Two bands, one concert

Mission Hill Brass is funking up their next concert with a special visit from 4 Wing Brass, an official military support band in the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Wings of Brass, a joint 90-minute concert, takes place at Mission Hill’s go-to concert hall, St. Albert United Church on Sunday, April 23.

Mission Hill has already played two events at Cold Lake, and CFB 4 Wing is reciprocating on Sunday with its debut St. Albert concert.

Both bands will play two sets each featuring a broad-based array of military fanfares, marches, ballads, pop music, spirituals, and a Broadway musical chart.

4 Wing, led by Warrant Officer Jeremy Duggleby, has become a Cold Lake institution since its formal inception in 1981.

With the exception of Duggleby, the band is composed of volunteer players, both military and civilian, providing musical support for parades, formal mess dinners and community outreach.

“My biggest challenge is finding music that fits everyone, but I think we have a good program,” said Duggleby.

A trombonist who studied jazz performance at St. Francis Xavier University, the bandmaster joined the Canadian Forces Music Branch in 2002.

The professional military musician was posted across the country with a previous posting at CFB Esquimalt, a B.C. naval base about five kilometres from Victoria. Leaving the warm climate of Victoria, Duggleby arrived at Cold Lake in 2015.

When Mission Hill Brass music director Daniel Skepple received a contract teaching software applications at CFB 4 Wing, his classroom was allocated across the hall from the 4 Wing’s band room.

It was natural for the two military musicians (Skepple was a featured soloist and compÄŤre for CFB Vimy Band for eight years) to cross paths and develop a rapport.

Mission Hill opens with James Curnow’s Fanfare and Flourish and closes the program with Jeff Christmas’ Festival Fanfare and Theme. Both are “quick and technically challenging,” noted Skepple.

They are also tackling Dorothy Gates’ new arrangement of 19th century Shenandoah, a folk song referring to a trader who wishes to marry an Indian chief’s daughter.

“It’s powerful. It’s emotional. It has a cornet feature, but it involves the whole band. It’s a classic piece.”

Mission Hill also plays Camille Saint-SaÄ™n’s Marche Militaire Française, a highly technical piece that can devour a player.

“It’s the toughest piece they’ve played in two or three years.”

Another interesting piece is Holy Ground, a deeply spiritual piece commissioned for President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration.

On the other hand, 4 Wing brings lighter fare to the table. The 18-person band, formed of woodwinds and brass, is aptly suited to playing popular favourites such as the traditional Irish Danny Boy, a Billy Joel medley and Freddie Mercury’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

They pick up the pace with Ralph Vaughn Williams’s early 20th century piece Folk Song Suite, the Big Band era’s String of Pearls, and the reverential hymn Be Thou My Vision.

Skepple is suitably a big booster for the evening’s entertainment.

“There’s challenging music, a top-notch military band and an eclectic choice of music for everyone.”