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Cory Band Announces 2018 Composition

 Cory Band Announces 2018 Composition
Summary:Brass band competition
Deadline: 26 April 2018
Date Posted: 08 February 2018
Details: The Cory Band, in collaboration with The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD), is delighted to announce details of the Composition Prize for 2018.

Now a well-established event in the band’s calendar, entries are sought by composers of any age or experience of works which have not already been performed. Three of the submitted works will be selected by composer and Musical Director of Cory Philip Harper, to be performed by Cory Band at a gala evening in the prestigious Dora Stoutzker Hall at RWCMD on Saturday 26th May 2018. A panel of experts consisting this year of trumpet player John Wallace, conductor Nigel Seaman, and Cory Band’s Musical Director Philip Harper will decide the winner on the night, which will immediately receive a second performance from the band before going on to be published and recorded.

Speaking about this year’s competition Philip Harper said: “This has developed into a really successful event now, and since its inception has created over 60 new works for brass band. Cory has really enjoyed performing and recording the previous three winning works by composers Lewis Furber, Richard Haydn Taylor and Andy Wareham. At this year’s concert we are delighted to be joined also by The Wallace Collection with which the band will be joining to present Scottish composer Jay Capperauld’s new work, which will only add to the spirit of celebration of new brass music of the evening.”

Continuing, Philip commented: “One of the new features to the competition this year is a video which the band and I have created, which aims to give first-time composers an idea of where to start when scoring for the brass band. In previous years I have felt that some entries struggled to grasp the idiosyncrasies involved here, and so hopefully our user-friendly guide will encourage more composers to feel confident in their creating!”

Brief:
• Entrants are invited to compose a piece for brass band of no more than five minutes duration. Pieces already performed will not be considered.
• Instrumentation should be standard brass band* with no more than four percussion parts. Advice on the basics of brass band scoring can be found by watching Philip Harper’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGyuehvBFbE&feature=youtu.be
• There are no restrictions on the style or type of music, but the winning entry will have an appeal to a normal brass band audience at a standard concert, therefore it is advised that entrants consider at least one of these elements of familiarity:

o conventional use of tonality or tonal centres
o Rhythmically-drivenmusic
o A programme or narrative

• The closing date for entries is Thursday 26 April 2018, and the addresses to send entries are included on the entry form. On or before this date candidates should submit the following:
o Theentryform(hardcopy)
o A proof-read, completed full score in Sibelius 6 format
o A hard copy set consisting of four scores, professionally bound, and a full set of band parts (one part per player) of professional quality
o The entry fee of £15, with a cheque made payable to ‘The Cory Band’

• A shortlist of three compositions will be selected for performance at a Gala Concert held in the Dora Stoutzker Hall at RWCMD on Saturday 26 May 2016, where a winning entry will be decided by a panel of judges – Liz Lane, John Wallace, Nigel Seaman and Philip Harper.
• The winning entrant will receive a trophy, a cheque for £300 sponsored by Kapitol Promotions, and the title of 'Winner of the RWCMD Cory Band Composition Prize 2018' for their curriculum vitae.
• The winning entry will be published by Wright and Round Music Publishers, for which the winner will receive a contract of publication, benefitting from royalties annually. The winning entry should therefore be marketable, not just in terms of appeal, but also in terms of level of technical difficulty.
• The winning entry will be recorded commercially by the Cory Band.

* 1 x Eb soprano cornet, 9 x Bb cornets, 1 x Bb flugel horn, 3 x Eb tenor horns, 2 x Bb baritones, 2 x Bb euphoniums, 2 x Bb trombones, 1 x bass trombone, 2 x Eb basses, 2 x Bb basses

Web Site:coryband.com/composition-prize-2018-announced/