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Norwich Citadel Band was established in 1882 following a visit by General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, who came to preach at the newly opened corps (church) based in a former roller skating rink in the heart of the old medieval city of Norwich. The General implored its citizens to "Get a drum and rouse Norwich from one end to the other." This directive was immediately acted upon, instruments were purchased and a band was formed. By December 1882 the band was heard playing and marching the streets proclaiming the message of God's love for all.

1882 was a prolific year for The Salvation Army. Its work commenced in Canada, India, Switzerland and Sweden as well as the opening of corps number 304 in Norwich, England. Some of the bandsmen of today can trace family roots back to those early days and are justly proud of their heritage.

Today the band is very much involved in the life of the city and provides music for many civic, church and cultural events including the annual Lord Mayor's Civic Service and the Remembrance Sunday Parade. It also regularly plays in the magnificent 11th century Cathedral and in concert halls around the region.

Travel to other parts of Great Britain giving concerts and leading worship at Salvation Army centres is part of the band's raison d'etre. Appearances at famous venues include London's Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the concert hall of the University of Cape Town, the Centennial Memorial Temple in New York City and Sandringham, the Queen's residence in Norfolk.

For many years the band has toured overseas and has visited the Netherlands (1959 and 2012), Sweden (1971 and 2004), Norway (1990), the USA (1985, 1998 and 2010), Canada (1985 and 2010) and South Africa (1993), where NCB were the first Salvation Army band ever to visit the African continent from overseas and the first ever brass band to travel to that country.

Always looking for new and innovative ways of communicating its music and message to people, Norwich Citadel Band has appeared many times on television as well as making numerous recordings. In 2005 NCB were commissioned to make a recording of Christmas music for the magazine 'The Peoples Friend'. An amazing quarter of a million copies were distributed with the December issue of that publication.

Today Norwich Citadel remains a vital part of worship and witness in the heart of the city. It occupies the same site on St Giles Street as it has done since 1892, when a purpose-built suite of buildings was erected just 10 years after the corps opened. It was built in front of the old skating rink which still stands today. Over the years the buildings have been extended and improved to include facilities for worship and community service applicable to the needs of the 21st century.

The band along with the Songsters (choir) and junior musicians are an integral part of a thriving corps with a membership of over 350.  In addition to services held each week in the Citadel and outdoors, the corps (church) provides practical assistance to those in the community with day care facilities for the elderly in the William Booth Centre situated next door to the Citadel.  Catherines coffee shop and restaurant is also located in the same complex. Nearby, the Corps runs a Community Store (charity shop or thrift store) and the ARC (Advice and Rehabilitation Centre) for the disadvantaged.  The Norwich Citadel Corps is truly a branch of the Christian church that reaches out with "Heart to God and Hand to man."

If you are in the vicinity you are warmly invited to come and worship with us. Our services held in the Citadel in St Giles Street are at 10:30am and 6:00pm every Sunday with 'Church on the street' held in the Market Place most Sundays at 12:00.

In our latest recording, in an age where evening worship is perhaps less common than it used to be, was to produce a collection of music you might expect to hear if you had spent an evening worshipping at The Salvation Army. The content has been carefully chosen to reflect the weekly participation in worship of the music groups at Norwich Citadel, and we hope you will be inspired and brought closer to God by our music and by the interspersed spoken contributions by Alison Gibson.

Click here to purchase or listen to sample tracks. Online purchase of CD is just £13.95, plus postage & packing.

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