In the "Goffredo Mameli" barracks in Rome, in the presence of the commander of the Military Command of the Capital, general of army corps Rosario Castellano, the ceremony was held to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the establishment of the Army Band.
Founded on February 1, 1964, the Band of the Italian Army is made up of 102 orchestral members, all graduates from the most important Italian musical institutions and recruited through a selective national competition. Since 2019 it has been directed by the major maestro Filippo Cangiamila, assisted by the deputy director, Major Antonella Bona.
The Band carries out important institutional representation services such as solemn oaths, guards of honor at the Quirinale, reception of foreign heads of state and civil and / or military authorities on official visits to Italy. To these tasks is added an intense concert activity that has seen her protagonist in Italy and abroad, in the most important Italian theaters such as "La Scala" in Milan, the "Teatro dell'Opera di Roma" and the Teatro "Massimo ”In Palermo and on tour abroad in France, Germany, Belgium, USA, Egypt. etc..
The ceremony opened with a short speech by the commander of the Band, Colonel Amelio Ferrara, who underlined how the high professionalism of the orchestral players has contributed over time to the spread of musical culture in the world as well as being an exceptional vehicle for the image of Armed Force.
General Castellano subsequently also pointed out "The Band was born in 1964, the year in which Maestro Ennio Morricone composed the soundtrack of the film 'For a fistful of dollars' and which had previously played in the Banda Granatieri di Sardegna where he rearranged the marches of the grenadier regimentsthe. And then he added - since then the orchestras have changed but the traditions have been handed down and keep the unity alive, giving strength and motivation. And he concluded - the sense of belonging that binds the souls of all its members gives substance and form to the Band capable of always giving trust in those who listen to them and of being a pearl of the Italian Army ".
During the pandemic period, the Band never lacked its support, guaranteeing its presence both in institutional services and remotely with the creation of music videos.
Among the most relevant commitments in the recent past we remember the participation in the 62nd Festival dei "Due Mondi" in Spoleto in July 2019, the concert with the Big Band of the Army Band with Mario Biondi and Fabrizio Bosso in Latina in July 2020, the closing of the summer season of the "Regio" Theater in Turin in September 2021 and the creation of a CD with the first solo trombone of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Enzo Turriziani, soon to be released, which will enrich the already vast record production of the ensemble.
