Cory's Scottish visit a huge success!

Audience reactions, Twitter messages and Facebook posts all pointed to a hugely successful whistle-stop visit to Scotland last week from the Cory Band.

Members of the 2018 National Youth Brass Band of Scotland (NYBBS) had the experience of lifetime as present-day superstars of the brass band scene spent several hours in section rehearsals and breakout sections with the Scottish kids during their Easter Course at Strathallan School in Perhshire.

Tom Hutchinson with the NYBBS cornet team

 These young members of NYBBS could hardly have had a more rewarding education in brass banding, listening to the likes of Glyn and Helen Williams, Tom Hutchinson and Ailsa Russell sharing their expertise, not to mention the wise words of Cory MD Philip Harper.

Philip Harper talks - NYBBS listen and learn

 The icing on the cake for most, if not all, of the NYBBS members was the experience of sitting in with the worlds number one band during the massed bands section of the concert which featured Faure's Pavane and Respighi's Pines of Rome.

NYBBS and Cory in concert

 SBBA President commented: "It was such a thrill to spend time with these truly wonderful musicians from Cory this week. We couldn't have asked more from them and we know how much it meant to members of the NYBBS family. There were many special moments which will live long in the memory and we hope that this is not our last encounter with Cory and the brilliant Philip Harper."

The Perth concert, supported once again by Creative Scotland, was followed on Thursday evening by an equally successful concert with Scottish Champion band Whitburn at St. Cuthbert's Church on Edinburgh's Lothian Road.

Again, the tweets and posts which followed the Edinburgh gig summed the mood up perfectly, as one tweeted: "brass banding at its finest!"