The International Staff Bandis The Salvation Army's Premier Brass Band. The band, now and since its beginnings, exists to spread the message of Christ primarily through music and aims for the highest standards of Salvation Army Christian music making.
The band visits Salvation Army centers throughout the UK on a monthly basis, presenting concerts, of varied Christian music, and leading worship and open-air services.
The ISB has released numerous CDs of Salvation Army music and featured in national television and radio broadcasts. In 2008 The Salvation Army signed a record contract with Universal Music, the world’s leading record company and musical home of Diana Krall, U2 and Kanye West to raise additional funds for its social work in the UK. In November 2008, the ISB released its first CD with Universal Music entitled ‘Together’ which was subsequently nominated in the 'Best Classical Album' category of the Classical Brit Awards 2009.
The members of the ISB all are active in their own particular local Salvation Army Corps (Church), with membership spread across the U.K. Many of the band's members are also musical leaders in their local Corps. Membership of the ISB is undertaken in addition to, not instead of, their local commitments.
When founded, the name reflected the fact that the band’s members all worked for The Salvation Army at one of its London headquarters and the band itself was based at the movement’s International Headquarters in London. The ISB, still has around thirty percent of its members working for The Salvation Army, with the remaining members employed in a variety of occupations and professions. October 7th 1891 is generally acknowledged as the date when “The International Staff Band” was brought into being.
The ISB participates in most of the UK’s major Salvation Army events and in recent years has shared the concert stage with ensembles such as, The Black Dyke Band, Cory Band, London Symphonic Brass and the Don Lusher Big Band. On such occasions the band has been privileged to play in some of the country’s finest concert venues including: The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and The Barbican. Other notable venues have included Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.
Since its earliest days the ISB has toured overseas, visiting countries in which The Salvation Army is based from USA and Canada to Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and all over Europe.
