17/08/2026
1,000 musicians. Nine ensembles. One day. And rehearsals measured in minutes, not hours.
There are easier assignments for a Director of Music.
This summer, Captain Hannah Trudgeon RM, Director of Music of His Majesty’s Royal Marines Band Collingwood, took to the podium as Director of Music for the 2026 London Tattoo.
The London Tattoo is an unusual production. Everything happens in a single day. Nearly 1,000 musicians arrive from different ensembles, different musical traditions and, indeed, different countries. Individual rehearsals take place throughout the day before everyone is brought together for the massed opening and finale. With an audience soon to take their seats, there is no second day, no dress rehearsal and very little opportunity to try something twice.
Rehearsal time isn't measured in hours. It is measured in minutes. That places considerable responsibility upon everyone involved: the band directors, instructors, production staff and, above all, the musicians themselves. Despite months of preparation beforehand, an enormous amount still has to come together on the day.
And somehow, it does. Helping to bring all of that together this year was Hannah.
Calm, assured and seemingly unflappable, she provided the musical leadership that brought an extraordinarily diverse massed cast together, conducting musicians ranging from members of His Majesty's Royal Marines Band Service to American collegiate marching bands, British school, Scout, Guide and community ensembles.
Hannah's own journey makes her particularly well suited to that responsibility. She joined the Royal Marines Band Service in 2002 as a pianist and clarinettist and has since progressed through the ranks from musician to Bandmaster and commissioned officer, alongside postgraduate studies in composition and conducting. Today, she is also one of the relatively few women occupying senior musical leadership roles within British military music.
But perhaps one of our favourite moments came before she conducted a single note in front of the audience.
With the entire Tattoo cast assembled, Hannah spoke to the performers. She recognised the ensembles individually. She reminded the musicians of what they had achieved simply by reaching that moment, encouraged them to take pride in the organisations and communities they represented and, importantly, told them to go out there and enjoy it.
That mattered. Because while the scale of the London Tattoo is impressive, its greatest strength is something rather different: the majority of the people standing on that arena floor are young musicians. And they are not on the sidelines of excellence. They are part of it.
Put professional military musicians alongside students and young people from Britain and the United States; add outstanding band directors and instructors; combine it with energy, commitment and discipline, and something rather special happens. For a couple of hours, distinctions of age, nationality and experience begin to disappear. They become one cast, making one enormous sound.
And when nearly 1,000 musicians struck up together at the 2026 London Tattoo, they were magnificent.
To every musician who learned the music, travelled to London, rehearsed against the clock and stepped onto that arena floor: you made the Tattoo.
And to Captain Hannah Trudgeon: thank you for giving those musicians the leadership, confidence and musical direction that allowed them to show an audience what they could do.
Musical excellence. Quiet authority. Good humour. And 1,000 musicians all heading in the same direction.
Not a bad day's work!
Around about now, Captain Trudgeon and her musicians will be returning to duty after a thoroughly well-earned summer leave. Please join us in wishing Hannah and everyone at His Majesty’s Royal Marines Band Collingwood every success for all that lies ahead, and in thanking them once again for everything they brought to London Band Week this summer.
