United Kingdom

From 27 April to 3 May 2025, the SAF Central Band was invited to perform alongside musicians from The Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines Collingwood (RM Band Collingwood) at a reception onboard RSS Formidable at Canary Wharf, London. The reception was co-hosted by the Singapore Navy and the Singapore High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK) to commemorate 60 years of bilateral ties between the two countries.

#InHarmony

The visit began with a rehearsal at Waterer Hall in HMS Collingwood, Hampshire.

The combo band featured select musicians from the SAF Central Band and the RM Band Collingwood. Together, they performed popular hits such as “Uptown Funk,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” and jazz arrangements of the local tunes “Singapura” and “Rasa Sayang.”

A typical combo band features two sections: (1) the horn section responsible for the melody and solos; and (2) the rhythm section responsible for the harmony and rhythm.

At the sunset ceremony that marked the closing of the reception, the flag of the Republic of Singapore was lowered while the national anthem was played in the background.