John Volpe joined the Royal Canadian Legion Concert Band during the 2014 season. He brings a wealth of experience to the podium, having spent over forty years teaching music, playing in, and directing bands. His formal music education began at the Royal Conservatory of Music where he studied piano, theory, and harmony and continued at York University where he completed a Fine Arts degree with a major in music. John’s real world experience includes playing drums in his own classic ‘Red Peppers Dixieland Jazz Band’.
John was the founding director of The Mega City Swing Band and the associate director of the Trillium Winds under John Guerriere. He has directed more than two dozen Broadway musicals including Oliver, The Music Man, Man of La Mancha, and Gypsy to name but a few. He is the Jazz director at Mary Ward CSS and has travelled throughout Europe with that group, performing over sixty concerts in more than a dozen countries, including Australia. John is thrilled to be the Musical Director of the Royal Canadian Legion Concert Band.