THE ROYAL NORWEGIAN NAVY BAND — NORWAY
Formed in 1820 and based out of Horten since the 1850s, the Royal Norwegian Navy Band is one of five professional military bands based in the Scandinavian country.
The 27 highly-educated, professional musicians that make up the Royal Norwegian Navy Band perform up to 150 events a year and travel around the world with their world-class repertoire, mastering genres including traditional band, classical, contemporary, jazz, rock and pop.
In addition to their many awards, the Royal Norwegian Navy Band has released several CDs, performed with Norway’s best musicians, and has even won the Norwegian GRAMMY, the Spellemannprisen!
While the Royal Norwegian Navy Band has performed all over the world, this is their first time in Halifax and they’re coming for a very special reason.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the special cultural and military relationship cultivated all those years ago remains especially poignant between Canada and Norway.
In the Royal Norwegian Navy Band’s own words: “The efforts of the War Sailors during the Second World War are considered Norway’s most significant contribution to the Allied victory. Thus, the issue is highly applicable for the Norwegian Armed Forces as well. Under extremely difficult conditions, Norwegian merchant seafarers transported fuel, war materials, and other goods. War Sailors underwent significant psychological strain as they were constantly exposed to the threat of attacks from submarines or aircraft, as well as being completely cut off from society… Approximately 3,700 War Sailors in the merchant fleet lost their lives, and 474 ships were lost.”
