RiverCenter hosts The Band of the Irish Guards/The Royal Regiment of Scotland

It was Queen Victoria who began The Band of the Irish Guards/The Royal Regiment of Scotland on April 1, 1900, to commemorate the bravery of the Irish Guards.

The band has been performing ever since.

Maj. Philip Shannon leads the band. He began his army career in 1971 when he joined the Junior Musicians’ Troop Royal Artillery as a violin and trumpet player. He attended the Pupils’ Course at The Royal Military School of Music, and in 1974, won the string and jazz prizes before getting a transfer to the Royal Artillery (Woolwich) Band. After three years with the band, he was appointed the violin teacher at the Junior Musicians’ Troop.

In 1982, Shannon was selected to attend the Student Bandmaster Course held at The Royal Military School of Music, graduating two years later, winning three major prizes. He was then appointed bandmaster of the First Battalion.

He toured extensively throughout France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Turkey and Canada.

In 1990, Shannon was posted to the Asia, where the band undertook a high profile musical role. He was also responsible for initiating a cross-cultural program of music education in Hong Kong.

In 1994, Shannon was appointed the first director of music to The Band of the Prince of Wales’ Division. After four years he was posted to the Band of the Welsh Guards, where he served until 2005. He then became the chief instructor at The Royal Military School of Music, where he was responsible for the training of all musicians and bandmasters in the army, followed by a short period as director of music of the Band of the Army Air Corps.

In November of 2008, Shannon returned to the Household Division to become the 10th director of music of the Irish Guards.

Shannon and the band will perform in the Bill Heard Theatre on Monday. He answered questions in an e-mail interview last week.

How many people make up the show? And are they all Irish? The reason I ask is shows like “Riverdance” have Americans and Canadians in the cast as well as Irish dancers.

The tour comprises of 80 members of the Band of the Irish Guards and the Pipes and Drums of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Cast members come from all parts of the United Kingdom including Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.

If this is a regimental show, is there a touring group and one that stays at home?

Both bands are touring with a full complement. In our absence, other British Army bands continue to provide musical support to military events and state ceremonial occasions back in the UK.

How much traveling do you do all year? How long is this American tour?

Opportunities to travel frequently are limited due to the high level of musical commitments we undertake back in UK. That said, short visits to other European nations happen fairly regularly and usually involve performing at one of the many military shows.

I was reading your blog last night and it seems as if you all have fun. What’s the best time you’ve had on tour?

I’m sure most of the party would agree that the trip to Las Vegas and Niagara Falls were the most memorable so far.

Which theater have you enjoyed the most?

All the venues have been excellent so far. I suppose the stand out theater would have to be the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, given its opulent architecture and enthusiastic audience.

You must have caused quite a scene when all of you showed up at that Chinese buffet?

Our tour manager has proven most resourceful in providing a varied diet for us. Fortunately the restaurant staff were well prepared for our visit and a hearty meal was enjoyed by all.

It seems that some of you enjoy shopping. How much baggage do you have to ship home?

It is true that some are taking advantage of the favorable exchange rate here in the U.S. It remains to be seen how the many items of designer clothing will make it back to the UK!

What’s the toughest part of being on tour?

The amount of time spent traveling between venues is quite tedious. Some days have involved lengthy coach journeys, one or more flights followed by a performance.

Who has been in the show the longest?

We all began the tour together and will hopefully all finish together. We do have some band members who have been Army musicians for nearly 40 years.

Are you still having fun?

Most definitely. Each destination and venue brings something new to experience which ultimately influences our performance.

What haven’t you seen while in the U.S.? And will you be able to do that?

I haven’t yet been able to see the Grand Canyon. However, some band members were able to make the lengthy trip from Palm Desert and were suitably awestruck.