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Kelowna Cadet to lead elite B.C. band

Brittany Crooks from Kelowna has been selected as the Pipe Major of the 2015 B.C. Cadet Honour Band.
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Cadet Master Warrant Officer Brittany Crooks from Kelowna has been selected as the Pipe Major of the 2015 B.C. Cadet Honour Band.

Cadet Master Warrant Officer Brittany Crooks from Kelowna has been selected as the Pipe Major of the 2015 B.C. Cadet Honour Band.

You can see her in action in Vernon this Friday, March 20 at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre at 7:30 p.m.

Crooks is from 903 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps where she is the Regimental Sergeant Major. She has been a cadet for five years and attends Kelowna Secondary School. In addition to playing in the band, Crooks is interested in medicine and plans to complete a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of British Columbia after she graduates this year.

“Based on her proficiency on the pipes and her leadership ability, Master Warrant Officer Crooks was a natural choice to be the Pipe Major for the Pipes and Drums section of the 2015 B.C. Cadet Honour Band,” said pipes instructor Captain Brad McRobert.

There are more than 1,700 cadet musicians in B.C. and only 45 are selected each year to be part of the B.C. Cadet Honour Band. Being selected is the pinnacle of achievement for cadet musicians, who have worked years to achieve a high level of performance. Many are multi-talented, playing several instruments or adding vocals to the concert. Musicians learn a concert’s worth of music in just three days and then tour the province performing each night in four different cities.

The B.C. Cadet Honour Band started this latest tour in Victoria on Tuesday.

More concerts are scheduled for:

Wednesday, March 18 - The Port Theatre, Nanaimo, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 19 - Michael J. Fox Theatre, Burnaby, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 20 - Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre, Vernon, 7:30 p.m.

There is no cost to attend any of these performances.

More than 400 Air, Army and Sea Cadets are participating in exciting spring break activities across B.C. this week. They are gliding, sailing on the Canadian Armed Forces ORCA vessels, competing to be selected for elite summer training and playing amazing music.

Photo caption: Cadet Master Warrant Officer Brittany Crooks from 903 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps leads the pipes during the first rehearsal of the 2015 B.C. Cadet Honour Band on March 14.