Become a Triangle Brass Bands sponsor to enjoy a VIP Cory Band experience. Learn more →

The Cory Band

The Cory Band

Wednesday, October 30 at 7:00 PM
Meymandi Hall, Duke Energy Center, Raleigh, NC

The Triangle Brass Band is pleased to once again host the world’s top ranked brass band and European champions.

Returning to Raleigh after a sold-out performance on its 2016 tour, the Cory Band is arguably the best brass band in the world. Under their charismatic Musical Director Philip Harper, Cory dares to step out of the traditional brass band genre to deliver a tantalizing mix of blockbuster and beautiful music that amazes and captivates audiences wherever they perform.

Buy Tickets Now!

All tickets are reserved seats. Interested in VIP seating and meeting Philip Harper? Become a VIP sponsor.

 A note about ticket prices:  New policies implemented by the City of Raleigh require that we offer tickets only through Ticketmaster or the Duke Energy Center box office.  Buying tickets online through Ticketmaster carries their usual selection of fees, and increases the cost of your tickets considerably.  If you want to get the best possible price, we encourage you to visit the Duke Energy Center box office in person! 

Hayes Barton UMC

The Cory Band

The Cory Band made history in 2016 by winning an elusive Grand Slam and becoming the first band in history to be Quadruple Champions–simultaneously holding the National, Open, European and Brass in Concert titles. This cemented a remarkable ten consecutive years at the top of the World Rankings. However, the band has a long and illustrious history. Formed in 1884, it originally bore the name ‘Ton Temperance’. In 1895 Sir Clifford Cory, the local colliery owner, heard the band and offered to provide financial assistance, resulting in the band’s change of name to Cory.

In 1980 the band became European Champion and in 1984, its centenary year, it won the third in a hat–trick of National titles at the Royal Albert Hall, London, conducted by the charismatic Major Arthur Kenney. In 2000 the band achieved an historic double by winning both the Nationals and, for the first time in its history, the British Open, conducted by Dr. Robert Childs. In 2008–10 the band achieved a hat–trick of European Brass Band Champion titles.

Since 2012 the band has been conducted by Philip Harper, winning another two European titles (2013, 2016), three Nationals (2013, 2015 and 2016) five Brass in Concert titles (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018) and two British Open (2016, 2018). In 2014 it became the inaugural winner of TV Channel S4C’s Band Cymru programme and repeated this achievement in 2018. It toured Australia in 2013, and the USA in February 2016, 40 years after its last visit. 

The Cory Band has also developed musically outside of the contest field. In 2001, together with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales it was appointed as resident ensemble to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and in the same year appointed Dr. John Pickard as its ‘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. The Symphony was broadcast live on Radio3, and lasting over an hour in duration, 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. It has an active commissioning policy and has performed works by many of Britain’s leading composers; John McCabe, Judith Bingham, Elgar Howarth, Edward Gregson, Alun Hoddinott, Karl Jenkins, Gareth Wood, David Bedford, to name but a few.

The band’s current ‘Composer in Residence’ is Christopher Bond. The Cory Band is recognized as one the Principality’s finest and most innovative music ensembles. Its numerous CD recordings and live concert performances have received worldwide acclaim.

Philip Harper

Philip Harper became Musical Director of the Cory Band in 2012. Since then he has won all the major trophies, including an unprecedented Grand Slam of major titles in 2016: the European, the British Open, the Nationals and Brass in Concert, all won in a single calendar year. As well as becoming the only living conductor to have achieved a conventional Grand Slam, he became the only ever conductor to achieve what has since become known as the ‘Harper Slam’. Philip won the coveted 4barsrest.com Conductor of the Year Award in 2013, 2015 and 2016. In recent years he was a guest conductor of the Manger Musikklag Band in Norway, the National Youth Brass Band of Wales and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Symphonic Brass, amongst many others.
 
A resident of Gloucester, Philip was the Editor of Brass Band World magazine between 2009 and 2015 and, since 2005 has been the Music Editor of the historic Wright and Round publishing company.
 
Philip is a prolific composer and his original works and arrangements are played all over the world. In 2016 he composed A Shakespearean Triptych for a 650-strong joint ensemble and choir conducting the first performance in a packed Royal Albert Hall at the Last Night of the Schools Prom. You can find out more detail and listen to audio excerpts of Philip’s music at www.philipharper.co.uk.
 
En route to this point in his life, Philip graduated from the University of Bristol in 1994 before going on to take a Masters Degree in Composition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. He had a successful performing career and was the principal tenor horn of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and the Sun Life Band in Bristol, as well as winning through to the Brass Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1991. Between 1996 and 1998 he lived in Japan and was a guest soloist with most of the ‘British-style’ brass bands with whom he still keeps a close connection, visiting annually.

We are Grateful to Our Sponsors for their Support of Great Brass Music