We have completed the first concert in our Tour of Wales, supported by Arts Council Wales. The concert took place in Porthmadog in North West Wales, and was the first time that Cory has ventured this far north for many years. There was a full house of 400 people to hear the National and European Champions perform a selection of its latest repertoire including the Overture to The Thieving Magpie by Rossini, and Malambo from Estancia by Alberto Ginastera. The band was joined by the Girls Choir from Gader School (Ysgol y Gader) conducted by Carwyn Evans, and there were joint performances of World in Union and Karl Jenkins’s Adiemus.
Musical Director Philip Harper commented: “It was a brilliant night in Porthmadog. The atmosphere was already jubilant as we took the stage just moments after Wales’s excellent win against Slovakia in Euro 2016, and the band delivered the good again which resulted in a standing ovation. The temperature in the hall was sweltering throughout, and so it was a hot and sticky but nevertheless happy band which left the stage after a beautiful encore of the Welsh melody Calon Lan.”
There were a number of notable presentations made during the evening, including to Gerraint Jones, father of Cory Band’s President and S4C TV presenter Morgan Jones, who has been involved with the Trefor Band in North Wales for an incredible 60 years, with over 50 as its Musical Director, and also to John Glyn Jones who has notched up over 50 years of service to brass bands, including as the first every peripatetic teacher of Cory’s principal euphonium player Glyn Williams.
The next instalment of the Tour of Wales is this Sunday 19th June at the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea. The concert is due to begin at 3pm, and Cory will be joined by the West Glamorgan Youth Band, which is preparing for its upcoming tour of Italy. In preparation for the concert, the young people of the band, which represents an area challenged by local authority financial cuts, have been working alongside some Cory principals in masterclasses and rehearsals.
The Swansea concert will be a celebration particularly for dads, falling as it does on Fathers Day, and Philip Harper urged: “It’s a great chance to take dad out for the afternoon after a slap-up Sunday lunch, and we have family tickets available to buy. Alternatively, if your dad doesn’t like music, come along with everyone else and leave him at home to enjoy some peace and quiet!”
Tickets: £12 full, £8 concession, £5 under 18’s, £30 family (2 adults, up to 3 children)
Ticket address: www.ticketsource.co.uk/brangwynhall
Telephone: 01792 637300
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