Ove Ericson
Ove Ericson was born on March 19, 1946. His parents were Salvation Army officers. Brigadier Gustav Ericson, Ove's father, was an enthusiatic supporter of brass bands and trained many young men as bandsmen. When Ove was only seven, his father began to teach him to play the cornet. Two years later, Ove performed a complicated solo during a youth festival at the Swedish Annual Congress. The audience (several thousand people) was overjoyed as the small soloist played, brilliantly and completely without nervousness!
In 1962, when his parents received orders to Stockholm, Ove joined the Stockholm 7 Band. He became the Deputy Bandmaster in 1970. In recent years, the corps in Stockholm have been realigned and the Stockholm 7 Corps is now a part of the Stockholm South Citadel Corps, where Ove still serves as Deputy Bandmaster. He is known as a valuable member of the group, not only for his musical talent but also for his humble spirit and good sense of humor.
Since he joined the band, Ove has been a featured performer, playing solos in many of the band's concerts, including tours of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Great Britain, and the United States. Ove has also been featured on many radio and television programs, including an appearance on Swedish nationwide television in 1989 (performing a special arrangement of "How Great Thou Art" with orchestra). He has participated in nearly all of the band's recordings, including the 1988 release Heavenbound, on which he was the principal performer. Constantly in demand for guest soloist appearences with other Salvation Army bands in Sweden, he has also traveled as a soloist to Great Britain (six times, including performances with the International Staff Band), Canada, the United States, Argentina, Finland, Norway, and Denmark.
Like most Salvation Army musicians, Ove does not pursue music professionally. He is an employee of the town planning office in Haninge, a suburban community located twelve miles south of Stockholm. His wife, Gunnel, is a teacher by profession and is active in the work of the Stockholm South Citadel Corps. They have two children, Marie and Mats, and two grandchildren.
Major Tony Barrington
A third-generation Salvationist, Major Tony Barrington began his musical training at the age of nine at Salvation Army corps, camps, and the Southern Territorial Music Institute. Principal Euphonium and Soloist with the National Capital Band since he moved to the Washington, DC area in 1998, Major Barrington also serves as Principal Euphonium of the Southern Territorial Band. As an active Salvation Army officer, he and his wife, Suzanne, are the corps officers of the Alexandria, Virginia corps.
Major Barrington has passed on his fine sense of musicianship to his children. His son, Andy, served as the Bandmaster at the Salvation Army Corps in Fairfax, Virginia, and as the Deputy Bandmaster of the National Capital Band at the time of this tour. Andy has since been appointed Divisional Music Director of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Division. The Major's other son, Jeff, resides in the Greater New York area and is a member of the cornet section of the New York Staff Band.
