Scotland’s best-known military band – The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland – is to embark on its first-ever nationwide tour with the hope of raising tens of thousands of pounds for Armed Forces charity Poppyscotland.
Scotland’s State Band, as it is also known, will embark on a tour entitled “Walking with Heroes”, which will take in seven venues, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth, Kilmarnock and Dunfermline. Band members – led by Director of Music Major David Barringer MBE – met on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile today for the official launch.
Director of Music Major David Barringer MBE said: “For the band, this tour is a massive thing. We are excited to be going out further afield to a number of different venues as that is something that the band has not done for a very long time. It will be great music in great venues and all to support the Poppyscotland cause, and we are massively looking forward to it.”
To accompany the centenary tour, a CD – also entitled Walking with Heroes – is being produced, with the aim to commemorate 100 years since the end of The Great War, and to honour those that served our nation so valiantly. Major Barringer added: “To be producing the CD is a great and fitting legacy that we as a band will be proud to leave in this poignant centenary year.”
The programme includes works by such iconic composers as Holst, Shostakovich, John Williams and Karl Jenkins alongside new compositions and arrangements. These include traditional Scottish fayre and feature a whole host of soloists; in particular the unmistakable skirl of the pipes.
As well as the tour itself, the band is undertaking another fundraising effort in the form of The 1918 Poppy Pledge. Not only is this a lasting tribute to those who fell in the First World War, but, importantly, will also allow the Poppyscotland to make a step change in the scale of support it is able to provide those in the Armed Forces community who rely on the charity’s support today.
Gordon Michie, Head of Fundraising, said: “It was really exciting to officially launch the tour today and it is a privilege for Poppyscotland to be in partnership with such a talented group of musicians.
“The tour will provide a great opportunity for music-lovers across Scotland to experience the unmistakable and memorable sound of Scotland’s State Band. We urge the public to get their hands on tickets as soon as possible as they are sure to sell out fast!”
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is one of the 22 Regular Army bands and is based at Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh. It is a symphonic wind band with the additional capability of a Ceilidh band. The main role of the band is to support the Army, the State and Ceremonial occasions that occur within Scotland.
The band also performs all over the world. In recent years, it has travelled to Hong Kong, New Zealand, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany and Canada. Every year, it performs at the world-famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo in front of sell-out crowds at Edinburgh Castle during the capital’s Fringe festival.
The band, which was formed in 2006, continues to protect and maintain the extraordinary legacy of military music in Scotland. It combines the crucial traditional elements of our forefathers while continually engaging with the youth of Scottish society to maintain interest and support from younger generations.
The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland tour schedule is as follows:
| Location | Venue | Address | Dates | |
| 1 | Fife | Carnegie Hall | East Port, Dunfermline KY12 7JA | 19th April |
| 2 | Glasgow | Royal Concert Hall | 2 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3NY | 11th May |
| 3 | Edinburgh | Central Hall | 2 W Tollcross, Edinburgh EH3 9BP | 12th May |
| 4 | Kilmarnock | Grand Hall | 9 Green Street, Kilmarnock KA1 3BN | 15th June |
| 5 | Perth | Concert Hall | Mill Street, Perth PH1 5HZ | 22th September |
| 6 | Aberdeen | Beach Ballroom | Beach Promenade, Aberdeen , AB24 5NR | 28thSeptember |
| 7 | Inverness | Inverness Cathedral | 15 Ardross Street, Inverness IV3 5NS | 20th October |
- For more information on The 1918 Poppy Pledge, please visit:www.poppyscotland.org.uk/poppypledge.
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