Founders Cup Ski Race & Benefit Concert Featuring Cory Wong with Special Guest Trousdale

Spruce Peak and the Club at Spruce Peak present the Founders Cup Ski Race & Benefit Concert, Saturday, January 20, 2024. Breakfast & Morning Ski with Pros & Olympians, Après Party, Benefit Concert Featuring Cory Wong, supported by Trousdale! Much More!

Click here to enter: Win a signature Cory Wong Fender Stratocaster signed by the artist! 100% of proceeds benefit Spruce Peak Arts.

About Cory Wong
Music motivates at the most primal level. You instinctually hum a tune in order to get pumped up in the morning, for fuel on the treadmill, to soundtrack your commute, or as the pre-game to a big night out. As much as he treasures his roles as a guitarist, composer, and producer, Cory Wong fashions himself “a hype man,” first and foremost. Living up to this classification, he slings a Stratocaster and hurls “dad jokes” from the stage with the same panache, poise, and power.

 “For me, it’s all about the listener’s experience,” he explains. “I want them to have a visceral response like: ‘I feel better,’ ‘That was really fun,’ or ‘I got to escape for an hour.’ You’ll hear my voice through the guitar, but I’m just a hype man. To uplift audiences with instrumental music that has no singing or lyrics is a fun challenge. I’m trying to solve the riddle. If I can get one person to feel good this way, it’s a success.

Straight out of Minneapolis, Cory positioned himself as music’s answer to motivational speakers like Tony Robbins since emerging in 2011. Head-spinning rhythm guitar wizardry, technical ebullience, laugh-out-loud jokes, and radiance on stage established him as both a sought-after collaborator and celebrated solo artist alike. He lent his talents to television programs such as The Voice at the dawn of his career. After an impromptu meeting at the weekly jam hosted by Prince’s rhythm section (where the Purple One often either performed or watched), he crossed paths with Vulfpeck who welcomed him as a frequent collaborator and member of the band. Solidifying a fruitful partnership, the group named their most popular instrumental  track “Cory Wong,” in tribute. Lighting up the stage in the band everywhere from Red Rocks Amphitheatre to Madison Square Garden, he remains a cornerstone of Vulfpeck’s storied gigs.

“I try to feature the guitar, but I don’t force myself into being the star of every song,” he says. “The instrument plays an appropriate role. It’s not all flash. I’m bringing rhythm to the forefront where it’s not so shreddy. I refer to it as ‘Covert chops.’ I’m doing things that are sneakily hard, but they lay in the cut. I allow the song to breathe and present myself as more of a composer rather than a guitar player.” In the end, Cory transmits joy in its purest form through the guitar. “The guiding light is to impart a feeling of joy,” he leaves off. “I want people to experience instrumental music in a different way. This is hype. It’s more than just guitar.” www.corywongmusic.com

About Trousdale 

Trousdale is a powerful female band consisting of Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene and Lauren Jones. Their melodic and heartfelt harmonies are often compared to The Chicks and The Staves, but the girls draw inspiration from a wide array of music, including Crosby Stills and
Nash, Kacey Musgraves and HAIM. Driven by their passion to empower young women, Trousdale is committed to making quality music that spreads a message of self-acceptance and love.

Trousdale has self-released two EPs and are in the process of releasing their debut album, collecting over 50M streams on Spotify in the last three years. Their catalog until now being entirely self-produced, this upcoming debut includes songs co-written with Jon Bellion, Madi
Diaz, Jon Green and Natalie Hemby, and co-production by Jon Green, John Mark Nelson, and others. The band have gathered fans internationally through both headline and support shows. With extensive festival experience in both the UK and US, they’ve also supported JP Saxe, Lawrence and Cory Wong. With Wong, Trousdale performed as special guests in rooms such as Ryman Auditorium and The Beacon Theatre in February and March 2023. Trousdale also headlined their first US tour around those dates. Their aforementioned debut full-length will be released in 2023 as a series of three EPs, for the trio themselves, culminating in their debut LP, Out Of My Mind. The first EP, Make It Out Alive, was released Friday, May 26, 2023 with prominent editorial placement across DSPs.

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FOUNDERS CUP SKI RACE & BENEFIT CONCERT: SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2024
SKI RACE | APRES PARTY | GREAT FOOD | SILENT AUCTION | BENEFIT CONCERT | & MUCH MORE

The 2024 Founders Cup is a benefit for Spruce Peak Arts – Our region’s curated window to the world, using the stage to expand perspectives and enrich lives. Your support helps Spruce Peak Arts create accessibility to the arts, as well as enhance educational experiences for area students, families, and community organizations, all year-round.