Sounds of the Seasons 2011

The annual Sounds of the Seasons concert featuring the Chicago Staff Band and our special guests Boston Brass (http://www.bostonbrass.com) was held in Edman Chapel on the campus of Wheaton College last evening. A near capacity crowd gathered in spite of rainy weather to hear the combined efforts of the two ensembles.

Bandmaster Himes began the program with Bruce Broughton's "Harlequin". Following a welcome and invocation by Executive Officer Lt. Colonel Richard Vander Weele the Chicago Staff Band continued the program with:

• "Psalm of Thanks" (Sharman)
• "Marcia" from Serenade, Op. 11 (Wiren/arr. Froden)

Boston Brass were then welcomed to the stage for a package that concluded with a CSB/Boston Brass collaboration of "Wayside Festival" (DeJonge/trs. Himes). While more information is available on the Boston Brass web site, their members include Jose Sibaja (trumpet), Jeff Conner (trumpet), Chris Castellanos (horn), Lance LaDuke (trombone/euphonium) and Andrew Hitz (tuba).

The CSB Chorus followed the Boston Brass package with:

• "Every Time I Feel The Spirit" (arr. Schrader)
• "My Simple Prayer" (arr. Lovatt-Cooper/trs. Downie)

The CSB finished the first half of the concert with "Sirocco" (Graham).

Admission to the concert was free but an offering was taken to offset expenses. Dr. Rudolf Zuiderveld favored those gathered with an organ offertory "Now Thank We All Our God - March Triomphale" (Karg-Elert).

Following an intermission the CSB returned to the stage presenting"

• "Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare" (Strauss/arr. Himes)
• "Wade In The Water" (Ballantine)

The members of Boston Brass joined the CSB as soloists in the world premier of a William Himes arrangement of solos originally written by Erik Leidzen. Portions of "Wondrous Day", "Tucker", "The Old Rustic Bridge", "Song of the Brother", "Concertino for Trombone", "A Never Failing Friend" and "Songs in the Heart" were combined into an arrangement titled "Leidzen Montage" that featured all five members of Boston Brass as soloists.

Prior to the scripture reading for the evening presented by Commissioner Paul Seiler the band presented "Soli Deo Gloria" (Himes).

Boston Brass returned to the stage for their final package of the evening that included "Frosty the Snowman" and three dances from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite".

For their final solo item of the evening, the CSB presented "Paean" (Bright) before being joined by members of Boston Brass for a rousing rendition of America's national march, "The Stars And Stripes Forever" (Sousa/arr. Himes).

The evening concluded with the CSB Chorus singing "Silent Night".

The evening was a fitting conclusion to our season of Thanksgiving and a beginning to Advent 2011.

If you missed this concert, you won't want to miss next year's Sounds of the Seasons concert scheduled for Saturday, November 24, 2012. Put it on your calendar now! Hope to see you there.

Quincy, IL - November 12-13, 2011

I've been remiss and not provided details regarding our visit to Quincy, IL that is coming up this weekend. We will indeed be returning to Quincy where the Salvation Army has recently opened a new Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.

Our schedule for the weekend includes:

Saturday, November 12, 2011 - Concert at 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 13, 2011 - Worship Service at 10:00 am

The Saturday evening concert will feature euphonium soloist, Master Gunnery Sergeant Phillip Franke. Master Gunnery Sergeant Fanke is the principal euphonium in "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and a graduate of Quincy, IL High School. The concert on Saturday evening will require purchase of a ticket.

For ticket information please contact the Salvation Army at 217.231.5626 or visit the Kroc Center located at 405 Vermont Street in Quincy.

Today we embarked on our first weekend out since completing our season in June at our commissioning and ordination services in Indiana. About noon we boarded the bus for a short two and a half hour bus ride to Fond du Lac, WI where Envoys Beverly and Doug Peterson are the corps administrators. The Peterson's have only been in Fond du Lac for seven weeks but they've done a great job building on what was left behind.

We shared the concert with the South Shore Chorale led by Corey Schneider. This was a fine vocal ensemble that really added a nice change of pace to the concert.

In addition, the program was compered by local radio hosts Heather and Nick.

The concert was held in Goodrich Little Theater and it was mostly full. Not bad for a town of less than 50,000 people. In addition to the concert, the Salvation Army announced a goal of raising $150,000 during their Christmas campaign.

It was good to see at least three former members of the Chicago Staff Band in attendance. Major Robert Thomson, Stan Kelley and Bill Luhn were all present. If there were others, I'm sorry I missed you. Drop me a note and I promise to make it right.

The concert for the evening included:

• Psalm of Thanks (Sharman)
• My Unchanging Friend (Bosanko) - Shaun Thomas, soloist
• Ballad (Himes) - Tim Meyer, soloist
• Harlequin (Broughton)

• The Bartered Bride (Smetana) - South Shore Chorale
• In Remembrance (Daley) - South Shore Chorale
• The Road Home (Paulus) - South Shore Chorale
• Animal Crackers (Set 1; Whitacre) - South Shore Chorale

• Make Me a Blessing (Graham)
• Paean (Bright)
• Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare (Strauss/arr. Himes)
• Wade In The Water (Ballantine)
• Soli Deo Gloria (Himes)

• Masquerade (Webber) - South Shore Chorale
• Ave Verum (Mozart) - South Shore Chorale & CSB
• Battle Hymn of the Republic (arr. Wilhousky) - South Shore Chorale & CSB

• Sirocco (Graham)
• Choral Benediction (Himes)

Following the concert we traveled to Cornerstone Worship Center to set up there. We will be participating in their worship service on Sunday morning before heading back home.

All in all, it was a blessed day.

CSB to Visit Fond du Lac, WI

I've just posted the details we've received about our upcoming visit to Fond du Lac, WI. You can see these details directly by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/nSOCoq Or, you could visit our web page at http://sar.my/csb and click on "schedule". Or, feel free to contact the Salvation Army in Fond du Lac for more details.

Hopefully, we'll see some of you in Fond du Lac!

A New Season

We began our new 2011-12 CSB season in rehearsal on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

For this season there has been minimal changes in personnel. In the Eb horn section, Colonel Merle Heatwole has left the band. Colonel Heatwole received a change of appointment in the middle of the 2010-11 season when he was appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Central Territory. However, he graciously agreed to finish the season with the band. Replacing him in the horn section is Major John Aren, an officer stationed at the Chicago Northside Adult Rehabilitation Center.

Our bass trombonist, Mike Hanton, has also left the band. Mike along with his wife and children have answered God's call to become Salvation Army officers and have entered the College for Officer Training in Chicago. Jim Olson who had been a member of our baritone section is replacing Mike on bass trombone.

With Jim Olson moving to bass trombone, his position in the baritone section is Captain Jeffrey Carr, an officer stationed at the Metropolitan Divisional Headquarters in Chicago.

Mark Pierson, who has served faithfully in the tuba section for a number of years has had to leave the band due to a change in his work schedule. Mark is being replaced by Scott Thomas, a soldier of the Norridge Citadel Corps.

Finally, Brett Tolcher is now the principal trombonist assisted by Ron Shoults.

You can see from the above that we've only had three bandsmen leave the band after what was a very full 2010-11 season and we're very pleased that is the case. We're looking forward to our continued ministry in the 2011-12 season ahead.

An updated roster and schedule have been posted on our web site located at http://sar.my/csb

New CSB URLs

Four new shorter URLs for the Chicago Staff Band have been created. Feel free to use these or even bookmark them for future reference.

CSB on Facebook: http://sar.my/csbfacebook

CSB on Twitter: http://sar.my/csbtwit

This blog: http://sar.my/csbsecretary

Our web page: http://sar.my/csb

Hopefully these URLs will make us easier to find on the net.

Gospel Arts Festival and Commissioning - Live Stream

The Chicago Staff Band will be participating in the Central Territory's Gospel Arts Festival and Commissioning activities this weekend in Merrillville, IN. We hope to see many of you there, but if you're not able to be present you still have the opportunity to watch the events online. Here's a schedule of events and all times listed are Central Daylight Time (CDT):

Friday, June 10
7:30pm - Sing to the Lord a New Song - of Worship (CSB on duty)

Saturday, June 11

9:00 am - Sing to the Lord a New Song - of Praise 1 (CSB not on duty)

11:00 am - Sing to the Lord a New Song - of Praise 2 (CSB not on duty)

12:30 pm - CSB Lunch Concert in Celebrity Ballroom (not streamed)

7:00 pm - Sing to the Lord a New Song - of Proclamation (CSB on duty)

Sunday, June 12

9:30 am - Commissioning & Ordination Service (CSB not on duty)

2:15 pm - Service of Appointments (CSB on duty)

To watch the live stream visit http://www.salvationarmymedia.org or http://www.salvationarmymedia.org/live.html

There is information at the above link on use of either an iOS (iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone) device or a Roku box for watching the live stream.

UK Tour Days 9-10 (June 4-5)

This entry is being written on Monday, June 6 but it's about Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5, 2011 and the events of the celebration of the ISB's 120th anniversary celebration. It is going to be difficult to put into words all that happened and took place in those two days packed with celebration and worship. But, I'll give it a try.

First, it was another early start for the CSB. We were scheduled to be at the Royal Albert Hall with the other seven participating staff bands of the world at 7:30 am. That meant a 6:00 am call at the Chelmsford Corps. For most of us that meant our alarms once again sounded at 4:45 or 5:00 am at the latest. We all made it to the Army hall on time only to be missing a coach driver. The coach had been parked next to the hall overnight. So, the coach was there but it had no driver to unlock it and the trailer that carried our equipment.

Who else would come to our rescue but our tour leader, Simon Gash. Simon quickly phoned the driver who responded immediately to the call and we loaded quickly for our departure into London.

The drive took us past a number of well known London sites including the Olympic Village being constructed for the 2012 Summer Games, the London Eye, Big Ben and Parliament to name a few. For those in the band who had never been to London those sites caused the excitement to build.

Upon arrival at the Royal Albert Hall there was a coach queue caused by eight staff bands (most with trailers) attempting to arrive simultaneously. But, the queue moved quickly and we soon had all of our gear in a dressing room that we were honored to share with the Japan Staff Band. We were barely settled when we were asked to report to the stage for seating. Each of our sections were seated stage right with our USA cousins the New York Staff Band to our right. To our right were the members of the Amsterdam Staff Band, the Japan Staff Band, the Melbourne Staff Band, the German Staff Band and finally the Canadian Staff Band. In front of all of us were the birthday men/women of the International Staff Band. It was tight but we all fit! To be truthful for a few minutes it was doubtful we would and the special events coordinator predicted it wouldn't work. But in the spirit of the Army we worked together to make it work.

The morning consisted of rehearsing at least parts of each piece we were scheduled to play at the festival that evening. The play list included:

• Fanfare, Prelude and Fugue on Sine Nomine (Graham) - Conductor: Stephen Cobb
• Nothing Do I Bring (Broughton) - Conductor: Hajime Suzuki
• Dancebeat (Sharman) - Conductor: Ken Waterworth
• Stand Up and Bless the Lord (arr. Himes) - Conductor: Heinrich Schmidt
• Pursuing Horizons (Bright) - Conductor: Stephen Cobb
• So Glad (Himes) - Conductor: William Himes
• My Simple Prayer (Lovatt-Cooper, arr. Downie) - Conductor: Olaf Ritman
• In Quiet Pastures (Steadman-Allen) - Conductor: John Lam
• The Call of the Righteous (Condon) - Conductor: Ron Waiksnoris
• St Clements (Blyth) - Conductor: Stephen Cobb
• Celebration (Condon) - Conductor: Stephen Cobb

With all of the above massed band numbers to be rehearsed it's obvious that we had to just touch on a few of them. It was particularly challenging to put together "Pursuing Horizons" because it is written for 3 massed bands. So, the ISB was one band and the other seven were divided into two groups. We'd all rehearsed individually and Saturday morning we barely had time to put it all together. But thanks to each band and the skill of Stephen Cobb it all came together more quickly than expected. In fact, even though we started a bit late the rehearsal ended a few minutes early.

Following the rehearsal the bands were provided a lovely lunch in two seatings. During lunch the CSB presented each band with a plague commemorating the event by displaying each group's name, their current epaulet and a detailed listing of each participant. In addition to the plaque, we provided adequate printed copies for each participant to receive one.

Following lunch it was time for the individual bands to present 20 minute mini concerts in the Royal Albert Hall. Twenty minutes of music, five minutes to get on the stage and five minutes to get off the stage by eight bands yielded a four hour program. Amazingly, that schedule was also adhered to! The eight bands presented in alphabetical order on the following schedule:

• 2:00 pm Amsterdam Staff Band
• 2:30 pm Canadian Staff Band
• 3:00 pm Chicago Staff Band (that's us!)
• 3:30 pm German Staff Band
• 4:00 pm International Staff Band
• 4:30 pm Japan Staff Band
• 5:00 pm Melbourne Staff Band
• 5:30 pm New York Staff Band

Following the New York Staff Band concert there was a one hour interval/intermission for everyone to get ready for the 7:00 pm concert. At 7:00 PM the massed band pieces listed above were to be played. In addition, the ISB and ISS performed the following solo items:

• King of Heaven (Downie) - ISB
• Jesus Loves Me (Bowes) - ISS
• Pardon, Power and Praise (Downie) - ISS
• Scottish Folk Variants (Bulla) - ISB, soloist - Derick Kane

Those gathered in the Albert Hall were wildly enthusiastic as the ISB marched the other seven staff bands into the auditorium and remained that way throughout the evening. Bill Flinn from the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps provided the narration for the evening. Lt. Colonel David Hinton brought the invocation and Commissioner John Matear brought the scripture reading.

The bands were pleased that General Linda Bond and the Chief of Staff and Commissioner Sue Swanson were present for the evening.

At the conclusion of the evening as the bands finished playing "Celebration" pyrotechnics lit up the Royal Albert Hall all the way round. It was a fitting ending to a splendid birthday party that also contained a fair bit of ministry to those in attendance.

While the above description is fairly detailed there is no way to explain the excitement, fun and impact the day had on the participants and those attending. It truly is one of those things that to fully understand required you being present personally.

Following the concert the bands returned to hotels for some much needed rest before returning to the Westminster Central Hall for worship. The Westminster Central Hall is home to a Methodist Congregation that opened it's doors to the Army for a combined Salvation Army/Methodist worship service that included participation from the UK Territorial Youth Band, the ISS and General Linda Bond who preached the word from Psalm 51.

The music at this worship service was superb and General Bond called on us to be a holy people and to understand that it truly is possible to be clean. The message was clear and powerful and brought an altar response from several in attendance.

A quick lunch followed the worship services before the bands formed up in marching position near Admiralty Arch for the parade to the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Again, the bands had been divided into groups for playing on the march. As we marched, The Mall was filled with cheering people. On arrival at Buckingham Palace the ISB moved to one side and marched each of us into place inside the gates of Buckingham Palace where we stood for a short 30 minute concert. Although the Queen was not in residence we were again supported by General Bond, the Chief of Staff and Commissioner Sue Swanson, other Salvation Army dignitaries and members of the Royal Family household staff.

The concert concluded with the playing of "God Save the Queen". Each band then departed the Palace grounds but first played their way past a saluting General Bond as we made our way to Wellington Barracks where we were able to break formation and had a time of fellowship and photo opportunities.

While there, it began to rain so we made our way back to Westminster Central Hall where we changed clothes and took part in a lovely reception. At Westminster Central Hall there was a lot of eating, memento sharing and speeches of thanks given. And, at about 7:00 pm it all came to a conclusion and the individual bands returned to their hotels.

As I said at the beginning of this post there is no way to really put into words what happened in London this past weekend. You truly did have to be there to fully understand. But, there is no doubt that for the participants and those in attendance it was a once in a lifetime event and I'm sure it was a life changing event for many. It truly was a God honoring weekend and a pleasure and privilege to participate in and attend.

Thank you seems so inadequate to say to the organizing folks but it's probably the best thing to say to all who put it all together. A special shout out goes to Simon Gash from the UKI Territorial Headquarters who was assigned as our tour leader. Simon always kept us on schedule, watched out for us and served as our liaison with our local tour hosts. It was really great to get to meet and get to know him. Thanks Simon!

And, that concludes our UK tour of 2011 and participation in ISB 120. Relatively early this morning, most of the band made their way to London Heathrow Airport and as I write this most, if not all, should be home.

Soli Deo Gloria - glory to God alone!

UK Tour - Day 8 (June 3)

The eighth day of the tour started off very early with most of our alarms going off between 4:00 and 4:30 am so that we could make the drive from Consett to Chelmsford and arrive in time for a lunch time concert in the Chelmsford Cathedral. We apologized to our hosts for such an early 5:30 am departure and made our way south, arriving at Chelmsford right about noon. It was a mostly quiet ride as most the band tried to get some much needed sleep.

On arrival at the Cathedral we set up quickly, consumed a lunch provided at the Cathedral and got ready for the 1:30 pm concert. The Cathedral was filled with a very enthusiastic crowd. Some of the musical items presented included "Ein Feste Burg", "Ave Verum", "So Glad", "Dance Like David", "Marching Onward" and other items.

We were free to explore the Chelmsford city center until dinner at the corps. We then returned to the Cathedral for the 7:30 pm concert. It appeared that only the cheap seats remained unsold. We were honored with the presence of the deputy mayor who presented the band with the shield of the city. It was interesting to note the motto of the city of Chelmsford is "many minds, one heart." The program for the evening consisted of basically an "A" program but program "B" soloists were used. This meant that Beth Cooper, Shaun Thomas and Mike Hanton were featured. Mick Shay provided his personal word of witness.

Following the concert we packed our equipment before heading to host homes for another short night of sleep. It will be yet another early call in order to get to the Royal Albert Hall in London for rehearsal with the other 7 bands taking part in the ISB120 celebration tomorrow.

UK Tour - Day 7 (June 2)

Our Thursday started with a relatively short two hour drive from Leeds to County Durham. The first stop was at the County Hall where we were warmly received first by our hosts from the Consett Corps and then by the Chairman of the Durham County Council, Dennis Morgan. During the reception with the Chairman he presented us with the county crest and with a march titled "The Bowburn March" by Ray Farr. Ray Farr has Salvation Army ties and is currently the head of the brass department at Durham University. The march was written to pay tribute to the bravery and the courageous spirit of the people of Bowburn who have toiled beneath the earth and incorporates the hymn tune "Gresford" often referred to as "The Miner's Hymn".

While we were in the reception a team from the Consett Corps kindly loaded our instruments in another vehicle and took them to the Durham Cathedral. At the conclusion of the reception we were taken to Durham City where the coach got as close to the Cathedral as possible. It was a short but beautiful walk over the river and up the hill to the site of the magnificent Cathedral that was completed in 1133. We had about an hour to explore the area around the Cathedral and Durham City before our concert. Some shopped, others visited the European market and others examined the magnificent architecture.

At 1:00 pm we gathered at the Cathedral for a concert. Our local hosts expected 50-100 people to be present but nearly 600 showed up and stayed for our mini 45 minute concert. As is always the case in a building like this the acoustics included a significant reverberation but this Cathedral provided a remarkable amount of clarity as well. Included in the concert was "Soli Deo Gloria", "Precious Lord" and other selections chosen from our tour repertoire.

Following the concert, Cathedral guides provided us with an abbreviated tour. For the less refined that may be unimpressed with the architecture and history you would want to know that we saw the hall in the Cathedral used for Hogwarts in the "Harry Potter" films. But, having now been to the Cathedral and having learned more about it, it is extremely impressive.

We then returned to the coach for the 30 minute ride to Consett where the corps provided a meal of mince and dumplings. Following dinner we received a presentation on the history of the Consett Corps Band which was the first corps band in the Salvation Army world. At the completion of that presentation it was time to walk to the Empire Theater down the street from the Army hall for final concert preparations. The concert was sold out and approximately 500 were in attendance in a lovely theater setting. The "A" program was presented.

In just 7 hours or so the band was able to present our gospel message through music to about 1,100 people in County Durham! Well done and thank you Consett Corps.

Tomorrow is our last solo tour day before meeting up with the other 7 staff bands at ISB120 and we have a 5:30 am departure. To be truthful, we are weary so please pray for us as we strive to live up to our mission as "the band with a sacred mission."

UK Tour - Day 6 (June 1)

The sixth day of our tour found us making the trip from Norwich to Leeds. The actual trip was uneventful although delayed by a major accident on the A17. In spite of the delay we arrive at Leeds in time for a wonderful cooked lunch before departing for a civic reception with The Lord Mayor of Leeds (Rev'd Councillor Alan Taylor). Prior to meeting The Lord Mayor the Sergeant-at-Mace took the time to explain the Government structure of Leeds and answer questions. Leeds is the third largest government in England with London and Birmingham being 1 and 2 respectively. The Lord Mayor was very gracious in his remarks to the band and took additional time to pose in a group photograph with us.

Following the reception we proceeded to Morley Town Hall to prepare for the evening concert. We were keenly aware of the brass band tradition of the area and the fact that the Black Dyke Band has used Morley Town Hall for recording on a number of occasions. Their conductor, Dr. Nicholas Childs, was in attendance and greeted several members of our band prior to the concert.

The very responsive Morley Town Hall was nearly full and in addition to friends from the UK we met people from the USA who have traveled to the UK in order to be part of the ISB120 celebrations including a young man from Virginia and the divisional music director from the Kansas & Western Missouri Division in our own USA Central Territory. Personally I was able to meet a Salvation Army officer that was in Zambia while my parents served for a short term there in retirement.

The "B" program was presented and included "Let Everything Praise" and "Artist of My Soul" (Heidi Strand, soloist). Alberto Rapley provided his personal testimony.

Following the concert we loaded our equipment for transport and storage at the Morley Corps in preparation for our morning departure. We then retired to host homes for the remainder of the evening.

A big thank you goes out to our official hosts at the Leeds Central Corps and the other Salvationists from Morley and elsewhere in the Yorkshire Division.

Tomorrow we head to our most northerly destination of the tour, Consett in County Durham.

UK Tour - Day 5 (May 31)

Today marks the time in tour where we wake up, travel to a new place, play a concert, go to bed and then begin the cycle over again. That will be or schedule until we arrive back in London on Saturday. But we will get to see a bit of the countryside from inside a coach and will meet many fantastic people along the way.

We loaded the coach and trailer in Reading this morning and headed to Norwich where we were to be hosted at the Norwich Citadel Corps. The Norwich Citadel is corps number 304 in the Salvation Army world and has a longstanding brass band tradition. Their band has been in our territory no fewer than three times and the Norridge Citadel Band visited Norwich a few years ago. So, there are some connections between our home territory and Norwich.

Upon arrival we set up quickly before heading out to find lunch on our own. The band found everything to eat including roast beef sandwiches, sausages, fish and chips, cornish pasties and Subway. One of those is not an indigenous dish!

Following lunch we took a brief tour of Norwich on the coach as we made our way to a boat tour of the Broads, Britain's magical waterland. The Broads are a series of lakes and rivers joined together into a delightful and beautiful waterway. We were treated to a 1 1/2 hour tour out of Wroxham.

At the conclusion of the tour we were treated to a lovely carvery dinner before returning to the Army hall for final concert preparations. One of our young percussionists wasn't feeling well and it was necessary for him to miss the concert. It was nothing serious (he's fine this morning) but it was very helpful to have a member of the Norwich Citadel Band fill in for him for the concert.

The hall was nearly full and we used our "A" program with Mike Hanton performing "Swing Low". We also included the congregational song "Zephaniah's Song".

It was a good day in Norwich and we are grateful for all the provisions made on our behalf. After a short night of sleep we are headed further north to Leeds tomorrow.

UK Tour - Day 4 (May 30)

Following a good night of rest at our billets from the Reading Central Corps the band assembled at the hall for a mid morning departure on a day trip to Windsor. En route we were taken past Ascot Race Course as well as driven through Runnymede, the site where the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215.

We drove through Windsor Great Park and saw the 2.64 mile straight path that links Windsor Castle with Snow Hill. The coach then left us in Windsor for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon and we were free to explore and have lunch on our own. Most witnessed the 11:00 am guard change at the castle and many took a tour inside.

At 3:00 pm we boarded the coach for the return ride to the Army hall for a quick rehearsal before dinner. A 7:00 pm we presented our "B" concert to a full house that included Bandmaster Stephen Cobb and a number of the host for ISB120, the International Staff Band.

In response to a local request we added "Stand Up and Bless the Lord" as a congregational song just before the interval. During the concert Laura Brooksbank shared her personal testimony.

Following the concert we quickly packed our equipment in preparation for our departure from Reading Central on Tuesday. Although short, our visit to Reading will be remembered fondly.

UK Tour - A & B Programs

In an earlier post I indicated that we have an A and a B program that serve as the basis for deciding what we are playing in any given concert. The two programs could be called A and 1 in order to avoid any connotation that would indicate that B is an inferior program to A. But it's only an internal reference anyway so why bother?

But some of you band geeks may want to know what is the basic content of the two programs. So, rather that me tell you the exact content of every concert we do on this tour, let me just share with you the content of the two programs:

PROGRAM A

INTRADA ON MONKLAND (Bulla)

JUBILANCE (Himes), soloist - Peggy Thomas

VICTORY FOR ME (Heaton)

I HEAR A VOICE A PRAY-IN’ (Bright)

HE LEADETH ME (Kellner) or GRACE (Hayes)

WALK WITH ME(Steadman-Allan), soloist Brett Tolcher

Testimony

PURCELL VARIATIONS (Downie)

INTERMISSION

VIENNA FANFARE (Strauss/arr. Himes)

SO GLAD (Himes), soloist - Tim Meyer or SWING LOW (Fernie), soloist - Mike Hanton

SOLI DEO GLORIA (Himes)

Scripture

MVT 4 SYMPHONY NUMBER 3 (Giannini, arr. Himes)

STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER (Sousa, arr. Himes)

CHORAL BENEDICTION (Himes)

PROGRAM B

HALLELUJAH (Curnow)

CONCERTINO FOR FLUGEL (Himes), soloist - Beth Cooper

SEIZE THE DAY (Graham) or LET EVERYTHING PRAISE (Cordner)

I HEAR A VOICE A-PRAYIN’ (Bright)

NEAR TO THE HEART (McAfee, arr. Lucas) or MY SIMPLE PRAYER (Little, arr. Lovatt-Cooper, adapted Kane

PRECIOUS LORD (Broughton), soloist - Ben Kinzie

Testimony

TO WORLDS UNKNOWN (Bulla)

INTERMISSION

VIENNA FANFARE (Strauss, arr. Himes)

WE’LL ALL SHOUT HALLELUJAH (Audoire), soloist - Shaun Thomas

YOU RAISE ME UP (Lovland & Graham, arr. Gates) or ARTIST OF MY SOUL (Vale, arr. Himes), soloist- Heidi Strand

THIS I KNOW (Himes)

Scripture

MVT 4 SYMPHONY NUMBER 3 (Giannini, arr. Himes)

STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER (Sousa, arr. Himes)

CHORAL BENEDICTION (Himes)

So, there you have it. But if you come to one of our concerts, please don't hold us to these program layouts. They are almost certainly adjusted each time we play.

Hope to see you there.

UK Tour - Day 3 (May 29)

On Sunday morning we began preparing to leave Boscombe by checking out of our hotel. However, it wouldn't be time to actually leave until after we participated in the morning worship service at the Boscombe Corps. The meeting was a fairly traditional Salvation Army service that included participation of the Boscombe Junior Band, Singing Company and Songsters. As impressive as these sections were, the congregational singing was just as thrilling.

During the service, Kristin Caddy gave a personal witness and our Executive Officer brought the message of the morning titled "It's Up To Us" using the same scripture reference (Matthew 5:1-16) that Kristin used in her testimony. However, each had their own unique points to make and Lt. Colonel Vander Weele reminded us that Jesus taught us that we can be blessed, that we should rejoice because of our great reward and that we are to let our light shine. Kristin spoke of her own desire to be more intentional as a result of studying this same passage.

At the conclusion of the service heartfelt gratitude was expressed by both the Boscombe Corps and the Chicago Staff Band for the wonderful time of fellowship we both had experience over the previous 48 hours. And then , the Boscombe Songsters sang a beautiful blessing for us titled "May It Be" from "The Lord of the Rings". It was absolutely beautiful.

A big thank you goes out to the Boscombe Corps and their team that made all of the fine arrangements for us.

Following the service it was time to pack up, have a quick lunch and begin the short 1.75 hour drive to our next stop, Reading Central Corps. We arrived at Reading Central a bit ahead of schedule and that gave us plenty of opportunity to set up and review details for the evening service.

The evening service was again a traditional Sunday evening Salvation Army meeting. The Reading Central Corps Band played "Torchbearers" while we marched into the hall. Shaun Thomas provided his personal witness, the Reading Central Corps Band played, the Reading Central Songsters sang and Lt. Colonel Vander Weele conducted a testimony meeting that many participated in by sharing their own personal witness.

At the conclusion of the witness period, Lt Colonel Vander Weele brought his second message of the day titled "Sinner or Saint - Christ for Me" in which he reminded us that based on Romans 8:1-14 God loved us whether we were sinners or believers. Regardless, He loves us. In the message he gave his own personal witness regarding when he made his own personal decision to become a Christ follower. As in the morning, the invitation was given for men and women to respond to the call of God.

Following the meeting, we met billets that will be hosting us for the two nights we are in Reading. We are looking forward to another good day tomorrow.

UK Tour Day 2 (May 28)

We started our first full tour day with a full English breakfast buffet at the hotel in Boscombe. Following breakfast we proceeded to the Pine Walk Bandstand in Bournemouth. The bandstand is located alongside a stream and walking paths through a lovely park. The first official piece presented was the march Petone Citadel. Many people stopped to listen to variety of music that was split into two mini programs with a 15 minute break between the two sets.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Lt Colonel Susan Bukiewicz, one of our divisional leaders, at the concert who is in the UK attending the ICO.

Following the concert we loaded our equipment before having lunch on the bus or on Boscombe Pier en route to Christchurch for an afternoon of sightseeing. The Christchurch Priory is over 900 years old. As we approached the Priory the church bells began to ring and a bride and groom were provided a surprise first greeting as they exited the church. The look on the brides face was priceless as 30+ plus people all in identical jackets applauded them. After a few pictures they were soon whisked away in a white Rolls Royce.

We then returned to the Boscombe Army hall for a quick sound check before enjoying a delicious dinner.

Tonight's concert consisted of our "A" program and I will provide details of our "A" and "B" programs in a later post. For now, just understand that we have two basic concert programs that serve as the basis of our tour concerts. We tend to alternate them and customize as needed. Tonight we had only one customization and that was inclusion of "Chassidic Dance" by Howard Evans who is the Bandmaster of the Boscombe Corps Band. Bandmaster Evans was asked to conduct the piece.

In addition, we played "Purcell Variations" and were pleased to have Kenneth Downie who composed the piece in attendance.

It was interesting to learn that although we are here to help celebrate the 120th anniversary of the ISB the Boscombe Band, our hosts for the weekend, are celebrating their 125th anniversary this year.

All in all it's been a day of blessing and we are looking forward to worshipping with our Salvation Army friends tomorrow in Boscombe (am) and Reading (pm).

UK Tour Day 1

The first day of our tour really began last evening with a departure from ORD to LHR. We departed on time and actually ended up arriving about an hour early. Unfortunately one of our bandsmen lost a few key articles of clothing from his suitcase en route. It will be a major inconvenience for him until he gets some things replaced.

We were met at the airport by Major Melvyn Ackroyd, Dr Stephen Cobb and Martin Tiplady. Major Ackroyd is appointed along with his wife as chaplain at LHR and he assisted in getting us through border control and customs. Martin has been working on the details of all of the UK touring bands and of course Dr Cobb is the bandmaster of the International Staff Band.

Once we were settled, Major Ackroyd went off to find me who had come in on a separate flight from the band that had been delayed. Once I was collected you can imagine the royal welcome I received from my colleagues who had been waiting patiently on the coach.

Next we headed off on the drive to Bournemouth after buckling our seat belts as required by law. The drive was uneventful and we went straight to the Boscombe Corps to set up for a brief rehearsal. It wasn't brief enough and we missed our opportunity for a cup of tea or coffee before checking in at the hotel where most got a little well deserved rest and several others took self guided walking tours of the area.

The English Channel is walking distance from the hotel and from the beach you can see the Isle of Wight which is very impressive.

Following our rest we returned to the Boscombe Corps for fellowship and food with members of the Boscombe Corps Band. The fish and chips were perfect as was the dessert. It's always enjoyable to meet Salvation Army bandsmen wherever we are and the members of the Boscombe Band are no exception to that. They were great hosts tonight.

It was great to see Bandmaster Howard Evans. Many of us got to know a him 6 years ago when he, his wife and two daughters were special guests at Central Music Institute. After his brief remarks we've returned to the hotel to rest and prepare for a good full day tomorrow.

Please keep us all in your prayers.

Until next time...

Counting Down

As many of you know, we leave tomorrow evening on a UK tour that will conclude at the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the International Staff Band. The blog has been quiet because a) I've been very busy and b) we've worked hard to keep perspective on this season. We've had many fine ministry opportunities this season and we have tried to focus on each one of those in turn. But, now we are on the threshold of the beginning of the tour and I must begin to write again.

The United Kingdom and Ireland Territory have really worked hard on each aspect of this event. I'll do my best to keep you informed of what is going on along the way, but for now I guess I should just publish our schedule. So, here goes:

Thursday evening, May 26

Depart Chicago O'Hare Airport

Friday, May 27

Arrive London Heathrow

Proceed to Bournemouth

Saturday, May 28

10:30 am Concert at Pine Walk Bandstand

7:00 pm Concert at The Salvation Army Boscombe Corps

Sunday, May 29

11:00 am Worship Service at The Salvation Army Boscombe Corps

Afternoon - Travel to Reading

6:00 pm Worship Service at The Salvation Army Reading Central Corps

Monday, May 30

7:00 pm Concert at Reading Central Corps

Tuesday, May 31

7:30 pm Concert at Norwich Citadel Corps

Wednesday, June 1

2:00 pm Civic Reception with Lord Mayor of Leeds

7:30 pm Concert at Morley Town Hall (Leeds)

Thursday, June 2

10:30 am Civic Reception at County Hall, Durham City

1:15 pm Informal Concert at Durham Cathedral

7:30 pm Concert at Empire Theatre (Consett)

Friday, June 3

1:00 pm Concert at Chelmsford Cathedral (45 minutes)

7:30 pm Concert in Chelmsford Cathedral

Saturday, June 4

2:00 pm Mini Concert at Royal Albert Hall (London)

7:00 pm "Brass Spectacular" Concert at Royal Albert Hall (Celebrating the 120th anniversary of the International Staff Band with seven other staff bands)

Sunday, June 5

2:15 pm March from Admiralty Arch to Buckingham Palace (London) (with seven other staff bands)

2:35 pm Concert in Buckingham Palace Forecourt (with seven other staff bands)

3:05 pm March from Buckingham Palace to Wellington Barracks (passing in review of General Linda Bond)

Monday, June 6

Return to Chicago

There are a number of other activities on our schedule but the above are public.

Please keep the ministry of the band in your prayers and watch here for updates as we go along!

The Chicago Staff Band will be in Elkhart, IN April 16-17, 2011. Plans for the weekend include a Saturday evening concert, open to the public, at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Sunday morning worship at the First Presbyterian Church.

For more information please contact the Salvation Army in Elkhart at: 574.970.0088

Saturday, April 16

Public Concert at RV/MH Hall of Fame - 7:00 pm
(A volunteer recognition event will precede the concert at 6:30 pm)
21565 Executive Parkway
Elkhart, IN 46514

Sunday, April 17 (Palm Sunday)

First Presbyterian Church - 11:00 am service
200 E Beardsley
Elkhart, IN 46514
www.presby.net

Peoria, IL Visit Schedule

The Chicago Staff Band will visit Peoria, IL March 19-20, 2011. On Saturday afternoon we will be conducting a band school with Salvation Army young people from the Salvation Army's Heartland Division. On Saturday evening there will be a public concert at 7:00 pm in Dingeldine Music Center on the campus of Bradley University.

Sunday morning we will participate in two worship services at Bethany Baptist Church.

The details for the public events follow. For more information contact the Salvation Army at: 309.655.7220

Saturday, March 19

7:00 pm Concert (open to the public)
Dingeldine Music Center
Bradley University
1417 W Baker Avenue
Peoria, IL 61606

Sunday, March 20

8:15 am and 11:00 am worship services
Bethany Baptist Church
7422 N Heinz Lane
Edwards, IL 61528
www.bethanycentral.org

Upcoming Events

We've just published as many details as we have on our schedule web page for our upcoming visits to Peoria, IL (March 2011), Elkhart, IN (April 2011) and the UK/ISB 120 (May/June 2011).

You can find our web site at:

http://www.usc.salvationarmy.org/csb.

From there you can click on "schedule" on the right hand side. Or, you can click on this link that will take you directly there: http://bit.ly/fikopb

I will be posting these details here in the blog in the next few days.

CSB Visit to Ottawa, IL - February 19-20,2011

The Chicago Staff Band traveled just 85 miles to Ottawa, IL on Saturday, February 19, 2011 for a Saturday evening concert and Sunday morning worship. With a population of just over 18,000 people it is a city of two rivers because it is where the Fox River and Illinois River meet.

The Salvation Army in Ottawa is led by Captains Quentin and Mary Boyle who had made arrangements for the events of the weekend to be hosted by the 1st Presbyterian Church in Ottawa that is pastored by John Walker.

Following the relatively short bus ride we quickly adapted to the tight space available in the sanctuary and had a quick sound check. Following the sound check dinner was hosted by the Church prior to the start of the concert. A good sized crowd gathered in the sanctuary for the 7:00 pm concert.

Following the concert some of us were hosted by members of the Church and others were housed at a hotel. We are looking forward to worship this morning where our own Executive Officer, Lt. Colonel Richard Vander Weele, will bring the message of the morning from Psalm 23, continuing the theme already started by Pastor Walker at the church.

Special thanks go out to Pastor Walker and the people of the 1st Presbyterian Church, Captains Boyle and the Ottawa Salvation Army, Major James Frye (Heartland Division Music Coordinator) and Major Evie Diaz (Heartland Divisional Commander) for their support of this weekend.

A listing of the concert program follows.

Hallelujah! (Curnow)
Invocation - Captain Quentin Boyle
Trumpet Call (Downie) - Beth Cooper, cornet soloist
Victory For Me! (Heaton)
I Hear a Voice A-Prayin' (Bright) - CSB Chorus
Grace (Hayes) - CSB Chorus
We'll All Shout Hallelujah (Audoire) - Shaun Thomas, euphonium soloist
To Worlds Unknown (Bulla)
Offering/Intermission
Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare (Strauss/arr Himes)
Chassidic Dance (Evans)
Walk With Me (Steadman-Allen) - Brett Tolcher, trombone soloist
Scripture - Lt. Colonel Richard Vander Weele
Unshakeable Kingdom (Gaither, Gaither & Smith) - Heidi Smith, vocal soloist
Symphony No. 3, Movement 4 (Giannini/arr Himes)
Prayer - Captain Mary Boyle
Choral Benediction - CSB Chorus

CSB To Visit Ottawa, IL

The Chicago Staff Band will visit Ottawa, IL on February 19-20, 2011. On Saturday evening at 7:00 pm there will be a concert and we will participate in Sunday morning worship at 10:00 am as well. Both the concert and worship service will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Ottawa located at:

114 E Jefferson St
Ottawa, IL


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For more information contact the Salvation Army in Ottawa, IL at (815) 433-0798.

Oak Creek, WI - This Weekend

I'm happy to report that the CSB will be visiting the Salvation Army in Oak Creek, WI this weekend. The events of the weekend include a concert at 6:30 pm on Saturday evening. In addition to the band, the Milwaukee Choristers (web page or Facebook) will be featured in this concert.

On Sunday morning the band will participate in the morning worship service at 10:30 am.

Both the worship service and concert will take place at the Salvation Army in Oak Creek located at:
8853 South Howell Avenue
Oak Creek, Wisconsin 53154

For more information call the Salvation Army at 414.762.3993


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