British Army Band Sandhurst
Director of Music
Captain Laura Stead
Captain Laura Stead enlisted into the Army in 1997 as a French Horn player and Pianist. After completing training at Kneller Hall, she was posted to the Royal Artillery Band and orchestra.
In 2006 she was selected to undertake the three-year Bandmaster course as a member of The Countess of Wessex Class and graduated from the Royal Military School of Music as a Bachelor of Music with honours and the composition award. She was subsequently promoted to Warrant Officer Class One and appointed Bandmaster at the Band of the Adjutant General’s Corps at Worthy Down in August 2010.
In 2013 she was assigned as the Training and Development Team Warrant Officer at Kneller Hall where she contributed to the initiation of the development of training for instrumental specialist roles within CAMUS.
In 2014 she was assigned as Bandmaster of the Band of the Coldstream Guards; where she was the first female Bandmaster in the Foot Guards.
Capt Stead was selected for a commission in 2018, the first woman in the Corps to be selected for a Late Entry Commission, where she became the OC Corps Engagement team and then, as the first Corps Adjutant in RCAM in 2020.
More recently she was assigned to British Army Band SANDHURST at the RMAS.