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Band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon

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The Band of the Royal Military College is a band of the Australian Army that is located in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It is one of 11 bands that make up the Australian Army Band Corps. Also known as the Duntroon Military Band or the RMC Band, it is the chief musical ensemble of the Royal Military College, Duntroon.[1] It is regarded as one of the premier bands in the AABC today.[2] Since January 1993, the band has been under the direction of Ian McLean, who was himself part of the band in the 1970s.[3]

History

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The Band of the Royal Military College was founded in 1916, as a part-time band composed from volunteers drawn from the riding staff.[4] It was only in 1954 that they were officially established, when a band formed from members of the Regular Army was established at the college.[5][6] In 1968 it became part of the Australian Army Band Corps. In the 1980s, the band began performing shows for local charities, known as the "Strike up the Band" shows,[7] a tradition that continues to this day under the name "Music at Midday", which happens six times a year.[8] Since 2010, the band has been one of the aspects of the RMC dedicated on the memorial plaque at the ACT Honour Walk.[9]

Ceremonies and activities

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The Band of the Royal Military College is a 43-piece band that serves primarily as a symphonic wind ensemble and a marching band. It supports all activities sponsored by the Monarchy of Australia, the Governor General, the Federal Government and the Australian Defence Force. Being located in the ACT, it takes responsibility for community events in this area as well as supporting units such as the Australia's Federation Guard in their ceremonial duties. Events in the capital in which the band has taken part include the Canberra International Music Festival and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra series. It has participated in overseas engagements in countries like Switzerland, Turkey, Tonga, and Japan.[10][11]

It also primarily serves as the sole unit band of RMC Duntroon. Thus, it participates in the ceremonies and parades conducted at the college. One of the more notable of its foreign performances was in 2000, when it accompanied a detachment of the Australian Federation Guard to London where, as part of the centenary celebrations of the Federation of Australia, the AFG mounted the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace, with the RMC Band provided the music as the de facto Guards Band.[6] Recently the band has supported Australian troops serving overseas.[12] The band is also present at graduation ceremonies[13][14] and was essential to the RMC's Presentation of Colours ceremony by Queen Elizabeth II.[15]

Ensembles

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The ensembles in the band include the following:[16]

  • Concert Band
  • Marching Band
  • Stage Band
  • Woodwind Quintet
  • Brass Quintet
  • Jazz Ensemble
  • Rock Band
  • Dixie Band (known as the Steamboat Stompers)
  • Saxophone Quartet
  • Clarinet Quartet
  • Woodwind Trio

Albums

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The band has released the following albums:

  • The Big Band Sound (1976)
  • Graduation '80 (1980)
  • Slam (1995)
  • Soldiers of the Queen (music of the Boer War)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Band of the Royal Military College". Discogs.
  2. ^ "Band of the Royal Military". www.army.gov.au.
  3. ^ "Anniversary concert a blast from the past".
  4. ^ Coulthard-Clark 1986, p. 83.
  5. ^ Coulthard-Clark 1986, p. 189.
  6. ^ a b "The Band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon". Department of Defence (Australia). Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  7. ^ Coulthard-Clark 1986, p.255.
  8. ^ "Music at Midday". Canberra Ticketing. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  9. ^ "ACT Honour Walk 2010: Royal Military College (RMC) Duntroon". 3 November 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  10. ^ "The Band of the Royal Military College Presents Marziale".
  11. ^ "Band of the Royal Military College strikes a chord for South Coast firefighters". 14 March 2019.
  12. ^ Moore, C.A (2004). "The Band of the Royal Military College Duntroon". The Duntroon Society. November (2/2004): 1–4.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Sun smiles on 2019's mid-year Duntroon graduation". 25 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Royal Military College Graduation parade | Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia". Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  15. ^ "Queen Hails Duntoon as Colours Presented". amp.heraldsun.com.au.
  16. ^ "Band of the RMC Duntroon". 18 December 2017.
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