The first round of judging of the RWCMD Cory Band Composition Prize 2023, supported by New Moon Insurance, has been completed with its short list of four finalists revealed.

The band will perform the works at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in November. Each work will also be shared on its social media channels with the general public invited to vote for its favourite.

Winner

The winner will then be decided by a blend of the public vote and the decision of three professional adjudicators.

A spokesperson told 4BR: "We would like to thank the dozens of composers who submitted pieces for entry into this competition."

Finalists

The quartet of finalists are:

Storm! (Thibaut Bruniaux)

This descriptive work is composed by the founding Musical Director of Hainaut Brass Band (Valenciennes) and Music Teacher of Lille Conservatory in France.

Of Nonhuman Origin (Jordan Paulus)

Jordan Paulus from Oregon in the USA is a High School band teacher. His work is inspired by events in June 2023 when a former military intelligence officer claimed that the US had retrieved "vehicles of nonhuman origin."

Steel Tracks (Michael Triggs)

This short rhythmically driven work is inspired by interrail travel in Europe. It is written by Welsh composer Michael Triggs, a recent graduate of the University of Birmingham.

Somebody put Samba in my Band (Jukka Viitasaari)

This optimistic quasi samba with a touch of folk music is by prize winning Finnish composer Jukka Viitasaari, who has had many decades of success writing for wind bands.