The morning of Saturday, May 5, dawned bright and early as the Canadian Staff Band departed Toronto at 6 a.m. for a busy weekend in Montreal. Following an uneventful bus ride, we arrived at 12:45 and hit the ground with our feet running. Organizers had made sure there were numerous opportunities for outdoor ministry and immediately we were pressed into service. Dividing into three groups, the band played at various locations in downtown Montreal where appreciative crowds of onlookers enjoyed listening. Some even returned to the citadel for our evening concert.

The band was very conscious throughout the weekend of the events of recent months and the sale of the historic Montreal Citadel building to Alcan, who will be redeveloping the site to expand its headquarters. It is interesting to note that the citadel itself, formerly the site of Emmanuel Congregational Church until it was purchased by the Army in 1948, will be preserved by the city as part of an historic zone in downtown Montreal. Planners are looking at various options for its future use, including the possibility of refurbishing the sanctuary and using it as a concert hall. Whatever happens, the exterior of the building will remain as it is.

The weekend had been planned by the CSB, in conjunction with divisional leadership, specifically as a means of promoting The Salvation Army in Montreal. With that in mind, we were grateful for the support of our hosts, Lt-Colonels Gilbert and Marilynn St-Onge, divisional leaders for Quebec, as well as Colonels Glen and Eleanor Shepherd, chief secretary and territorial secretary for women’s ministries. Captains Norman and Ruth Gardner, corps officers of Montreal Citadel, were also quite involved in a lot of the behind-the-scenes organization. Norm is a CSB alumnus who played with the band in the early 1980s and it was good to link up with him again. Many other Salvationists from Ontario were also present, including Majors Cliff and Ruth Hollman, now retired, and Majors Neil and Lynda Watt from THQ, former soldiers of the corps.

Following a wonderful Italian meal at Pastatella Restaurant, located just behind the corps building, the CSB presented our evening concert at the citadel to an appreciative audience. We were privileged to share the platform with acclaimed tenor Guy Bélanger, well known throughout Quebec for his vocal artistry. It was not the first time he had appeared as the guest at a Salvation Army event, having sung previously at a gala concert in Quebec City in December 2004 saluting the Army’s 120th anniversary in the province. He presented four contrasting items, “Perhaps Love” (John Denver), “O Danny Boy” (traditional), “Love Changes Everything” (Andrew Lloyd Webber) and “Amazing Grace,” the latter two with band accompaniment.
The band’s major contributions to the evening included Eric Ball’s “The Triumph of Peace” and three movements from Peter Graham’s “Windows on the World.” Three soloists were featured on the program - Ron Heintzman, playing “Concertpiece for Cornet” (James Curnow), Steve Pavey, euphonium, with “Travelling Along” (Chris Mallett) and Andrew Poirier, trombone, playing Leslie Condon’s “Song of Exuberance,” a demanding work for both soloist and band. A memorable moment came with the premier presentation of “Praise and Worship,” a new work by local composer Stephen Pelley, who was present for the performance.

Also throughout the weekend, the music of the late Canadian composer Morley Calvert was featured prominently. A professional music educator and former Montreal Citadel bandmaster, his contributions to Army music-making were noted on various occasions. On Saturday night, the band featured two of his more well-known compositions - “Canadian Folk Song Suite,” which incorporates two Quebec folk melodies, and his devotional meditation, “For Our Transgressions.”

Throughout the evening, Colonels Glen and Eleanor Shepherd chaired the program, speaking in both French and English. To conclude the concert, following their brief Scripture reading and comments, local corps band members joined the CSB on stage to present the famous march “Montreal Citadel,” written by Norman Audoire when he was the corps bandmaster in 1936. Having been unofficially adopted as a kind of signature march for the Canadian Staff Band - it has been played by the band all over the world throughout its 38-year-long history - it has perhaps never been played with more meaning or significance than on this particular occasion marking one of the last meetings in this historic old building.

This wonderful old street march was also featured several other times throughout the weekend’s activities, including in a spontaneous singing of grace by staff band members before the noon meal at the citadel on Sunday. For the morning, the CSB had been split again into three groups, with two smaller ensembles ministering at South Shore and Rosemount Corps. Majors Neil and Lynda Watt led the morning meeting at the citadel and Colonels Glen and Eleanor Shepherd shared the Bible message.

After dinner, the band embarked on one last outdoor engagement near the corps before boarding the bus for the long trip home. All in all, it had been a very busy but satisfying weekend and will long be remembered in the years to come. As the Montreal Citadel congregation prepares to move into its new location in Point St. Charles, it is the CSB’s prayer that it will enjoy a long future and that many will continue to be influenced for God’s Kingdom by its ongoing ministry.
Embedded Content

For more pictures visit SALVATIONIST/Flickr by clicking on the picture set to the left.
Report by Major Ken Smith