Capt David Cole MVO MMUS ARCM RM.
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| Musical Director: Capt Dave Cole |
David Cole received his early musical training with the Salvation
Army and playing in the London Schools Symphony Orchestra on tuba. He joined
the Royal Marines Band Service in 1967 from which he retired as a Director of
Music after 32 years service.
David studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music and was
awarded the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. His career in
the Royal Marines culminated in September 1992 when he was appointed Director
of Music to the Band of HM Royal Marines Portsmouth and Her Majesty's Yacht
Britannia. An appointment he held to December 1997 when the Royal Yacht was
decommissioned in Portsmouth. The Queen honoured him by awarding him membership
of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO).
Following his long and distinguished career in the Royal Marines he
spent the next few years in teaching as the Head of Music at Wellesley House, a
top Independent Preparatory School in Broadstairs, Kent where he also continued
his life-long love of sport and athletics. David was appointed Director of
Music to the Royal British Legion in 2006. He is also the Assistant Producer of
the annual Festival of Remembrance, a major national event broadcast on BBC
television and radio. David's wide experience as a musical director ranges from
symphony and concert orchestras, wind and brass bands, to choral conducting,
big bands and dance bands. He is a freeman of the City of London and a
liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians
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Guest Conductors
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Captain Peter J Curtis MBE BMus(Hons) PGDip LRSM AMusTCL Royal Marines
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Captain Craig Burns GCGI PGDip LRSM Royal Marines
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Born into a Salvationist family,
Pete grew up interested in music and thus in January 1986, having watched the
Royal Marines Band perform in his hometown of Bath, joined the Royal Marines
Band Service as a Solo Cornet player. On completion of 3 years training at
Deal, he was drafted to CinC Fleet Band, London, where he travelled the world
extensively. He then spent the next seven years serving as the Principal Cornet
of both the Royal Marines Bands in Dartmouth and Scotland. It was during this
time when he made contact again with the civilian Brass Band scene, firstly
playing, and then conducting both Totnes Band and Tullis Russell Mills Band.
In 1997, he was appointed as the
Solo Cornet Instructor at the Royal Marines School of Music, Portsmouth. From
here he was selected for the "Musician 1" Course and, following promotion to
Sergeant, the Bandmasters Course. Having finished both Courses as top student
with distinguished passes and gained two civilian diplomas - an Associate
(Music) with Trinity College London, for Theory and a Licentiate with the Royal
Schools of Music, for Conducting - he was presented with the prestigious Silver
Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
Following promotion to Colour Sergeant in 2001, he
became the Bandmaster of the HMS Collingwood Volunteer Band. During his
two-year tenure, they were twice crowned "RN Concert Band Champions" and also
"Best Overall Band" in 2002. During this time he was also studying for his
Batchelor of Music Degree, graduating with First Class Honours and spent time
as the Resident Conductor of Woodfalls Band and as Musical Director of Ocean
Brass.
A return to the Royal
Marines School of Music followed, firstly as Academic Instructor before being
appointed Chief Instructor of Higher Training following promotion to Warrant
Officer. Having been selected for commissioning by the Admiralty Interview
Board, in April 2004 he commenced the Senior Corps Commission Course at the
Commando Training Centre. On completion and following promotion to Captain RM,
he moved to the University of Salford, Manchester, working under Professor
David King, to undertake further intensive musical study specialising in
Conducting and the Psychology of Performance where, in 2005, he gained a Post
Graduate Diploma. He also worked with the famous Besses O' The Barn Brass Band
in Manchester and appeared as a guest conductor with Camborne Town Band.
A fantastic two year period as
the Director of Music of the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Commando
Training Centre followed before stepping away from the Band Service to
undertake a number of roles within the Royal Marines General Service, firstly
as 2nd-in-Command of Base Company, 40 Commando Royal Marines during their
2007/08 tour of Afghanistan, and then as the Corps Casualty Officer where he
was solely responsible for the Royal Marines Casualty Notification Process.
Given his unique experience of
the Naval Service Recovery Pathway and having worked closely with many
casualties and their families, in June 2009, he was selected to be the first
ever Officer Commanding of Hasler Company Royal Marines, a brand new
Rehabilitation Company. He was tasked to create, establish and command this
bespoke facility in order to accommodate, manage and administer all of the long
term ill and seriously injured casualties within the Royal Marines, a role for
which he was awarded the MBE in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Having returned to the Band
Service, he currently holds the appointment of SO3 Band (Commitments &
Personnel) - the Royal Marines Band Service Commitments Co-ordinator and Career
Manager) working within the Headquarters in Portsmouth. In addition to this,
having always enjoyed working with organisations outside of the Royal Marines,
in January 2011 he accepted an offer from the Band of the Hampshire
Constabulary to become their Director of Music.
He lives in the Drayton area of Portsmouth with his
wife Rachel and their 3 year old daughter Mosella but also has three older
children, Francesca (22), Matthew (21) and Bethany (19), who all live in Kent.
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Craig joined the Royal Marines Band Service in 1983 at
the age of 17, having received his musical grounding in several Brass Bands in
his home city of Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire. After three years training at
the Royal Marines School of Music in Deal, Craig was drafted to his first Band
at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines at Lympstone. Apart from a short
draft to Fleet Band in London in 1987, Craig managed to stay at CTCRM for a
further 5 years, his longest tenure in a draft to date.
After a successful Junior Command Course and the
subsequent promotion to Corporal, Craig joined the Royal Marines School of
Music as an instructor in 1992. While in this appointment, he passed his Senior
Command Course and was promoted to Band Sergeant in 1994, while serving in his
next draft in the Band at HMS Raleigh in Plymouth.
In 1995 Craig was selected to attend the
Bandmasters Course at the Royal Marines School of Music, in Deal. This
was to be the last course run at Deal before the School moved to HMS Nelson in
Portsmouth in 1996. Craig successfully passed the course, and was subsequently
awarded the LRSM Diploma in Military Bandmastership. On completion of the
course, Craig returned once more to the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone.
In 1999 he took up post as Volunteer Band Instructor in HMS Neptune, Faslane
for his first sojourn North of the Border. This was to be a very enjoyable and
productive 2-year draft, working with Civilian and Royal Navy musicians,
obtaining a thorough grounding in the organisation, logistics, musical
requirements, and conducting of a Military Band. While in Scotland, Craig
managed to return to his Brass Band roots, playing cornet with and conducting
Clydebank Burgh Brass Band, and also playing cornet with the Glasgow Co-Op
Brass Band.
There followed,
between 2001 and 2004, three more drafts: to Plymouth, CTCRM, and back to
Plymouth, where Craig took over as WO2 Bandmaster in May 2004. In 2005 Craig
successfully passed the selection board for WO1 and was also awarded a
Graduateship from the City and Guilds Institute in Human Resource Management.
He was promoted WO1 in September 2005, and took over as WO1 Bandmaster in the
Royal Marines Band Scotland in January 2006.
Craig was commissioned Captain in April 2007 and
completed his Senior Corps Commission Course at the Commando Training Centre
Royal Marines, Lympstone in July 2007. Craig then undertook further educational
studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, studying with
Clark Rundell, Baldur Bronnimann, and Mark Heron, and was awarded a
Postgraduate Diploma in Conducting, before returning to the Commando Training
Centre Royal Marines in July 2008 as Director of Music. In September 2010,
after an extremely productive and rewarding two years at CTCRM, Craig assumed
the mantle of Supply Officer (Music), based in HMS Nelson in Portsmouth.
Craig has travelled quite
extensively throughout his time in the Royal Marines Band Service, visiting
places such as the USA, many parts of Europe, Malaysia and Singapore.
Throughout his career he has regularly represented the Royal Marines and Royal
Navy at Squash; some highlights from this aspect of his career include winning
the Royal Marines doubles and team event, and leading the Royal Marines team to
victory in the Inter-Command Championships. Unfortunately a serious knee injury
has now ended his participation in any sport. His appetite for sport is now fed
by following the sometimes dubious and sometimes brilliant form of Stoke City
Football Club.
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(Former) Directors of Music
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Capt Ted Whealing. MVO BA ARAM ARCM LTCL
RM. DoM RMACB (2006 - 2011)
Ted Whealing. His dedication and tireless enthusiasm
combined with a superb musical talent was one of the major driving forces in
making the concept of the RMACB a reality. For the past five years Ted has
worked extremely hard promoting the band but has now decided to retire
gracefully and pass the baton onto a new generation.
Ted Whealing joined the Band Service in 1955 as a
junior entry musician (alto sax, clarinet and violin). In the mid 1970s he
attended the advanced conducting course at the Royal Academy of Music, and also
studied under John Dankworth.
On
commissioning he served as Director of Music of the FONAC, Flag Officer
Plymouth, CINCFLEET and CINCNAVHOME (Royal Yacht) bands. Following his
retirement from the Corps in 1991 he became the Director of Music of the Royal
British Legion, an appointment he held until 2006. |
| Capt Ted Whealing
2006-2011 |
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