We’re on our way

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We have paid attention to brass bands in the UK since we were introduced to them via the movie Brassed Off in 1996. Keith played in the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band in Red Wing, MN, from 2006 through 2012. We visited London in October 2019 and timed it so we could attend the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. Cory Band of Wales was Keith’s hope to win, and he was not disappointed.

In September 2021, Keith told me that Cory’s long time Eb (that’s E flat or soprano cornet, once described to me as the shiny bauble on top of the band. I like that Keith plays Eb because since he is the highest voice in the band, I can always pick him out.) player retired. He wondered aloud if they would consider someone from the United States as a replacement. I told him to ask. And he did.

He sent an old video, then recorded a new video with STBB (thanks everybody for that), recorded some test/competition pieces on his own, zoomed, and waited and wondered. Every time there was another request, we had a flurry of excitement until in December they said they’d like him to come over and give it a 2-3 month trial run. As a matter of fact, they said come in two weeks. Omicron got in the way, and we had to postpone a month.

We packed SO MUCH, took our covid tests, read over and over the ever changing rules for travel, and made it to the airport. On the way here, Keith suddenly said he forgot to practice today. I told him he could practice while we waited at the gate, and he did.

26 thoughts on “We’re on our way”

  3. Major’s

    You guys ROCK!! Have a blast & thank you so, so very much for sharing!! Can’t wait to see & read more.😁

      1. Joe Tzougros

        Thanks for including us on this adventure!! If you want another project my kids use a Second of the day video app so that you could create a video of the entire experience.

  8. Gary Bird

    Yo Keith and Barb. Have a whale of a time Wales. I know you will rock with the Cory Band on the effer. gb

    2. Keith

      Apparently on this island, soprano cornet is frequently called sop. Similarly, repiano is rep. A sub is a dep (short for deputy: I had to ask). The young man next to me Monday night was depping on rep. If I didn’t know what that meant, it would’ve sounded like someone who got his hands on some bad drugs.

      I’ve learned that terminology is a little different for some other things too. I’m guessing that it may take me a little while to get along with breves, minims, crotchets, quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, hemidemisemiquavers, etc. These are terms that I haven’t heard since college (and nobody needs to remind me how long ago that was).

    1. Barbara Thompson

      It’s raining! It’s going to rain every day – so say the locals. It’s rains lots, then less, then more, then stops long enough to say “Is it raining?” “No. Oh. Yes, it’s started again.”

    1. Barbara Thompson

      Thanks for reading, Jim. I figured there was no way to remember it all if I didn’t write it down, and I wouldn’t write it down if I didn’t have some motivation to keep up.

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