Burlington Teen Tour Band D-Day performance at Juno Beach leaves huge impression on many

In early June after a flight, the Burlington Teen Tour band boarded a ship in the south of England, taking off across the English Channel for Normandy, just as thousands of allied soldiers did 80 years prior. 

Although band director Rob Cuesta said the ferry the band was on is a far cry from what was used on D-Day, the teenagers did make their way up the beach where they performed in front of locals and veterans. 

“It didn’t matter if it was a new member for whom this was their first tour, to the old hands who have been on three, four, or five tours, they were all incredibly excited,” Cuesta said. “Wherever we went, we got fantastic feedback.”

The band performed for three days on the beach, in the nearby towns, and in an elementary school. A total of 143 band members, plus staff, made the trip across the Atlantic. 

Between performances, the band members visited the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, where more than 2,000 Canadians are buried. Each band member was given a dog tag, and tasked with finding the headstone of the soldier it belonged to. 

“Standing in the cemetery, visiting my soldier and seeing gravestones of unnamed soldiers truly left a mark on my heart,” Keira Hall, a drum major in the band said. “In reflecting on the time I spent there, I gained a deeper appreciation of the liberties we have today thanks to the soldiers, who, close in age to me, gave up their lives to protect our country.”

During the performance on Juno Beach, several veterans were in attendance, which Cuesta and band members agreed, was a highlight of the trip. Veteran Jim Parks, who himself landed on Juno Beach on D-Day, was in attendance. 

Parks, who has seen the Teen Tour Band a number of times, greeted a few of the band members after the performance, and stood from his wheelchair at 99-years-old to say hello. 

“It's a totally eye-opening experience, especially looking out into the crowd to see veterans enjoying our performance,” Ben Thomblison, a drum major in the band said. 

The band performed songs from classic Second World War movies, such as Mansions of the Lord written for the movie We Were Soldiers, a march called Overlord in commemoration of D-Day, and a piece from Appalachian Spring.

Aside from the music, Cuesta is proud of each of the band members for how well they carried themselves as ambassadors for Burlington, and for Canada. 

“Everywhere they went, they left an impression,” Cuesta said. 

On the ferry that carried the band over, people were walking up to Cuesta and telling him they were a great group of kids. 
There are early plans for where the band will perform next – aside from Burlington – but Cuesta is keeping any potential location under wraps until further details are finalized.