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Jack Kopstein
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Jacob Jack Kopstein is a Canadian musician and writer. After 35 years of service as a musician and band director in the Canadian Forces, he has become a tireless historian, writer and promoter of military bands and military music in Canada and around the world. Early Life Jack Kopstein was born in Walkerville, Ontario (now part of Windsor), on May 5, 1934, the third child of Samuel and Rachel Kopstein. His older sister Elaine was born in New Jersey in 1924 and elder brother Jerry in Winnipeg in 1927. Offered a second-hand clarinet for sale by a client, Jack’s father bought it, thinking it might be a good hobby for his 9-year-old son. From such whims lives are shaped. A former US Air Force musician became his teacher, and at age 15 Kopstein was able to audition successfully for the Ford Motor Company of Canada Band, a professional group formed by Ford to help promote their Canadian Ford cars (Meteor, Monarch). With one rehearsal prior to their weekly Sunday night concerts and one rehearsal prior to their weekly CBC live broadcasts, Kopstein quickly learned about the stress of a professional musician. Taking lessons with the principal clarinetist in the Ford band, who also taught at Teal Studios in Detroit, by the summer of 1950 Kopstein was able to pass an audition for the Wayne State University (Detroit) Summer School Band Program, and repeated in the summer of 1951. Early jobs included working as a polisher in a jewelry manufacturing company, selling typewriters and cutlery door to door, and selling toys for a Toronto wholesaler. His father helped him start a small jewelry store in Tecumseh, a little town near Windsor, which became successful, but Kopstein had no desire to make this his life’s work. He played in every band he could in the Windsor area, but that was just teasing his ambition. From the first note he blew on that second-hand clarinet when he was 9 years old Kopstein wanted to be in a full-time military band. His passion for military music came from his dad who loved bands. Together, father and son often looked for parades to hear bands. Kopstein senior encouraged young Jack to work hard and keep his aim set to get a place in a military band. Steps toward his goal began when, age 19, he joined a Royal Canadian Naval Reserve Band at HMCS Hunter, in 1953 Windsor. In 1957 he auditioned for a Permanent Force Navy Band, but was told he would have to do two years at the new Navy School of Music first. He declined. That October he passed an audition for the Toronto-based RCAF Band, but was told there were no immediate vacancies. February 1958 was a different story - he auditioned successfully for Captain Joe Purcell, Director of Music of the Band of the Royal Canadian Regiment in London, Ontario, and was told he would be an asset to the band. Kopstein was on his way. Military Service The Band of the Royal Canadian Regiment Life in a military band was exactly what Sergeant Kopstein expected and wanted. It was playing every day, rehearsing for performances, then playing for the performance, perhaps at a fair, perhaps on an open-air bandstand or in a school or concert hall, occasionally for a dignitary, maybe for the governor general, a president, even royalty. Kopstein fitted right in. He played in the stage band on alto and tenor saxes and clarinet in the woodwind quintet as well as in the large groups. When Captain Purcell retired in 1963, a newly-minted Kneller Hall graduate took over, and Lieutenant Derek Stannard brought a fresh vitality to the RCR Band. This resulted in a Quebec City concert tour in the summer of 1966, two trips to France, (one included playing for President De Gaulle) and two month-long trips to Cyprus in 1965 and 1966. In 1968, after 10 years with the RCRs, Kopstein was promoted to Warrant Officer, a rank that had been Staff Sergeant prior to Canadian Forces unification that same year. With the promotion he became responsible for the PR of the RCR Band, doing all the advance work as well as designing and supervising their printed advert material. In addition to his military duties Kopstein became a member of the London Ontario Symphony (now Orchestra London) and the London Chamber Orchestra. Life was full of music. 1969, however, brought change. DOM Stannard (now captain) was posted to the Norad Band (half American musicians, half Canadian) as associate conductor, and Captain John Collins became RCR director. While touring in Europe that same summer, the RCRs were informed that they had been posted to CFB Gagetown, which caused a lot of family problems. CFB Gagetown is virtually in the middle of the New Brunswick woods, about 20 kms from the small provincial capital city of Fredericton and 100 kms from the major city of Saint John. A great place to live a quiet life, but for musicians wishing to play it was pretty much a dead end. Fortunately, Kopstein had a reprieve. Canadian Forces School of Music In 1970 he was selected for bandmaster training at the Canadian Forces School of Music in Victoria BC. There was a lot crammed into a one-year course. Kopstein spent most of his waking hours on theory assignments, struggled at first with aural training, but caught on after a couple of months of intensive work and developed a “good ear.” Conducting was taught by Captain Leonard Camplin, himself an accomplished conductor, and he became Kopstein’s mentor. Praised for his extensive use of the excellent library for his assignments, on course completion in 1971 Kopstein was promoted to Master Warrant Officer and invited to remain at the School as the clarinet instructor. (Master Warrant Officer would have been a Warrant Officer Class 2 in the “old” army). The Canadian Forces School of Music (CFSM) had a two-tier regular program. Apart from the one-year bandmaster course, designed to prepare experienced forces musicians to become assistant conductors and eventually Directors of Music, there was a two-year instrumental program to prepare young musicians for entry into Canadian Forces Bands. There were also summer courses for reserve band personnel from across Canada. Kopstein was involved in all of this, as well as teaching the PR course in the bandmaster program, doing administration, standing infrequent duty watches, and on one special occasion escorting a group of school children around the dockyard. (The CFSM was located at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, Canada's Pacific Coast naval base). Kopstein had memorized everything he could about the ships in the jetties for the tour. A grave mistake, for his expertise saddled him to be the permanent tour guide. His comment in later years: “Frankly, even today, I still don’t know what I was talking about!” Kopstein remained at CFSM as an instructor for 3 years, playing in the Victoria Symphony Orchestra in his off-duty time. He had trained a dozen good students who have done well in music, and that made the job both satisfying and worthwhile, but he realized he needed the excitement of playing in a band. The Central Band of the Canadian Forces In 1974 Kopstein was posted to the Central Band of the Canadian Forces in Ottawa. In Canadian Forces Bands this is one of the busiest. State occasions, dignitaries, royalty, presidents, parliament, the national capital - it’s all here. As a Master Warrant Officer and a qualified Band Director, Kopstein was expected to do his share of conducting the Central Band in its various functions. That meant a learning curve, for there are strict protocols for arriving and departing VIPs, and at that time the Central Band was charged with sharing the intricate changing of the guard ceremonies on Parliament Hill - daily for three weeks in the heat of an Ottawa summer. But just as he was settling in to the stringent schedule and complex routines, an emergency situation occurred in the Gagetown-based RCR Band - they had no Master Warrant Officer for a year - and it was accompanied with a specific request from RCR Band Director Captain Collins for Kopstein to help them out. So, in 1976 he was posted to Gagetown for a year’s temporary duty. In a later interview Kopstein commented: “After doing 3 parades a week in Gagetown for a whole year I sure was ready for changing the guard on Parliament Hill. In 1977 I walked back in to the Central Band on June 1st and was changing the guard until July 31st.” Then the administrative side of the job took over Kopsteins life in a big way. A member of the band was facing numerous charges - mainly fraud and theft. Called informally the “Sound Room Caper”, Kopstein was detailed to work with a military police detective to uncover the extent of the crimes. It took them 4 months working 14 hours a day, but they unraveled such a string of crime that it was a shocking embarrassment to the Music Branch. At the Court Martial in January 1978 Kopstein was on the witness stand for 2 days. The accused was found guilty, stripped of rank, fined thousands, and went to Federal prison. Kopstein was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer in 1979 and appointed assistant band director for the Central Band under Major Derek Stannard. They played ceremonial music for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, numerous Prime Ministers and dozens of dignitaries. On one busy day they had 4 arrivals and 1 departure, Kopstein in charge of the band for many of the most important of the visitors through the years. Without doubt the highlight of Kopstein’s career as a military musician was in 1981. Major Stannard was on sick leave, and US President Ronald Reagan was about to make his first visit to Canada. Kopstein was the band director for the complete visit of President Reagan, ceremonies, dinners, etc., and received a special commendation from the US president for his work during the visit. Of course there were trips - twice to Europe, three times to Washington DC, tours of Canada’s West Coast, various parts of Ontario, concerts in the National Arts Centre and Ontario Place, and several notable recordings. But Kopstein had gained a reputation as a problem solver, so when a band in Calgary needed some problems solved, he was asked if he would take it on. In a moment of weakness he said yes. The Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry Band Prior to the actual posting to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry band in Calgary, in January/February of 1984 Kopstein travelled to Europe with then PPCLI DOM Capt. Ron Swaneveldt to assess the band’s coming trip to Vimy and Normandy. On their return Swaneveldt was transferred, so Kopstein was tasked with planning the European trip and was posted to Calgary in July 1984. The new director arrived but was plagued with family problems, so Kopstein took over the overseas trip completely. In the short time since his arrival Kopstein had cleaned up some of the problems, built respect and rapport, and the musicians responded with stellar Remembrance performances in Vimy and Normandy. Back in Calgary the director was still in family turmoil, so the task of running the band fell largely to Kopstein. He quickly discovered that many of the band’s problems were caused by the regiment to which they were attached. Their misuse of band personnel and overt but misplaced criticism of the band was causing much of the unrest. When the Minister of National Defence visited Calgary the band was on leave, but they virtually all returned voluntarily to play. The problems were not with the musicians. Under the circumstances Kopstein asked for a transfer, which was refused. He offered to retire early, and the transfer was granted. That posting had been the worst of his career. The Vimy Band In 1986 Kopstein reported to the Vimy Band in Kingston Ontario, and this turned out to be the best posting of his whole career. The band was truly professional, and Kopstein and the DOM, Capt. Bill Wornes, hit it off immediately. Wornes had the perfect balance of respect, authority, camaraderie and humour with the musicians, and happily shared out the work with Kopstein. They did two overseas trips for various tattoos in France and in Mons, Belgium, and played concerts in Amsterdam and Brugges, Belgium. Every performance, every parade, every concert was a joy for Kopstein. Each day the musicians came eagerly to work. When he retired in 1988 they played a concert in his honour at the Capitol Theatre in Kingston, and held a mess dinner for him attended by military musicians from across Canada. Many of the musicians from the Vimy Band of that period are still his very best friends. The Band of the Royal Military College of Canada Retiring from the Regular Forces while living in Kingston simply opened the door to another chapter in the life of a military musician. Kopstein had been volunteering to help out with early morning Thursday practices for a small part-time band at the Royal Military College of Canada, also located in Kingston. When the commandant of the college announced that they needed someone to become the music director, Kopstein was in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications. Receiving a lot of help from several of the musically advanced young, future officers, who provided incentives and instruction for the less experienced players, Kopstein found the Cadets a joy to work with. There were two special occasions that stood out during Kopstein’s tenure - the band`s participation in the Grey Cup parade in Toronto, and an outstanding stage band performance in Oshawa for which the band won an award, and were highly commended by adjudicator Bobby Herriot. They were on national television marching in the Grey Cup Parade and the Oktoberfest Parade in Kitchener-Waterloo. Leaving the RMC Band in 1990, 20 years later he was very honoured to be interviewed and written up in e-Veritas, the RMC journal for grads. Civilian Life Commensurate with the part-time job at RMC, Kopstein was employed in the mortgage department of the Canada Trust Bank in Kingston. At first this was only 4 hours a day, but when it became a 9 to 3 job he couldn’t cope with the two mornings at 6 am with the RMC Band as well, hence his resignation from RMC after only two years. He remained with Canada Trust for 5 years, but once involved in bands, always involved in bands. He played in the Queens University Concert Band, and became the conductor of the Frontenac Concert Band which started as a school project with 15 players and grew to a band of 40 when he left in 1995, and remains so today. He also became the Executive Director of the Kingston Heritage Tattoo Society, designing and directing 3 military tattoos - two at Fort Henry and one at the MacNaughton Barracks in front of the communications building. He arranged most of the music for these shows, and also wrote the “Jimmy March” for the Communications Branch. Moving to Chilliwack BC in 1995 for family reasons, Kopstein found that music was almost nonexistent. Then a small Gilbert and Sullivan Society started up, and in 1999 the embryonic Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra had their inaugural season, and Kopstein had a place to play, only stepping down in 2010 as principal clarinet with the ensemble. He has also performed with the Burnaby Symphony. Helping young musicians is a part of his nature, and two of the young ladies he took under his wing are now principal players. His philosophy: “The torch must be passed.” Legacy Kopstein has done more for the awareness and history of Canadian military bands and music than any other single person. Without his timely, diligent research and writing, much of what he has unearthed would have disappeared forever. Canadian Military Music owes him a debt that can never be repaid. In an interview with the Chilliwack Times in 2002, Kopstein summed it up: "Military music became my life. It still is the sum total of just about everything I know about life today. My direction has been impacted by the fact I was trained by the military as a bandmaster. I have a very high regard for people who do this kind of work." With apologies to Rudyard Kipling: “Oh it's ‘Thank you, Mister Kopstein,’ when the bands begin to play.” Compositions and Arrangements * Equal Pace march (1977) Kopstein - composed for CFB Gagetown * Canadians All march (1978) Steve Michel arr. Kopstein (Waterloo Music) * French Canadian Folk Songs for Band (1986) arr. Kopstein - for Ottawa Schools * Thunder and Red Hot Steel - Master Gunners March (1990, 2010) Kopstein * Diana (1990) Paul Anka arr. Kopstein - for the Royal Regiment of Canada Band performance for Princess Diana * The Spirit of Chilliwack (2000) Kopstein - for Chilliwack Millennium Celebrations * The Jimmy March (1988) Kopstein - for the Electronics and Communication School, recorded by the Vimy Band on their CD "Vimy Band Performs" (1990). * None but the Brave march (2006) Kopstein - premiered July 1st 2006 by the Kelowna Festival Orchestra Writing * Public Relations for Military Bands (1971) * Kopstein has contributed 14 articles to the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. * His privately printed book “When the Band begins to Play” is a definitive study of Military Music in Canada. (1992) * He collaborated with Ian Pearson on the book the “History of the Marches in Canada: Regimental/Branch/Corps.” (Hignell Book Printing, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1994) * He collaborated with Ian Pearson on the book “The Heritage of Canadian Military Music.” (Vanwell Publishing, St. Catharines ON 2002) * Kopstein has written numerous articles for the International Military Music Journal in England. * He created the web site www.worldmilitarybands.com in 1995 for Altissimo! Recordings, the ultimate source for America’s Greatest Military Music, continuing to write articles for them as well as being Site Administrator Awards * Canadian Centennial Medal 1967 * Special Commendation for Contributions to the C.F. School of Music 1971 * Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977 * Special Presidential Commendation 1981 * Canadian Forces Decoration with two Bars for 35 years of service * NATO General Service Medal * CBC FM Radio coast to coast interview 2002 
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