The Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for Communities, will promote a training course for Portuguese Philharmonic Bands in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, in the United States of America, which will take place on August 23 and 24, at the headquarters of Casa dos Açores da Nova Inglaterra, in Fall River.

With a duration of six hours, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, this training aims to be a space for sharing experiences and updating knowledge on this topic, thus continuing a similar initiative developed online in September 2024.

The training is open to all members of Portuguese philharmonic bands, from musicians to conductors, and the panel of trainers will once again be composed of renowned maestros Antero Ávila, from Terceira Island, and Marco Torre, from São Miguel Island.

Antero Ávila was born on the island of Pico, in the Azores. He had his first contact with musical notes at a very young age, even before learning to read and write. At the age of seven, he took private piano lessons, and at 14, he took over the artistic direction of the Filarmónica União Artista de São Roque do Pico. He attended the National Conservatory of Lisbon and the Lisbon School of Music. He has a degree in Composition. He settled on Terceira Island, where he teaches at the Angra do Heroísmo Regional Conservatory. Over the years, he has been a member of various groups and has written several works for choir, orchestra, chamber music, and symphonic band.

Marco Torre was born in Cascais and has lived in the Azores, on the island of São Miguel, since 2006. He also began to have contact with musical notes at a very early age, thanks to his strong family connection to music. He attended the National Conservatory of Music and later joined the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with several philharmonic bands and is the artistic director of the Ponta Delgada Light Orchestra, the Coliseum Orchestra, and the Banda Fundação Brasileira dos Mosteiros. In addition, he is responsible for the program “Filarmonia,” which has been part of Antena 1 Açores’ programming for 15 years, and is a professor at the Regional Conservatory of Ponta Delgada.

This training course is free of charge but requires prior registration. Anyone interested can register by filling out the form available at https://forms.office.com/e/qeJESmCqC9?origin=lprLink, until August 15.

There are currently 14 Portuguese philharmonic bands active in New England.

In the state of Rhode Island, there are the Nossa Senhora do Rosário Band in Providence, the Banda Nova Aliança in Pawtucket, the Banda de Santa Isabel in Bristol, and the Banda do Clube Juventude Lusitânia in Cumberland.

In the state of Massachusetts, in the Boston area, there are the philharmonic bands of Peabody (Banda Recreativa Portuguesa), Lowell (Banda do Espírito Santo), Cambridge (Banda de Santo António), and Stoughton (Banda de São João). The city of New Bedford has two philharmonic bands, the Banda Senhor da Pedra and the Banda Senhora dos Anjos. In comparison, the city of Fall River has four active philharmonic bands: the Banda de Santo António (the oldest in the United States, founded in 1904), the Banda Mosteirense de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, the Banda de Santa Cecília, and the Banda de Nossa Senhora da Luz.

The philharmonic bands have played a fundamental and constant role in preserving and promoting Azorean traditions and cultural identity. Recognizing the importance of these entities in the cultural and social life of emigrant communities and Azorean descendants in North America, the Government of the Azores has been continuously investing in initiatives that keep the cultural heritage of the region alive beyond its borders, while promoting closer ties and lasting exchanges between the Azores and its communities.

This training program is associated with the Great Feast of the Holy Spirit of New England, which takes place in the city of Fall River during the last weekend of August, with the usual participation of Portuguese philharmonic bands from Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

From DRC Press Release

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.