The Slovene Military Orchestra (another term for the ''Band of the Slovene Army'', Slovene: Orkester Slovenske vojske) is the only musical ensemble of the

Slovenian Armed Forces The Slovenian Armed Forces or Slovenian Army (SAF; ; 'SV'' are the armed forces of Slovenia. Since 2003, it is organized as a fully professional standing army. The Commander-in-Chief of the SAF is the President of the Republic of Slovenia, ...

and a unit of the General Staff of the SV in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, being first in the order of battle in the SV. Also known by its acronym, the SAF Band, it consists of musicians with mainly an academic background. Anyone who wants to play in the orchestra must have at least a 1/5 of the required level of education in the field of music, and must successfully perform at an audition. Training also includes, as with all other SV units, drill and marching precision practice. It was established in April 1996, with its first conductor being Franc Rizmal who served until October 2000. The tradition of

military bands A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

on Slovenian territory dates back to the second half of the 18th century with the SAF Band playing an integral part in that history in being the first unified Slovenian military band.

Tasks

The band engages in the following daily tasks: *Ceremonial Military Protocol Events *Marching Parades *Memorial ceremonies *Charity and promotional concerts *International Tattoo In fulfilling these goals, the band sometimes cooperates with the Protocol Unit of the SV. An example of this relationship was seen publicly in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 2013, during the

Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo The Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival is an annual military music event and military tattoo held in Moscow on Red Square. Participating in the festival are Russian and foreign military bands, folk groups, and honor guard units ...

which took place that year. Each year, the band plans concerts on national holidays (Slovenian Armed Forces Day,

Statehood Day Statehood Day may refer to: * Statehood Day (Bosnia and Herzegovina) * Statehood Day (Croatia) * Statehood Day (Hawaii) * Statehood Day (Lithuania) * Statehood Day (Montenegro) * National Day (Serbia) * Statehood Day (Slovenia) * Statehood Da ...

, Independence and Unity Day, Sovereignty Day,

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

and

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

for example.)

Composition

The SAF Band has several different ensembles. It is composed of 58 personnel, 48 of which are actual musicians while the other 10 are part of the band's staff. The band is divided into particular sections such as the following: *

Concert Band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind instrument, woodwind, brass ...

- The largest band. Performs at symphonic venues. *Ceremony Band - Participates in receptions with military honors *Big Band - Conducts concerts with various soloists and plays at various charity dances and events. *Chamber Ensembles - Ensembles grouped together based on the instrument. They are indispensable for the opening of exhibitions and other cultural and artistic events. **Brass quintet **Clarinet quartet **Brass trio

Uniform

The uniform of the SAF Military Band is worn by the band members at concerts or when representing the SAF Military Band. SAF Military Band uniform resembles the basic service dress, but is complemented by a golden yellow shoulder cord, coat and raincoat.

Gallery

File:Slovesnost na trgu Leona Štuklja ob začetku mednarodne vojaške vaje Zvita podlasica 2014 15.jpg, The band in a parade format File:Zdravljica.ogg, Performing the Slovenian National Anthem File:2014 05 15 Dan SV Kranj 14.jpg, File:Dražgoše 2014.ogv, At a memorial ceremony at the Monument to the Battle of Dražgoše File:Na uradnem obisku v Sloveniji ministrica za obrambo Črne gore dr. Milica Pejanović-Đurišić 02.jpg, The band in a concert format

References

External links

Stran Orkestra Slovenske vojskeKoncert Orkestra Slovenske vojske, Cankarjev dom 2012 ''(YouTube)''Show program orkestra Slovenske vojske v Cankarjevem domu ob proslavi dneva SV 2009 ''(YouTube)''
{{Authority control 1996 establishments in Slovenia Military bands Musical groups established in 1996 Military of Slovenia Military units and formations established in 1996 Military units and formations of Slovenia