Member Profile

	Ray Colony Tenor Horn ray.colony@vangent.com
Ray joined the EIBB in 2000	He started playing tenor horn in 2000
In addition to the tenor horn, Ray plays the French Horn. Ray started playing French Horn in middle school.
Ray says, "Some would say I've yet to grow up, but I've spent essentially all my life in Eastern Iowa.
Ray earned a Bachelor's of Music in French Horn Performance from the University of Iowa. After college he quit playing for a few years until he "stumbled" upon the EIBB and started playing Tenor Horn (which he had never touched before) and says he, "is finally feeling like I have a little more control of the little beast than it has on me." He would like to win the lottery so he could have more time to play and maybe do some arranging.
Currently Ray is a Program Manager for a data management company
Ray says, "I remember lots of hot outdoor summer gigs, that'd it'd be nice to forget. I remember rehearsals being blacked out due to storms (I swear there's something about Thursday nights and storms in Iowa.), I won't mention the venue, but I do remember one unfortunate concert where the band out-numbered the audience (I think the front row of the band outnumbered the audience.) and we played on a stage only lit from in front of us, so we couldn't see music or the conductor and it was a little like playing into the headlights of landing a 747., We've played in a lot of really nice venues, but the thing I remember about performances are the audiences. I hate to single any out, but a couple that stick in my head are the audience we played for in Sedalia, MO in 2005 and the one in Fulton, IL where we were supposed to play outside, it was raining and they moved us into a church at the last minute and the audience packed the place and were so appreciative and responsive, that felt really great after that performance."
Ray would like to point out this Triva Fact: I played Baritone on the Christmas and Show Business CDs that we recorded shortly after I joined the band, before I settled into playing tenor. Ray lives in North Liberty Iowa with his wife and two sons in a house they built on a piece of ground they puurchased from the family farm he grew up on. Other than brass band he stays busy with church and school activites and he says, "that's probably about enough for life right now."
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