THE KILTIES.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 800, 10 February 1909, Page 4

THE KILTIES.

ABOUT THEI RCONDUCTOR. Conductor Albert Cook, of this great Scottish Canadian Band, with his magnetic touch, puts real soul into •tho music played by the Kilties. He has travelled greater distances with his musicians, and has conducted more concerts in one year than any other person living. He holds the unique record of 700 concerts in one year. You can see by his face that music has harmonised his temperament. He is a musician to his finger ■tips, and he understands tßie value of "camaraderie" in bands. Mr Cook hails from Toronto, he studied at Boston Conservatorium and afterwards at Frankfort-on-Maine at the coll lege established by Joachim Raff. He is a composer of many pieces, but early found his torte in conducting bands. The Kilties are a combination of brass and -reed instruments. Mr Cook thinks the reeds give a subdtied and beautiful effect to playing, and enable composition to be located in a much more satisfactory manner than would be the case where there is a preponderance of metal. His Majesty King Edward VTI. presented Mr Cook with a beautiful baton set with rubies and diamonds, on the occasion of the second command performance of the Kilties Band. It was his Majesty's birthday, and in order to do honour to the talent of this great band, his Majesty and his guests donned the kilts. It was the only time on record that any band has ever been twice commanded by King Edward \ll. The Kilties' will make their appearance in Feilding next Monday.