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This week’s ‘Meet the Band’ is the last in our series and there is no more fitting way to end than by introducing and featuring our new Director of Music Captain (Capt) Ben Mason. Capt Mason assumed the appointment of Director of Music, Grenadier Guards in May 2020; prior to which he was the Adjutant of the Household Division Bands for 18 months.
Capt Mason was involved in music making with various Suffolk youth ensembles throughout his childhood and was a member of the local Army Cadet Force from an early age. He enlisted into his local Regular Army Band, 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, as a Junior Bandsman in 1991 at the age of 16. It was in 1994, upon completion of the Junior Musician Course at the Army Junior School of Music (Pirbright) and the Pupil Course at The Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall (RMSM), that he was accepted for transfer into the Band of the Grenadier Guards as a pianist and trombonist. During his time in the band he was privileged enough to be part of musical tours across the world including: North America, Australia and Europe.
In 2006 the Regiment awarded him The Brian Johnston Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution and in November of the same year he was successfully selected to attend the three-year Bandmaster Course at RMSM. Here he was tutored in Conducting by Wing Commander (Retd.) Rob Wiffin (former Principal Director of Music of the Royal Air Force).
Upon completion of the course, in August 2010, Ben received promotion to Warrant Officer Class One and was assigned as Bandmaster (BM) to The Minden Band of The Queen's Division, in Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire – returning to both the Division where his army career began and to the area where he was raised. He was assigned to Woolwich as Bandmaster of The Royal Artillery Band in July 2012, where he undertook the leadership of musical support to various State Ceremonial duties.
During Remembrance-tide and Christmas/New Year, 2013 Ben deployed to Op HERRICK 19; as 2IC of a unit which provided musical support to troops across theatre. In February 2014 he was assigned to Worthy Down as BM/Officer Commanding The Adjutant General’s Corps Band, at that time the British Army’s flagship Contemporary (Pop/Rock) Band. He took up the post of School Bandmaster at RMSM, the senior Army Bandmaster appointment, in January 2016 and (following his Commissioning in April 2017) served as Director of Music to The Band of The Queen’s Division in Henlow, Bedfordshire until August 2018.
Capt Mason’s interests include: composition; work with community groups; keeping fit and the performing arts. In his spare time he is an associate conductor of Watford Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus and Huntingdonshire Concert Band.
Capt Mason’s first engagement since his return (‘back to his roots’) to the Band of the Grenadier Guards has been the recording of a selection of music reflecting the history and heritage of the Regiment. This will be available to download and listen to for free at 12 noon on the 26 Sept 2020 from the following website:
http://www.householddivision.org.uk/ggbmusic
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