Russian Armed Forces to Choose the Best Military Music Bands

First Round of the Russian Armed Forces Military Music Bands Contest Saw Its Start in Moscow.

The Contest is held in two rounds: the first selective one will be held in military districts and the Northern Fleet throughout February and March 2018, while the second and final one will run in Moscow August 27th-31st 2019. The bands compete in 4 different groups as for their staff number: Group A 63 people, group B 44 people, group C 26 people and GroupD 21 people.

The context is judged by the jury led by Timofey Mayakin, Head of the Russian Armed Force Military Music Service, Chief Military Conductor of Russia.

Military bands convey the National Armed Forces spirit, with their main mission to contribute to cultural life and to promote patriotic values among both the military departments staff and civil population. Undoubtedly, like any other services and subdivisions of the Armed Forces, the bands must be constantly evolving keeping pace with the times," said Colonel Tomofey Mayakin, Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Military Music Service. «The contest is held to examine the expertise of military bands in order to enhance their musicianship, improve their operating proficiency and broaden the repertoire, as well as to share experience».

The contestants comprise participants of the Military Bands in the Moscow Parks Programme held by the Directorate of the Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival since 2016 with the support of the Russian Defence Ministry and the Department of Culture of the Moscow Goverment: among them the Band of the 154 Preobrazhensky Regiment, the Band of the Moscow Military University, the Band of the Moscow Higher Command College, and others. Following the established tradition, military bands perform in the Moscow parks and public gardens annually May to August setting the stage for the main actions of the Spasskaya Tower Festival that brings together front rank military music bands from all over the world.

According to Colonel Mayakin, «Military bands in the Moscow parks is an important programme designed to bring back to life the long-standing tradition and enhance the promotion of wind music and military bands. Nedless to say that 2018 will offer Moscovites performances by the best bands from Moscow and the Moscow region, therefore the contest we held will also define who will take part in this programme».

The contest will boast participation of more that 55 military bands; each will have to play the Russian National Anthem, Glinka’s Glory, Glory, Pavlov’s Guard Mount, Tchernetsky’s Red Dawn; one countermarch and 2 fighting marches; 5 concert pieces which must contain transcriptions by national and Western classical composers, original compositions for wind bands including one by Valery Khalilov. The contest will close with the open air concert.

Band’s performances are judged on ten-to-one scale, separately for service/ combat repertoire and for concert repertoire. Following the first round, the jury will decide on three bands in each group getting the biggest score, which will continue to the second round and compete for the prizes.