New maestro of the Scots Guards
NewsMessage received:
The Band of the Scots Guards would like to introduce our new Band Sergeant Major (BSM) Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Naomi Phelan.
WO2 Phelan joined the Band in 2002 after studying at Chetham’s School of Music and Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Subsequently serving as an instructor at the Royal Military School of Music, and with the Band of the Irish Guards, she returned to the band as a Colour Sergeant (CSgt) in 2019 deploying as a Commander of a mobile testing unit during Op RESCRIPT. WO2 Phelan has performed within the Household Division Bands at the Queen’s Golden, Diamond and Platinum jubilee celebrations.
We are looking forward to serving under WO2 Phelan and wish her the best of luck for her new role.
Brilliant! Good luck to her.
Is she the first woman to hold this position?
Probably, but unlikely to be the last. Lots of women in military bands these days.
Congratulations, Maestra.
I understand that the first female Director of Music in the Foot Guards is Major Lauren Petritz-Watts of the Welsh Guards. Naomi Phelan is the Band Sergeant Major (BSM) of the Scots Guards. That means she is the senior musician in the band – perhaps the equivalent of the Leader in an orchestra.
BSMs hold the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 (in the Guards, 2 elsewhere). Directors of Music hold the rank of Major.
The first female bandmaster in the Household Division was WO1 Esther Freeborn appointed Bandmaster of the Life Guards in 2011.
The badge of rank that she is wearing is for a WO2. It is the same badge as the RQMS in the regiment. The Band Sergeant Major used to wear a colour badge on the upper arm but this changed to the current badge in about 1990. In about 1995 they did make the senior Band Sergeant Major of the guards a WO1. Not too sure if that is still the case as I believe they also have a Bandmaster W01 and a Director of Music.
Maestra, I think, Norm….
In English in England, it is one of those many foreign words that has been anglicised, and on the rare time we ever do use it – unlike Americans who seem to use all the time for conductors – we tend to say maestro as we do bravo for well done – not brava a woman as per Italian!