(Above) The CSB in front of the Obelisco de Buenos Aires, a national historic monument in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Photos: William Chinnery)

In July, the Canadian Staff Band (CSB) shared the gospel through music in South America, beginning in Santiago, Chile, and ending in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The long-anticipated tour—originally slated for July 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic—was a blessing for both the band members and South American Salvationists. Several concerts were livestreamed on social media, and those at home were also able to connect with our experience.

The tour took place under the leadership of John Lam, CSB bandmaster; Marcus Venables, CSB member and assistant territorial music secretary; and Lt-Colonel Les Marshall, executive officer and territorial secretary for mission. Major Pauline Gruer-Caulfield, international personnel liaison officer, provided Spanish translation.

Lasting Memories

Throughout our time, we gave concerts, performed with local musicians and participated in worship, marches of witness and open-air services. We were also delighted to play for two Salvation Army schools, which was a new experience for CSB members. We performed a variety of music, from riveting rhythms to meditative melodies, along with solo items by Marcus Venables (cornet), Cameron Rawlins (euphonium and vocal), Bill Way (trombone), Roberto Morson (xylophone) and Rob Brown (tuba).

We made lasting memories as we partnered with our South American friends in band clinics. Most who attended were Salvationists, but musicians from outside the Army were also included. We met in large and small groups, and sometimes one on one, with new friends who were eager to listen and ask questions about the music, the instruments and the lives of the CSB members.

Many invaluable conversations happened over coffee breaks and meals, where the band received warm hospitality. These connections continued through massed band rehearsals, in which Bandmaster John Lam gave practical instruction and encouraged local musicians and music leaders in music and their faith. It was a privilege to see their groups, such as timbrels, dance and songsters, perform in concerts alongside the CSB.

One of the most memorable parts of the tour occurred when the band was divided into smaller groups and went to nearby corps in both Chile and Argentina. Band members marched to open-air meetings and participated in Sunday services through their instrumental playing, words of testimony, preaching and fellowship around a lunch table. Seeing the variety of ministries these corps offered to their communities was reminiscent of the days of William Booth. Experiencing the genuine, giving nature of the corps people as they showered us with kind words and gifts was an incredible blessing to CSB members.

Eternal Impact

Outside of the Army functions, some band representatives attended a reception at the Canadian embassy in Chile, where Bill Way performed some gospel songs on piano. The band walked the streets of downtown cores and played in squares, as well as at an upscale shopping mall and at the Obelisco de Buenos Aires, a famed monument and one of the busiest intersections in the world. We told others about who we were and why we were in South America, handing out business cards with a QR code that led to the CSB’s recordings on YouTube. At one point, the Hard Rock Café at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires projected our music to those nearby in the terminal through a video on their large TV screen, while band members talked to employees about the band.

At the conclusion of our tour’s final concert, Colonel Philip Davisson, territorial commander of the South America East Territory, was visibly moved as he spoke of the band’s impact on the territory, speaking in Spanish to the congregation, which was then translated into English for the band members. “I’ve been filled with pride seeing our own musicians sitting shoulder to shoulder with a band of this calibre,” he said. “Some things words just can’t express. When you’re playing your instruments, when you’re touching your instruments, you’re also touching our hearts.”

As a band, we gained new friends and new insight into the Army outside of Canada. We are grateful to our hosts, Catherine Herrera and Herlan Bravo, territorial music directors in Chile and Argentina, respectively, and all the local leaders and Salvationists who looked after our needs so graciously. In the words of Bandmaster Lam to those in attendance at our final concert, “We have been blessed more than you have by our visit here.”

In addition to leaving behind our music stands for continued use in the territory, we hope that we have left an eternal impact through our playing, deportment and gospel message. This tour will be remembered by all for the rest of our lives, and we pray, will echo into eternity.

Steve Pavey is a member of the Canadian Staff Band.

For more photos and videos, visit the Canadian Staff Band’s Facebook page.