As is often the case at the end of a season, some farewells were in order. At the end of their 47th season, the Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) said goodbye to three stalwarts of the band with a combined 75 years of contributions to the ministry.
The band of the Salvation Army West End Community Church in Bermuda, under the direction of Bandmaster Jerome Astwood, had a busy 2014 – 2015 season, including new instruments, Christmas engagements, Holy Week services and their annual Gospel Arts Weekend.
The Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) was pleased to visit Oshawa Temple Corps on the weekend of 7 – 8 March 2015. Although, at that time, there were no members of the Staff Band from that corps, it has historically been a solid supporter of the Staff Band’s ministry, with numerous Oshawa Temple musicians having done double duty in this capacity.
The Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) visited Mountain Citadel in Hamilton, Ontario, on the weekend of 7 – 8 February 2015. The weekend included the 2015 installment of the annual Blazing Brass concert series, a music festival on Saturday evening, and Sunday morning worship.
The Canadian Staff Band, both in full and in ensemble, participated in numerous observances of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Empress of Ireland. This disaster, the worst maritime accident in the history of Canada, claimed 1,012 lives, of which 167 were Salvationists traveling to an international congress in London, England.
An air of excitement and anticipation swelled through the capacity audience at Scarborough Citadel, Toronto, on Saturday, 24 May 2014 as they awaited the entry of the Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) for its 45th Anniversary Festival. This year’s focus was on honoring Staff Band alumni – 147 in all, including 28 deceased members.
On 1 – 2 March 2014, the Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) participated in a memorable weekend hosted by Cedarbrae Corps, located in the Scarborough area of Toronto.
On Sunday, 2 February 2014, the Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) visited Orillia Citadel as a part of the Citadel’s 130th anniversary weekend.
As usual, the Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) had a busy month leading up to Christmas, with a parade and three major Christmas concerts in and around Toronto.
On 16 November 2013, the Canadian Staff Band (Bandmaster John Lam) welcomed the Eastern Michigan Divisional Band (Bandmaster Tom Hanton) and the Ontario Central East Youth Chorus (Leader Cathie Koehnen) to Scarborough Citadel for their annual Fall Festival concert.