We are delighted to announce that we have retained the European Brass Band Championships, a title we have now held since 2019.
After two days of intense musical battle at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Cory Band once again came out tops, beating ten other world class bands from across Europe in the process. It’s the first time the title has been retained by the same band since 2010 and a remarkable achievement for the band after the disruption the Covid pandemic has brought to live music over the last couple of years.
Reflecting on the weekend’s events, Cory Band Musical Director, Philip Harper said “It was a punishing few weeks in preparation for this one, and I think we’d all got out of the habit of that kind of intensity. But the band and I pushed each other hard, knowing the prize on offer. I’m delighted we were able to retain the title, even having to wait so long to defend it!”
A gruelling weekend saw us deliver two contest performances, Saint’s Triumphant by Philip Wilby, and No Man’s Landby Thierry Deleruyelle after which we were awarded a total of 192 points. We were pushed all the way by Valaisia Band (Switzerland) and Foden’s Band (England) who delivered outstanding performances to secure 2nd and 3rdPrizes respectively. Our congratulations go out to them for their achievements.
One of the highlights of the weekend for the band was performing at the gala concert with the incredible Louis Dowdeswell and his Big Band. It was a spectacular collaboration which included around 50 musicians performing a unique brass band/big band fusion, expertly put together by Callum Au – one of the UKs best arrangers and orchestrators. The concert and all the weekend’s contesting action can be viewed via www.wobplay.com.
Looking to the future, the next few months will see us focussing on some great concerts, CD recordings, and then trips to Austria and South Korea. We’ll then we’ll turn our minds to the Autumn contest season with more titles to defend.
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