhau â’i weithgareddau yn 2017 a thu hwnt, diolch i gefnogaeth barhaus gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru.
