The Welsh Guards Band has a new Director of Music and welcomes Major Stewart Halliday MA LRSM ALCM.
Major Stewart Halliday enlisted into the Light Infantry in 1985 and after completing his musical and military training in July 1987 he was assigned to the Light Infantry Corunna Band. He was fortunate to travel and live in numerous exotic and interesting locations including extended tours of Kenya, the Falkland Islands, Northern Island and Berlin. One of his most influential moments during these periods was witnessing and experiencing the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In 1997, he was selected for the Student Bandmasters Course and on completion of the Bandmaster Course in 2001, he was appointed Bandmaster, Band of the Army Air Corps based in Middle Wallop. In 2005, he was appointed Bandmaster to the Band of the Grenadier Guards.
During his time with Grenadier Guards Band, he conducted on numerous high profile ceremonial occasions including Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. In April 2008, he was selected for a Commission and was subsequently appointed Director of Music to The Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band. During this time he completed a Masters Degree from Salford University, specialising in conducting under the direction of Professor David King.
In November 2010, Major Halliday was selected to deploy as a Media Operations Officer to the Falkland Islands and then served as the Operations and Training Officer at Headquarters, Corps of Army Music, Kneller Hall. In May 2013, he was appointed Director of Music to the Band of The Prince of Wales’s Division and during his tenure with the band, Major Halliday completed musical support tours throughout Europe and a Troop Morale tour to Afghanistan.
In line with Army restructuring for 2020, The Band of The Royal Signals reformed to become one of three Army brass bands and Major Halliday was appointed their first Director of Music in April 2014.
He was appointed, Director of Music to the Band of the King’s Division in June 2015. On assignment, Major Halliday was also appointed Regional Director North West, West Midlands and Wales; responsible for three Regular bands and four Reserve bands. Major Halliday deployed with the King’s Division Band to Lithuania and Latvia in 2015 and provided musical support tours to Cyprus and Germany in 2016/2017. One of the highlights of his time with the Band of the Kings’ Division was taking part in the fabulous Basel Tattoo, Switzerland.