The origins
In 1852, on the occasion of a historical event for the town of Besana, the second centenary of the Holy Crucifix venerated in the parish church, the original nucleus of the so-called ‘Philharmonic Society’ of Besana was consolidated, created to take part in the town’s festivities: this is the first official evidence of the active presence of the Besana Band. In the years to come, the group is involved in various religious and civil events.
The hard years
The historical events of World War I (1914-1918) also greatly influenced the activities of the Band, which was forced to put its activities on pause. At the end of the conflict, however, they returned to playing, albeit with less intensity and regularity than in the past, as shown by the few records of those years that have survived.
A period of intense activity
Despite the advent of World War II (1939-1945), the Band did not stop playing, keeping the desire to make music alive even during such a dark and tragic period: indeed, activities intensified! New music enthusiasts continue to join the group.In the 1940s, another band was also founded, the so-called ‘Banden’, i.e. the Marching Band of those days. It is only towards the end of the 1970s that there is a period of ‘tiredness’ and a momentary disbandment of the group.
The rebirth
In 1981, the Band was reborn. The focus on the continuous training of young people grows and, thanks to the fundamental impulse of Piergiorgio Riva, the then President, an authentic music school, which still bears his name, begins to take shape. The first trips also began: in 1982 it took part in the 1st Veduggese Band Convention, then in Mariano Comense and Calvenzano.
The first Band Festival in Besana
In 1984, numerous bands from all over Italy gathered in Besana for the first time and, in the following year, the event welcomed for the first time a foreign band, the Beeches Ambassadors Band, from England. Thus began the long tradition of the Besana in Brianza International Band Festival, which still today, every two years, brings together musicians, cultures and traditions from all over the world.
From the 1980s to today
In the decades that followed, the number of musicians and collaborators continued to grow, and the Band’s activities intensified: the first trips abroad (the first to Birmingham, England in 1985); concerts; music lessons; and, in 2002, the first participation in a prestigious international competition in Prague. And it was precisely in 2002 that the Association blew out its first 150 candles: to this day, the hope is to be able to continue passing on to future generations the passion for music and the significance of being part of a big family like ours.