VE Day 80th anniversary marked with commemorative concert at Ince’s Hall

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment Band and Corps of Drums marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day with a concert at Ince’s Hall on Saturday, April 26.

Led by Bandmaster WO1 Benjamin James, the performance featured a diverse programme to a full audience, blending traditional fanfares and marches with film scores, classical compositions, and wartime songs.

The concert opened with Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, followed by Alan Silvestri’s score from The Avengers and a solo bagpipe performance of The Rose of Kelvingrove by Piper Cpl Fortuna. Cpl Sciacaluga performed Benedictus from Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace on alto saxophone, offering a reflective moment in the first half.

The Band also paid tribute to the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth with a performance of Bolero, and played Alec Gould’s V for Victory, which draws on the iconic motif from Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.

Pictured on 26 April 2025, is a Victory in Europe (VE) 80th anniversary concert at Ince's Hall, Gibraltar. The Royal Regiment Band and Corps of Drums, under the direction of Bandmaster Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1) James, performed a varied and entertaining programme to a full audience.

The second half featured wartime favourites such as In the Mood, Puttin’ on the Ritz, and We’ll Meet Again. A solo of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square by Sgt Derek Perez marked his final performance with the Band after 35 years of service. In recognition of his contribution, he was presented with a Commanding Officer’s coin by Lieutenant Colonel Pitto.

A moment of remembrance followed with the theme from Band of Brothers and the Sunset bugle call. The concert concluded with patriotic favourites The Great Escape, The Dam Busters, Rule Britannia, and Land of Hope and Glory, as the audience joined in song and waved flags in tribute to the anniversary.