Warrant Officer Gary Stevens BA LRSM Dip Mus (Open)

Born in Brackley, Northamptonshire, Warrant Officer Gary Stevens was educated at Magdalen College, where his musical education started at the age of twelve as a trombonist studying under Patrick Carthew and Maxwell Thornton.

He joined the Royal Air Force in 1977, subsequently passing out of the School of Music to undertake an initial posting of two and a half years with the Band of the Royal Air Force Germany. He was then posted to the Western Band of the Royal Air Force, where he was promoted to Corporal prior to undertaking a posting with the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.

In 1985 he returned to the band in Germany, where he completed a three year tour, subsequently gaining the rank of Sergeant, prior to returning to his current location at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire with the Band of the Royal Air Force College, where he served for 14 years, gaining his promotion to Chief Technician in 1991.

Warrant Officer Stevens has gained the Licentiateship of the Royal Schools of Music, and also been awarded the Silver Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians as the most outstanding Royal Air Force student Bandmaster of 1998.

In November 2002 he was promoted to Flight Sergeant and was appointed Band Sergeant of the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment. During his time as a Band Sergeant Gary was responsible for organising all of the Bands engagements, which included The Edinburgh Tattoo and overseas tours to Cyprus, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

Gary was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer in January 2008 and returned to the Band of the RAF College as Bandmaster. In this new role Gary will be second in command as well as conducting the Band at a wide variety of engagements.