The Royal 22 Régiment Band is the regimental band of the

Royal 22nd Regiment The Royal 22nd Regiment (R22R; ) is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Known colloquially in English as the Van Doos (representing an anglicized pronunciation of the French number twenty-two, ) or in French as , the mostly francophone re ...

. It is based at

CFB Valcartier 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valc ...

(Valcartier Garrison) in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

and is assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division Support Group. It is the only French-speaking regular military band in Canada.

History

The regimental band was formed in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

in 1922 with the 20 members of the former

Royal Canadian Artillery Band The Royal Canadian Artillery Band () is one of six Regular Force bands in the Canadian Armed Forces. Located at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, the RCA Band provides music designed to support Canadian Forces operations, foster morale and esprit de ...

. A year later, the band began performing at the Orpheum Theatre, in Quebec City and on radio station CKAC in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the ensemble gave performances primarily to encourage recruitment. The band has performed for the coronations of two Canadian monarchs (

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

in 1937 and

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. ...

in 1953). It was present at the 300th, 350th, and 400th anniversary of Quebec City. The band resided at the Quebec’s Citadel until 1988, after which time it moved to the Canadian Forces Base at Valcartier near Quebec City. Following a reorganization of

Canadian military bands Canadian military bands are a group of personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) that performs musical duties for military functions. Military bands form a part of the Band Branch (Canadian Forces), Music Branch of the CAF, composed of six ful ...

in July 1994, the regimental band was dissolved. 3 years later, it was reestablished. The band joined the ranks of the 2nd Canadian Division Support Group in 2006.

Notable activities

*The band has participated in the guard mounting ceremony at the

Citadelle of Québec The Citadelle of Quebec (), also known as , is an active military installation and the secondary official residence of the governor general of Canada. It is atop Cap Diamant, adjoining the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, Quebec. The citadel f ...

continuously since 1945. *In 1967, the band was one of 17 bands that took part in the Canadian Armed Forces Tattoo. *For a number of years, the band, along with the Musique des Voltigeurs de Québec, hosted the

Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands The Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands (FIMMQ) was a major cultural event in Quebec City that notably included a military tattoo by Canadian and foreign military bands as well as display teams. It has taken place annually in Au ...

. *In 2007, the band marched in

O'Higgins Park O'Higgins Park (, previously known as Parque Cousiño), covering approximately , is Santiago, Chile's second largest public park after Metropolitan Park. It is situated in the center of the capital city, within the Santiago Commune. Named afte ...

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's Chilean Central Valley, central valley and is the center ...

during the

Great Military Parade of Chile For more than a century the Military Parade of Chile or Great Military Parade of Chile (Spanish: ''Gran Parada Militar de Chile'' or ''Parada Militar de Chile'') has been a tradition within the Fiestas Patrias (Chile), Independence Day holidays in ...

. *In 2008, the band took part in a parade as well as other events related to the

400th anniversary of Quebec City Quebec City's 400th anniversary, celebrated in 2008, commemorated the founding of Quebec City in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. Quebec City is the oldest French people, francophone city in North America. Along with Acadia, the city represents the ...

. *The International Anthem of the Royal Golf Clubs, which commissioned by

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; , ) is the representative in Quebec of the monarch, who Monarchy in Quebec, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other jurisdictions of Canada. T ...

, was premiered by the band on 12 September 2017. *In February 2019, the band's brass quintet performed in

Kuujjuaq Kuujjuaq (; or ), formerly known as (ᓲᐃᕙᐅᖃᔾ) and by #Names, other names, is a former Hudson's Bay Company outpost at the mouth of the Koksoak River on Ungava Bay that has become the largest northern village (Quebec), northern vil ...

in the first visit of a military band in northern Quebec. *In December 2019, the band has been part of the Canadian delegation deployed in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Italian campaign (World War II).

Conductors

* Captain Charles O'Neill (1922–1937) * Captain E. Bélanger (1937–1961) * Captain Joseph Pierre Armand Ferland (1961–1965) * Major Jean-François Pierret (1965–1978) * Major Charles Villeneuve (1978–1980)Military Musicians
* Captain Jean-Pierre Montminy (1980–1982) * Captain A. Dion (1982–1986) * Captain D. Bouchard (1986–1990) * Major Denis Bernier (1990–1994 and 1997–2002) * Major J. Destrempes (2002–2008) * Major Patrick Picard (2008–2012) * Major Eric Gagnon (2012–2016) * Captain Christian Richer (2016–2018) * Captain Vincent Roy (2018–Present)

References

External links

*
Biography of Charles O'Neill

The band at the Quebec Tattoo

The band playing the Hymn to the Fallen in October 2015Le Royal 22 Régiment Canada avec la Fanfara Bersaglieri Italia
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Musique du Royal 22e Régiment Royal 22nd Regiment Bands of the Canadian Army Musical groups established in 1922 1922 establishments in Quebec

History

Notable activities

Conductors

See also

References

External links