Drogheda Brass Band was delighted to welcome two members of the world famous Cory Band to Drogheda to work with the band for its revamped Summer Sounds course.
Glyn Williams – a euphonium superstar and guest conductor for the weekend – was joined by his wife and guest soloist Helen Williams, a flugel legend and widely regarded as one of the best in the world at her craft.
The Summer Sounds course traditionally was held over the space of a week, but this year’s event was held over three days starting on Friday 14th July.
Throughout the weekend the band had the fantastic opportunity to work on new music with Glyn, as well as accompany Helen through a collection of solos which included a stunning piece of original music by Philip Harper and written especially for Helen called ‘A Little Star Went Out’ and a fun arrangement of The Drifters classic ‘Under The Boardwalk’, also arranged by Philip Harper.
Philip himself was a visitor to the band back in 2012 and has since achieved enormous success with The Cory Band as its musical director.
The band performed a concert in the Augustinian Church on Sunday 16th July and despite having had five rehearsals in four days (the band also rehearsed on Thursday before Glyn and Helen even arrived), they delivered a fantastic performance of some challenging music.
Helen Williams was on top form, enthralling the audience in attendance with her silky smooth sound and awesome technique. Some of the music on show for the band included ‘Strike Up the Band’, film music from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra’ from Indiana Jones, original brass band music by Philip Sparke and Paul Lovatt-Cooper, a quirky but exciting piece by Etienne Crausaz called ‘Balkan Dance’, which featured the band’s soloists.
The band closed out the evening with a lively and exciting arrangement by Christopher Bond of ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’ from the musical Hairspray.
It is safe to say the band didn’t want the beat to stop such was the impact both Glyn and Helen had on the band as a whole over the course of the weekend.
As the couple headed off back to Wales, it is safe to say the band has made two new friends and looks forward to welcoming them back in the future.
If you would like to see the band in the future, it has several upcoming engagements: Scotch Hall Saturday 5th August 1pm-3pm; Farmleigh House, Dublin, 27th August 2pm-4pm; and Oldbridge House, 10th September 2pm-4pm.
Videos from the concert will appear on the band’s YouTube channel throughout this week – search for @droghedabrassband7300 on YouTube and follow the band on Facebook and Instagram @droghedabrass.
