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by Ernie Young –
Not the supersonic Concorde, but the Concord Corps Band…
The 35 members of the Concord, Calif., band, with Bandmaster Richard Spicer, arrive in Belfast on Good Friday to begin a 15-day concert tour of the United Kingdom.
Easter will be celebrated in Northern Ireland at Belfast Temple Corps. Then the band will travel by sea to the mainland of Scotland to give concerts in Kilmarnock and Aberdeen. Over the border in England, they will give their musical witness in North Shields and the historic city of York, before spending the weekend in the seaside resort of Blackpool. Further venues are the Founder’s city of Nottingham, Sale (Manchester), Clacton and Stotfold.
Under Spicer’s leadership, the former Oakland Citadel Band successfully made the transition to Concord. The composer of several pieces in the band’s repertoire, he is also the Del Oro Divisional music director.
Band personnel includes school teachers, policeofficers, high school and college students, business executives, Salvation Army officers and employees. Among the five women in the group are an attorney and two homemakers, as well as former Concord corps officer Major Anne Pickup.
For some 12 band members who are British expatriates, it will be a nostalgic return to their native and spiritual roots. Major Bill Nottle, corps officer, will be the tour’s executive officer. What worthy ambassadors this band will be for their corps, the Del Oro Division, and the Western Territory!
