BRASS BANDS — Marching to the world beat
Brass bands have had a unique status in the Portuguese musical landscape for a long time. They have often played a pivotal role replacing the official schools role in providing the music education that these haven't been able to provide. In addition they played in the past and still do today an important role as cultural centers or simply in establishing special ties among the community in which they are inserted. We invited Carlos Martins, the saxophonist and leader of the Associação Sons da Lusofonia to direct this project called Sons do Mundo na Filarmónica which aims to bring together the brass bands of Coimbra and the new communities now living around the city. Workshops, classes and other activities went on throughout the first half of 2003. At the end of May a large concert in which both professional musicians, teachers and the members of several Coimbra brass bands participate culminated this process. The presentation gathered more than 120 musicians.
