Page 103 - Chronicle Vol 17

BASTILLE DAY 2023
In July, Musician (Musn) Ewan Atkinson represented the Royal Corps of Army Music in the Bastille Day Celebrations. He donned Rifles No.1s as he performed in a massed-bands ensemble, which was made up of 17 different countries with 5 musicians from each country. He represented the UK Armed Forces alongside two musicians from the Royal Air Force and two from the Royal Marines. It was the 80th anniversary of the Bastille Day parade and the French President, Emmanuel Macron and the Indian Prime minister, Narenda Modi were in attendance. The performance was a display at the end of the Champs-Elysees, with the Arc De Triumph in the background. Musn Atkinson said it was extremely rewarding to work with military musicians from around the world and to experience different cultures. It was satisfying to see how him and his colleagues could work through the language barriers and communicate their ideas through music. He was also proud to represent The Rifles by wearing Rifles No.1 dress. It also made him easy to spot with our bright red plumes!
They had four days of rehearsals with a day off to explore Paris before the engage- ment. They were lucky enough to explore all the attractions such as, the Eiffel Tower and various art museums. On the final day after the musical display had finished, they were fortunate enough to be invited to Paris City Hall where they got to meet the mayor. On the evening, Musn Atkinson had the chance to watch all the various firework displays from a balcony and it was a great way to end the deployment.
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