Cory Band
Encyclopedia
Brass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
s in the world.
History and origins
The Cory Band hails from the Rhondda ValleyRhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. They were formed in 1884 and originally bore the name ‘Ton Temperance’ a reference to the Temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
in the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
of the time. In 1895 Sir Clifford Cory
Sir Clifford Cory, 1st Baronet
Sir Clifford John Cory, 1st Baronet was a Welsh colliery owner, coal exporter and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
, Chairman of Cory Brothers, heard the band and offered to provide financial assistance for them resulting in the band’s change of name to ‘Cory’. In 1920, the band gained championship status and three years later achieved the distinction of performing what is believed to have been the first radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcast by a brass band. A significant honour was bestowed on the band in 1976 when they were chosen to represent Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the Brass Band Movement on a tour of the USA as part of their bi-centennial celebrations.
In 1998 Just Rentals, a locally based company, agreed to support the band, resulting in it being known as the Just Rentals Cory Band. Just Rentals changed their name to Buy As You View
Buy As You View
OverviewBuy As You View is a retail and consumer finance company, selling a range of electrical goods and home furniture on a rent-to-own basis. It provides a coin meter repayment and credit facility for products bought on a hire purchase, weekly payment basis with no deposit or credit checks...
to reflect developments in their business and with this the band became known as the Buy As You View
Buy As You View
OverviewBuy As You View is a retail and consumer finance company, selling a range of electrical goods and home furniture on a rent-to-own basis. It provides a coin meter repayment and credit facility for products bought on a hire purchase, weekly payment basis with no deposit or credit checks...
Cory Band. In 2004 Cory was removed from the band's name in appreciation of the continued support from their current sponsor and for a period the band was known simply as the Buy As You View
Buy As You View
OverviewBuy As You View is a retail and consumer finance company, selling a range of electrical goods and home furniture on a rent-to-own basis. It provides a coin meter repayment and credit facility for products bought on a hire purchase, weekly payment basis with no deposit or credit checks...
Band.
Titles and honours
In 1980, the band became European Champions and in 1984, their centenary year, they won the third in a hat-trick of National titles at the Royal Albert HallRoyal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. The culmination of their contest successes came in 2000 following the appointment of Dr. Robert Childs as their musical director. During that millennium year they won both the British Open and the National Championships and made history in taking the British Open Shield home to Wales for the first time in the contest’s 148-year history. This triumph was repeated in 2002, 2007,2009 and 2011 when the band won their second, third, fourth and fifth British Open titles. In 2008 the Cory Band also won the European Championships in Stavanger, retained their title in 2009 in Oostende and completed a hat-trick in 2010 in Linz, Austria. In 2009 the Cory band won the World Championships in Kerkrade a title they will hold for 4 years.
Evolution
The Cory Band has also developed musically outside of the contest field. In 2001, together with the BBC National Orchestra of WalesBBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...
they were appointed as resident ensemble to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and in the same year appointed Dr John Pickard as their Composer in Residence. John Pickard’s tenure with the band ended in July 2005 when the band made history giving the première performance of his Gaia Symphony at the prestigious Cheltenham International Festival
Cheltenham Festivals
]Cheltenham Festivals is a registered charity that organises four festivals every year in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: the Jazz, Science, Music and Literature. In addition to this it promotes the use of several venues for private and commercial use ]Cheltenham Festivals is a...
. The symphony was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
. Lasting over an hour in duration, it is currently the largest scale original work in the repertory.
The band is dedicated to new music, raising the profile of the brass band genre and keeping music alive in Wales. They have an active commissioning policy and have performed works by many of Britain’s leading composers; John McCabe, Judith Bingham
Judith Bingham
Judith Bingham is a British composer and mezzo-soprano singer.Born in Nottingham in 1952 and educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls in Sheffield, she attended the Royal Academy of Music , where her teachers were Malcolm MacDonald, Eric Fenby, Alan Bush and John Hall , and Jean...
, Elgar Howarth
Elgar Howarth
Elgar Howarth is an English conductor and composer.Howarth was educated in the 1950s at Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music , where his fellow students included the composers Harrison Birtwistle, Alexander Goehr, Peter Maxwell Davies, and the...
, Edward Gregson
Edward Gregson
Edward Gregson is an English composer of international standing, whose music has been performed, broadcast, and recorded worldwide. He was born in Sunderland, England, in 1945. He studied composition and piano at the Royal Academy of Music from 1963-7, winning five prizes for composition...
, Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott CBE , was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition.-Life and works:...
, Karl Jenkins
Karl Jenkins
-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
, Gareth Wood, David Bedford
David Bedford
David Vickerman Bedford , was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music....
, as well as John Pickard. The band’s current Composer in Residence is Welshman, Gareth Wood.
In 2002 the band were selected to play for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50...
celebrations and have since performed in many of the world’s finest concert venues including the Grieg Hall
Grieg Hall
The Grieg Hall is a 1,500 seat concert hall in Bergen, Norway. It has been the home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra since the hall's completion in 1978. It hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986, and is the host of the annual Norwegian Brass Band Championship competition, which occurs in...
, Stravinsky Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events...
. In 2003, they performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
at the Last Night of the Welsh Proms and were more featured during the opening celebrations of the new Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
.
The Cory Band are recognised as one of Wales’ finest and most innovative music ensembles. Their numerous CD recordings and live concert performances have received worldwide acclaim. Having dominated in Wales for the last five years, 2005 saw the Cory Band officially ranked number 1 in the World (according to 4barsrest World rankings ).
In 2007, following the end of the term of sponsorship from the Buy As You View company, the name of the band reverted to Cory Band.
In September 2007, the band became British Open champions for the third time and returned to no 1 in the World rankings.
In May 2008, the band became European Brass Band Champions following two days of competition in Stavanger, Norway.