Philharmonic Band
Municipality of Agrinio
Address: 18 Souliou Street
Tel: 00302641058158
Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Web Page: http://www.cityofagrinio.gr/municipality/band/lll.html
Municipality of Agrinio Philharmonic Band
The Philharmonic Band was founded in 1986 as a part of the Gymnastics Club “Iraclis”. The Conductor of the band used
to be the son of the Austrian conductor of Corfu Band, named Scheiler. The band used to accompany sports and cultural events of the town. The Band’s operation was interrupted in 1940, and the band was re- joined again in 1949 named “Musical band: Orpheas”. In 1960 at the Municipality of Agrinio, the Musical Band Orpheas was sustained as legal person of the Philharmonic Band of the Municipality of Agrinio. In co-operation with the Musical Band “Orpheas” they were responsible for the management and the administration of the Philharmonic Band. In 1995 the Municipality of Agrinio undertook the founding and administration of the Band exclusively. Nowadays, it numbers 140 musician members and almost 250 students, who are taught music with no expenses, and they staff the Band. The Band is strongly active taking part in parades, local celebrations, litanies, and concerts and generally in any kind of cultural event in town. Part of its activity is the organization of Seminars taught by accomplished musicians in order to educate the students of the Philharmonic Band as well as of the musicians of the Philharmonic Band and of the region in general. Part of the Philarmonic Band is the Orchestra of Various music, which was composed in 1998 by members of the own Philharmonic Band of Agrinio. Its intention was to come in contact with other kinds of music, such as Latin, Jazz, cinematic music, as well as Greek and foreign eclectic music). The Orchestra is composed of 40 to 50 musicians and singers according to the repertoire and the format of the event that is organized every time. The Orchestra has taken part in many festivals abroad, such as in Budapest and in Debrecen, Hungary. It is the very first Band that ever performed in the Great School of the Nation, in Istanbul on September 2007 for the Greeks who live in Istanbul, after having been invited by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In Greece it is very active, too, and it has taken part in several festivals giving concerts, such as the International Choir Festival of Preveza, Mesologi, Patras, Karpen*si, Nea Filadelfia Festival, Lefkada, Ancient Theatre of Oiniades, in the 3rd, 5th and 9th International Meeting of Youth Bands at Sindos (Thessaloniki), Chalkida, Aigio, Amfisa, on Limnos (Mirina and Moundro), Athens, Rhodes, International Festival of Philharmonic Bands on Kos. The Band has also co-operated with great musicians and musical ensembles, such as the Quintet of Brass instruments “Melos Brass”, Brass of the National Orchestra of Athens with the band “Metallon” with Thanos Mikroutsikos, Elli Paspala, Euanthia Rempoutsika, Panagiotis Kalaintzopoulos, Giotis Kiourtsoglou, Kostis Konstantaras and others. Moreover, the Band has also recorded three CDs with adaptations of famous Greek and foreign songs. The most recent recording was the CD “Melodic Christmas” with adapted Christmas melodies, and one CD with melodies of the Holy Week “Holy Passion of Christ”. Nowadays, the Philharmonic Band of Municipality of Agrinio as well as the Orchestra of Various Music is conducted by the conductor Vasilios K.
