Canadian Armed Forces Conductor inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association
News Release
March 11, 2017 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Captain Matthew Clark, Commanding Officer and Director of Music for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Band, was formally inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association (ABA) today during a ceremony in Lexington, Kentucky. His election into the ABA, which took place last year, finds him as the only serving CAF member in the association.
Capt. Clark, who has been a musician in the CAF since 1997, was extended an invitation to join the ABA last March while he was the Commanding Officer and Director of Music for the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy. His talents were noticed by Dr. Gerald King, the University of Victoria’s Head of Music Education and Wind Conducting, and he began the long process of gathering supporting evidence of Capt. Clark’s work to bring to the ABA. Dr. King filed away audio recordings of the then-naval officer conducting for the Victoria Symphony, the Naden Band, the University of Victoria, and the Victoria Philharmonic Choir over a period of about four years.
As a Commanding Officer, Capt. Clark has produced several recordings and collaborated with notable Canadian composers such as Robert Buckley and Ian McDougall. He is one of six Canadians that are part of the ABA’s group of 300 conductors and composers.
Quotes
“In the time I have been Supervisor of Music for the Canadian Armed Forces, Captain Clark has impressed me with his dedication, passion and artistic vision for symphonic wind music. This is a great honour both for Captain Clark and for all the Canadian Armed Forces musicians who work hard at their craft each day.”
— Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Chan, Canadian Armed Forces Music Branch Advisor and Supervisor of Music
“Matthew is an outstanding musician, conductor, euphonium soloist, educator, and leader. Since he became the Commanding Officer and Director of Music for the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, the quality of the band increased to a level rarely heard before in Canada. Matthew is a leader who meets the personal criteria for membership in ABA—an individual of integrity who is committed to excellence in everything he undertakes—he is a wonderful human being who is personable, witty, and honest.”
— Dr. Gerald King, Head of Music Education and Wind Conducting, University of Victoria
Quick Facts
-
Capt. Clark is on his second tour as a Commanding Officer and Director of Music with a Canadian Armed Forces Band.
-
The role of the CAF Music Branch is to provide quality music that is designed to support CAF operations, foster morale and esprit de corps and to promote the Department of National Defense (DND) and Canadian aesthetics and values both nationally and abroad. The branch is also tasked to promote the CAF as a career choice for Canadians.
-
The 83rd Annual American Bandmasters Association convention is taking place in Lexington, Kentucky from March 8-11, 2017, and Capt. Clark will be conducting “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band on March 10.
-
The ABA was formed in 1920 by Edwin Franko Goldman, a prominent band composer, to raise esteem for concert bands among musicians and audiences, and to solidify concert band’s place in the cultural heritage of North American society.
Related Products
Associated Links
Contacts
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-996-2353
Toll-Free: 1-866-377-0811
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca