Sore feet, big smiles: What it’s like playing in the Calgary Stampede Showband

CALGARY – When Jace Hernandez auditioned for the Calgary Stampede Showband, the 18-year-old realized he was missing a vital skill for the troupe.

How to march.

“I was, like, whoa, whoa. What’s going on? Why is everyone dragging their feet on the floor?” said the first-year band member.

Hernandez said he figured out on the fly how to read a dot page, which is graph-like sheet that shows where to stand during performances, and also learned how to march while playing a tenor saxophone.

“This is a pretty hefty instrument and having to snap and move around with it was kind of weird at first,” he added, the sax hanging from a strap over his shoulders.

Now, he’s got it on lock, he said, as do the other 149 performers, ages 16 to 21, who form the elite, cowboy-hatted band.

The team spends hundreds of hours fine-tuning their tunes to match the showmanship of their colour guard, who spin, toss and wave about replica rifles, flags and sabres as part of the show.

They perform across Calgary, into the U.S. and sometimes beyond the continent. Their most notable annual gig is on the grand staircase of the BMO Centre at Calgary’s Stampede Park, and in the opening parade that kicks off the summer exhibition.

Over the 10-day festival, the band performs in morning and evening shows, about 30 times on the staircase, as well as a handful of appearances on the Stampede grounds each day.

The musicians are gritty and dedicated, said Allie Cooper, the assistant band director and a former band member.

“They are, you know, battling through cowboy boot foot pain and minimal sleep and dehydration. And they’re still showing up every single rehearsal, every performance, with a smile on their face,” said Cooper. 

She noted there are designated people making sure the team stays hydrated, including on sun-beaten days like the Calgary Stampede parade. Cooper compared it to a cardio workout typical for athletes.

“We always tell the members it’s a team effort, right? So if the person beside me is going to keep pushing, I’m going to be pushing too, and that kind of helps us propel each other forward.”

While playing a woodwind or brass instrument may not hold the cultural acclaim of a country and western six-string or the vocal expertise that packs stadiums, the showband certainly draws crowds.

And it’s becoming popular for to-be musicians, said Cooper. Last year, a record 145 people signed up to audition for a coveted spot.

Those who make it are keen to be there.

“I think that Stampede blood runs very thick through our members,” Cooper added with a laugh, as a showband drummer drifted by on a moving platform, hammering away at the skins and cymbals.

Catherine Reid, 21, agreed that there’s a level of exhaustion to the job, and pushing through is part of the skill.

She held a piccolo in her hand, though she originally picked up a flute as a hand-me-down skill from her father.

“I grew up around music. So ever since, I think, I could even speak, I’ve been doing music. And flute was just a natural pick, just because we had one and it came super naturally,” said Reid.

Alex Rosvold’s draw to his instrument, the tenor saxophone, was closer to how a butterfly approaches a bright light.

“I just saw a shiny saxophone for the first time. And I was like, ‘I want that,'” the 17-year-old said.

He was in school when he first watched a band performance and was drawn to the tenor sax. He followed through in Grade 7 when he joined the school’s band and snagged the woodwind.

The same fascinated eyes he had then are now fixed on him. 

For his first year as part of the Stampede band, there was a row of children sitting on the curb at the parade. 

“They were all sitting on the ground. They were kind of bored. And then the band comes by, and they all shoot up and they’re smiling, they’re dancing along with the music,” he said. 

“That was really nice to see.”

When Rosvold performs, he said he absorbs the enjoyment he sees in others but performs for himself first.

“Sometimes you can feel music. But being able to express it through an instrument is another feeling.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2026.