John Reeves was born on 2 September 1972, the son of Salvation Army officers, in Greenville, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. His parents remained in full-time ministry until his junior year in high school, and the family continued to attend the Salvation Army as their church home even after his parents had left the ministry. The family moved to the two where both of John’s parents had grown up, and John graduated in 1990 from Hempfield Area Senior High School, where his mother had also graduated. He then attended the Pennsylvania State University, first at the McKeesport commonwealth campus and later at the main campus in State College. Originally majoring in Aerospace Engineering, John changed majors to Secondary Education with concentrations in physics and mathematics in 1994, attaining a Bachelor of Science degree in 1999.

The summer after changing his educational major, John enlisted in the United States Army Reserves, and is still serving as a Reservist today. He works for the Federal government in Washington. His service has included two tours of duty in Iraq, where he served from December 2003 to June 2004 as a member of the Reserves and again from November 2007 to February 2008 as a civilan government employee. In January 2010 he began another round of training to return to Iraq again as an activated Reservist.

John’s commitment to the Salvation Army is as strong as his commitment to the defense of his nation. He attends the Alexandria Citadel Corps, where he serves as the Corps Sergeant-Major and the Corps Cadet Counselor.

Musically, John began playing the cornet at age 7 in Cortland, New York, where his parents were stationed as Salvation Army officers. His principal instruction came through Salvation Army music programs, but he also sometimes participated in classes and school musical ensembles. In junior high school, after being fitted with braces, he began to moving to instruments with larger mouthpieces, spending several years as a baritone and euphonium player in high school concert and marching band, as well as Salvation Army youth and divisional bands. Eventually, one of his conductors asked him to switch to tuba, to assist in that section which only had one player at the time, and he has since settled on the tuba as his primary instrument, playing in the Alexandria Citadel Band, assisting in the National Capital and Virginia Divisional Youth Band, and as a veteran member of National Capital Band.

Maria Mathieson’s musical career began when she was 4 and her family moved to Thurso, a small town on the north coast of Scotland. Her grandmother, a lifelong Salvationist, took Maria to her first Salvation Army meeting where she fell in love with the band and in particular the trombone. As soon as she was old enough, Maria joined the YP Band and Singing Company. Maria also began her studies in violin at the age of 7 at school and at the age of 12, she added piano lessons.

Maria’s early musical achievements include winning a conducting competition at the age of 11 that afforded her an opportunity to conduct Royal Scottish National Orchestra for a television program called “Highway.”  In High School, she won a position in the violin section in the Highland Regional Youth Orchestra, but much to her violin teacher’s disappointment, she opted to become the principle trombonist for the orchestra instead.

In 1991, Maria’s musical studies continued at University of Glasgow where in 1995 she earned a Bachelors of Music (Honors).  In the summer of 1992, Maria made her first trip to the United States to work at The Salvation Amry’s Star Lake camp in New Jersey.  These summer trips continued throughout her college career first working as a Music Instructor at Camp Walter Johnson in North Carolina and finally at Camp Heart O’Hills in Oklahoma where she ran their Music Conservatory program

In 1995, Maria became the Divisional Music Director for the Arkansas and Oklahoma Division.  Maria served as the DMD for 7 years during which time she had the privilege of working with many wonderful musicians who deeply impacted her life.  She also had the opportunity to serve as a member of the Southern Territorial Band and Songsters.

In 2002, Maria switched career paths and moved into The Salvation Army’s Development Department in Knoxville, TN.  While in TN, she continued to be involved in The Salvation Army’s music programs conducting the Kentucky and Tennessee Divisional Youth Band for two seasons.  In 2004, after a brief return to the Music Department for The Salvation Army’s National Capital and Virginia Division, she moved back into Development for the National Capital Area Command. 

Upon moving to DC, Maria joined the trombone section in the National Capital Band and took on the role of Band Secretary, a position she held for 3 seasons.  Maria is now the Quartermistress for the NCB.  She also became involved in the Divisional Youth Music programs and has served as the co-conductor of NCV Divisional Youth Band 2 for 3 seasons.   

In 2006, Maria returned to the field of music to become the Assistant Dean at the Levine School of Music, a community music school in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area where she is blessed every day to work with amazingly talented students, faculty and staff and to have an opportunity to share her passion for music with others. 

Philippians 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.