Royal Australian Navy Band

The mission of the Royal Australian Navy Band is to deliver public relations and ceremonial support to promote Navy’s values and a positive Navy brand.
 
The Royal Australian Navy Band has been serving Australia with honour since 1923 and strives to be an organisation with a worldwide reputation for excellence. The Band is staffed by dedicated professionals delivering quality services to the Navy.

Ceremonial music recorded by Royal Australian Navy Band can be found on Soundcloud.

For information on current vacancies in the Navy Band visit ADF Careers.

Locations

  • RAN Band Sydney (Full time) 
  • RAN Band Melbourne  (Full time)
  • RAN Band Queensland (Reserve) 
  • RAN Band South Australia (Reserve)
  • RAN Band Tasmania (Reserve) 
  • RAN Band Western Australia (Reserve)
  • RAN Band Northern Territory (Reserve)

Ensembles

Parade and ceremonial

The parade band supports ceremonial occasions, military parades and street marches. Performing traditional military marches, national anthems, hymns and salutes, this ensemble together with the bugle, drum corps and fanfare capabilities provide the ceremonial pageantry to official events.

Wind band

The wind band performs a wide variety of musical styles from traditional military marches and classical symphonic works, to music theatre and popular repertoire. As the Navy band’s largest ensemble of up to 45 members, the wind band offers versatility and volume, and showcases some of Australia’s most talented musicians and composers.

Cover band/rock band

The rock band is a heavily requested and popular music ensemble, specialising in high energy performances of current Top 40s rock and pop music, and classic hits of today. 

The core ensemble comprises vocals, drums, electric guitar, bass guitar, and keyboard, and features Navy musicians with years of corporate performance experience. This allows the ensemble to remain flexible to the needs of the event/performance, while delivering a truly professional product.

The rock band performs regularly at high-profile public events, including nationally and internationally televised events and is often involved in community-outreach programs ranging from school visits to indigenous support programs.

Big band

The big band is a dynamic ensemble that specialises in performing jazz and big band music. Comprising talented musicians from around Australia, the big band demonstrates the versatility and skill of its instrumentalists and vocalists while performing repertoire from traditional swing and classic big band charts to contemporary jazz and popular music arrangements. A major focus is placed on featuring contemporary Australian compositions and arrangements, particularly those of our own musicians.

Jazz ensemble

The jazz ensemble is a versatile and sought-after group of Navy’s most skilled jazz musicians with extensive and colourful backgrounds in jazz performance, as well as considerable international experience.

The group performs and provides atmosphere at military and public events, such as dinners, balls and official functions, as well as charity events, community events and festivals. The jazz ensemble is highly versatile in its utilisation, from soft background music, to upbeat, dancing swing. Few other groups can match the malleability that the jazz ensemble provides.

Chamber ensembles

Chamber ensembles provide additional capability to support smaller and more intimate ceremonies, functions and public events. Chamber ensembles include:

  • woodwind quintet
  • brass quintet
  • wind quartet
  • wind trio
  • saxophone quartet
  • clarinet quartet
  • acoustic trio
  • solo piano.

Fleet band

The fleet band is a composite ensemble made up of full-time and reserve musicians that is tailor made to suit the requirements of each deployment. Usually between five and 20 musicians specifically chosen to accommodate ceremonial, rock, jazz, and chamber engagements ashore and at sea.

Indigenous Cultural Performer

The Indigenous Cultural Performer provides a unique capability in enhancing Navy’s reputation as a modern, progressive and inclusive institution of relevance to all Australians. The Indigenous Cultural Performer comprises indigenous Australian sailors who perform on yidaki, vocals and other indigenous instruments. The Indigenous Cultural Performer performs at ceremonial and community events domestically and internationally.