Christopher Bond (born

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

1992) is a British composer particularly noted for his

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

compositions.

Early life and education

Christopher grew up in the town of

Camborne Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...

. There, he started his education in music, learning the piano and cornet from a young age. Christopher attended Camborne Science and International Academy before undertaking his A-Levels at

Truro and Penwith College Truro and Penwith College is a further education college in Cornwall, England. History Truro College was founded in 1993 in Gloweth near Threemilestone, Truro, Cornwall, to replace the Truro Sixth Form College. Penwith College was founded in ...

. At the age of 18, Christopher moved to

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and studied composition at the

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama () is a conservatoire located in Cardiff, Wales. It has three theatres: the Richard Burton Theatre, the Bute Theatre, and the Caird Studio. It also includes one concert hall, the Dora Stoutzker Hall, and ...

from where he graduated in 2014.

Career

Christopher is Composer in Residence to the number one ranked brass band in the world, Cory Band. In addition to his work with Cory Band, he has written for many of the world's leading brass bands, including

Grimethorpe Colliery Band The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band. Along with the Bl ...

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band is a British brass band formed in 1881. The band is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The band is known across the world, and is regarded by many as the best and most consistent " ...

Leyland Band The Leyland Band is a brass band based in Lancashire in the UK. History The Leyland Band was established in 1946 in the heart of industrial Lancashire as the Leyland Motors Band, taking its name from the world famous truck and bus company. N ...

and Brassband Willebroek. Solo commissions include Owen Farr, Stephen Sykes, Brett Baker, Tom Hutchinson, Steve Stewart, Lode Violet, and a work for Eminence Brass Quartet, comprising members of the

Black Dyke Band Black Dyke Band, formerly John Foster & Son Black Dyke Mills Band, is one of the oldest and most well-known brass bands in the world. It originated as multiple community bands founded by John Foster at his family's textile mill in Queensbury ...

, Cory Band and

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. His work has been performed at many locations in the United Kingdom, including at

Wales Millennium Centre Wales Millennium Centre () is Wales' national arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on ...

, Regent Hall, Durham International Festival of Brass, the RNCM Festival of Brass and during the BBC Welsh Proms at

St David's Hall St David's Hall () is a performing arts and conference venue in the heart of Cardiff, Wales. St David's Hall is the National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales. It hosts the annual Welsh Proms and the biennial BBC Cardiff Singer of t ...

as well as radio broadcasts both locally and nationally on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

and Classic FM. In 2012, his work 'Islands in the Sky' was premiered at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Linz, Austria. In the same year, 'The Diamond Jubilee Fanfare' was commissioned and performed in the presence of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

. More recently in 2015, his work 'Aristotle's Air' won the Composition Prize at Brass in Concert, held at

Sage Gateshead The Glasshouse is an international centre for musical education and concerts on the Gateshead bank of Quayside in northern England. Opened in 2004 as Sage Gateshead and occupied by North Music Trust, the venue's original name honours a patron ...

. The same work was performed by Brassband Willebroek and the National Band of New Zealand at the 2017 World Music Contest in

Kerkrade Kerkrade (; Kerkrade dialect, Ripuarian: ; ; or ''Kirchrath'') is a town and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeast of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, the southernmost province of the Netherlands. It forms part of the P ...

. Christopher wrote and compiled the soundtrack for 'Magic in the Skies', the annual summer season of firework displays held at

Land's End Land's End ( or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...

, featuring the voice of

Miriam Margolyes Miriam Margolyes ( ; born 18 May 1941) is a British and Australian actress. Known for her work as a character actor across film, television, and stage, she received the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Mingott in Marti ...

. The music has been used since 2014. His first commission came at the age of sixteen, when he won a competition to write a fanfare for the Cornwall Youth Brass Band to open their fifty-year course anniversary concert. Since then, he has written a further work for the same band, in dedication and performed in the presence of Cornish composer, the late Goff Richards. In 2019, Christopher's work 'Corineus' was selected as the test piece in the championship section of the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. This followed in 2020 with his work 'Neverland' selected as the test piece in the fourth section of the Regional Championships of the National Championships of Great Britain, where it was subsequently performed by brass bands across Great Britain.

References

External links

Cory Band Associate Composer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Christopher 1992 births Living people English composers People from Camborne People educated at Truro and Penwith College