The Band of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment – known as The Tigers – was formed in 1992 as an amalgamation of the Queen’s Regiment and the Royal Hampshire Regiment. It is England’s most senior infantry regiment.
Established in 1967, the Band constitutes an integral part of PWRR, drawing its members from all parts of the southern Home Counties. Permanently based in the Cathedral City of Canterbury, it enjoys close links with two local universities and comprises gifted Army Reserve musicians, many of whom are in full-time civilian employment.
In constant demand, the Band undertakes a variety of military and public engagements both overseas and in United Kingdom – most recently deploying to Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, India, Ethiopia, Cyprus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In addition to the traditional Concert and Marching Band formats, it also boasts several smaller ensembles, including a State Fanfare Team and Brass/Woodwind quintets.
Of highlight in 2024, the PWRR Band supported events at the London Opera House, Tower of London, St Pauls Cathedral, Dover Castle and, of particular note, appeared at the Birmingham International Tattoo.
The Band is conducted by Lt Col Wayne Hopla (former Senior Director of Music, Household Division) and appears by kind permission of Lt Col Nathan Horsman, Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel R W Hopla BA(Hons) ARCM BBCM psm
Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Hopla enlisted into the Royal Green Jackets as a euphonium player in 1976. After continued service with the Light Division, in 1988 he was selected to attend the Student Bandmasters course at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall. 1991 saw him promoted to Warrant Officer Class One and appointed Bandmaster of the Royal Irish Rangers which, on amalgamation with the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1992, became the Royal Irish Regiment.
He toured with the Royal Irish Regiment Band throughout Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Cyprus and in 1999, having served as Bandmaster of the Grenadier Guards and School Bandmaster at Kneller Hall, he commissioned as Director of Music of the King’s Division Waterloo Band.
In 2005 he was promoted to Major and appointed Officer Commanding the Training & Development Team at Kneller Hall, responsible for the training and testing of all musicians within the Army.
In 2008 he was selected as Director of Music of the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, returning to the Household Division in 2011 in the post of Director of Music of the Irish Guards. In July 2013, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and held the appointment of Senior Director of Music of the Household Division.
Following his retirement in 2015, he was reunited with Army Music in April 2016 when he assumed the position of Director of Music of The Band of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.
Shorncliffe Military Wives Choir
Shorncliffe Military Wives Choir is one of 70 choirs and around 2,000 women who are members of the Military Wives Choirs network. This community is spread across the UK, Cyprus, Germany, and wherever our armed forces are currently based.
Under the guidance of Musical Director, Sonia Price, the ladies meet in Folkestone every week to support one another through friendship and a shared love of singing. In addition to supporting events and remembrance activities within the local community, the choir has been privileged to perform at Canterbury Cathedral; the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, Ypres; St James’s Palace; and Cadogan Hall where they were singing with nine other Military Wives choirs.
New members with a relevant military connection are always welcome, and there is no audition process or requirement to read music. As we know, singing in a choir is proven to increase wellbeing and improve mental and physical health.
If you are interested in joining, please contact the choir by emailing shorncliffe@militarywiveschoirs.org, and please do follow us on Facebook.
Sonia Price took over the role of MD for the MWC Shorncliffe in September 2014, having been the choir’s accompanist since 2012. Her passion for singing as a therapeutic art fuels her involvement with community choirs – she is also the MD for Folkestone Singing for Health, and her day jobs include Principal Research Fellow at the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts & Health and lecturing in nursing at Canterbury Christ Church University. In between choirs she can be found flying around the country on a motorbike, or drawing breath camper-vanning across France, desperately evading the invasive ear worm of yet another musical composition.
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