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Band of the 15th Field Regiment, RCA

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The 15th Field Regiment (RCA) Band is one of five Reserve Force bands in the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, located at Bessborough Armoury in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is a brass and reed band that is part of the RCA's 15th Field Artillery Regiment. All 45 members of the band are reservists while being trained as soldiers and musicians.[2] The Band plays for a variety of events including military funerals, ceremonies, parades and Mess events.[2] The band maintains a full marching and concert band as well as other musical ensembles that include jazz combos and rock bands.

The Band of the 15th Field Regiment, RCA
The band parading in downtown Vancouver during the 2014 Rogers Santa Claus Parade.
Active1934–present
Country Canada
Branch Canadian Army
TypeMilitary band
RolePublic duties
Size45-piece band
Part ofRoyal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
HeadquartersBessborough Armoury, Vancouver, British Columbia
Nickname(s)The Brigade Band
Motto(s)Latin: Ubique, lit. 'Everywhere', and Quo fas et gloria ducunt, lit. 'Whither right and glory lead'
Commanders
Director of Music[1]Lieutenant Eric Wong, CD
Notable
commanders		Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy Hamilton

The band's Director of Music is the unit's principal conductor and is responsible for the band's creative direction. The band was formed in 1934, 20 years after the regiment's establishment and just after it moved into its current base. Since 1994, the band has been the only reserve band on the mainland British Columbia. In 2000, the band outgrew its facilities in the Bessborough Armoury and relocated to the Garrison Headquarters building near Jericho Beach on English Bay. The Band then moved to the newly built Hoffmeister Building near the Burrard Street Bridge in 2019. Although still under the command and control of the home regiment, the band functions largely independently as a self-contained subunit and performs more than one hundred engagements annually.[3][4]

Directors of Music

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The following is a list of directors of music since 1933:[5]

  • Will Edmunds (1934-1937)
  • Chief Warrant Officer Al Sweet (1953-1969)
  • Major Peter Erwin (1969-1984)
  • Captain Richard Van Slyke (1984-2004)
  • Captain James Tempest (2004-2017)
  • Captain Cheryl McHugh (2017-2022)
  • Warrant Officer Nathaniel Senff (2022-2023)
  • Lieutenant Eric Wong (2023-Present)

Role

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The Band member in the full dress uniform of the RCA.
 
The Band of 15th Field Regiment with other military bands from the United States and Canada at the International Military Band Concert.

The band is a part of 39 Canadian Brigade Group, and supports all types of activities in the brigade. Since 1994, its duties have expanded greatly to support all reserve units in the province. It participates in all Vancouver area civilian and military parades, representing the regiment and the RCA. It also parades in Kelowna or Kamloops and even as far east as The Kootenays. The band has become a vital tool in public relations for the Army. Outside the country, the band has performed in community celebrations in Quebec City, California, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. In 2003 and 2012, the band took part in the Fortissimo Sunset Ceremony on Parliament Hill at the invitation of the Ottawa-based Ceremonial Guard.[6]

International Military Concert

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The band has participated in the International Military Concert in the United States state of Washington since the 1990s. It involves the participation of the band, accompanied from Canada by the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific, as well as bands from the United States Armed Forces, which have included in years past: the I Corps Band, the 133rd Army National Guard Band, United States Navy Band Northwest, and United States Air Force Band of the Golden West.[7] Featured music often played at the concert include the two national anthems ("O Canada" and "The Star-Spangled Banner") unit marches (Anchors Aweigh, Royal Artillery Slow March, and Heart of Oak).[8] Contemporary marches are also performed at the concert.[9]

Performing sections

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Drum Major Eric Wong standing at attention during a parade in 2012.

The principal components of the band are divided into the following sections:

  • Brass
  • Woodwind
  • Percussion

The RCA Band is a 45 piece band that also performs in the following configurations:[10]

  • Parade Band
  • Concert Band
  • Quay Winds
  • Bessborough Brass (established in 1990)[11]
  • Locarno Saxophones
  • Jericho Tuba Ensemble
  • The Gunners Big Band
  • Scarlet and Blues Clarinet Quintet

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Military Gala 2018". VANCOUVER GUNNERS.
  2. ^ a b Moogk 1988, p.56
  3. ^ "15th Field Artillery Regiment Band, RCA". Altissimo!. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  4. ^ "The 15th Field Artillery Band - About Us". www.militarymusic.ca. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Band Appointments". VANCOUVER GUNNERS. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  6. ^ "15th Field Artillery Regiment|The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery|2003". VANCOUVER GUNNERS. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  7. ^ Cleveland, Marguerite (2 May 2019). "International Military Band Concert in Olympia". www.weeklyvolcano.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  8. ^ Sgt. William Brown (7 April 2018). "U.S. and Canada come together for the Internation Military Band Concert". DVIDS. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  9. ^ Sgt. William Brown (12 April 2018). "A night of music, harmony". Northwest Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  10. ^ "The 15th Field Artillery Band - Ensembles". www.militarymusic.ca. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Bessborough Brass from Vancouver BC". livevan.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
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