The Royal Canadian Air Force Band (RCAF Band) () is a 35-member

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the tit ...

which represents the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

in the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

. Currently located at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, the RCAF Band provides musical accompaniment for ceremonies of the RCAF in Canada. The band is presently under the command of Captain Chris Embree.

History

In 1946, Carl Friberg, a wartime bandmaster working as a public relations representative in Vancouver, was invited to form a professional band for the RCAF No.2 Training Command in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. It became operational the next year and was transferred to

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

as the North West Air Command Band. The band's first high-profile performance was during the Earl Alexander of Tunis's (

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

from 1946 –1952) tour of western Canada in 1948. In 1955, the band became the Tactical Air Command Band which coincided with an increase in musicians, going from 35 to 55. The band was transferred back to

in 1964 and was combined with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Band in 1968. The other members of the band became part of the newly formed Canadian Forces Air Transport Command Band and was transferred to the

Canadian Forces Air Command The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...

in 1975, with its headquarters in Winnipeg and was renamed the Air Command Band. During the reformation of the Music Branch in 1994, the band was expanded from 35 to 45 members. The band changed its name again in 1997 to the Band of

1 Canadian Air Division , colors = Blue, green, yellow, and silver , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , ...

when that particular unit was formed. Unlike its predecessors, this was a downgrade as decreased in the number of musicians. Another name change came in 2000 when it was changed back to "Air Command Band". In 2009, a major reorganization of the band occurred. An increase of demand prompted its leadership to create new subdivisions such as Jet Stream, Command Brass (brass quintet) and an eight member

pipes and drums A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

(not to be confused with the RCAF Pipes and Drums). In 2011, with the restoration of royal military prefixes, the band was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force Band. 2016 saw the dissolution of the pipes and drums and a reinstitution of the brass and reed band instrumentation, while still maintaining contemporary musical capabilities including vocals, guitar and piano. In July 2018, the band served as the musical support in the changing of the

Queen's Guard The King's Guard and King's Life Guard (called the Queen's Guard and the Queen's Life Guard when the reigning monarch is female) are the contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official List of British royal res ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with a contingent of RCAF personnel from across Canada for the first time in the RCAF's history. The band also took part in the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 2019.

Ensembles

* Wind Ensemble * Jet Stream * Jetliners * RCAF Rock Band * Large Brass Ensemble * Dixieland Band * Command Brass * Clarinet Quartet * Jazz Combos * Fixed Wing

Directors

*WO Carl Friberg (Bandmaster 1946-1951) *Lieutenant Colonel Clifford Hunt (Director of Music 1946–?) *Flight Lieutenant Leo Corcoran (1951–55) *Flight Lieutenant Carl Friberg (1955–61) *Flying Officer Ted Robbins (1961-1968) *Flight Lieutenant Howard Woods (1968-1969) *Captain Albert "Conn" Furey (1969–1970) *Captain Terence Barnes (1971–1974) *Captain Keith Swanwick (1975–1983) *Captain David Jones (1983–1986) *Captain John French (1987–1990) *Captain Terry O'Connor (1990–1993) *Major JGG Bouchard (1993–1997) *Captain Alain Pineault (1997–2001) *Captain Scott Attridge (2001–2003) *Captain Ray Murray (2003–2006) *Captain Peter Archibald (2006–2007) *Captain John Fullerton (2010–2016) *Captain Matthew Clark (2016–2021) *Captain Chris Embree (2021–present)

Notable members

*Lieutenant Colonel Clifford Hunt – Commandant of the

Canadian Forces School of Music The Canadian Forces School of Music, CFSM ( French language: École de musique des Forces canadiennes, EMFC) was an educational institution that supported the music branch and all Canadian military bands in the Canadian Forces. It was created ...

from 1966 to 1968. *Kenneth Killingbeck – Director of the

Royal Canadian Regiment The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the primary reserve. The RCR is ranked 1st in the order of precedence amongst Canadian A ...

Band in the late 1980s and early 1990s. *Ernest R. Dalwood – A British-Canadian musician who formerly was part of the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

and the

Band of the Coldstream Guards The Band of the Coldstream Guards is one of the oldest and best known bands in the British Army, having been officially formed on 16 May 1785 under the command of Major C F Eley. History The band of the Coldstream Guards was officially formed un ...

References

{{Reflist

History

Ensembles

Directors

Notable members

References

See also