With a decree approved on April 4, 2025, the Regione Puglia formally launched the creation of the Regional Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a tool designed to catalogue and safeguard practices, knowledge, and traditions considered part of the territory’s cultural identity. One section of this inventory has been dedicated to touring bands and to the tradition of Apulian band music, within which the Storico Premiato Gran Concerto Bandistico “Città di Bisceglie” has been recognized as an intangible asset of Apulia’s cultural heritage.
The recognition is part of the region’s policy to protect band music, which in recent years has included the approval of a specific law supporting these ensembles, moving beyond the idea that they are merely local or recreational activities. The legislation provides financial support mechanisms, encourages the training of young musicians, and aims to preserve repertoires, archives, and performance practices. The Bisceglie band is among the longest-standing ensembles in southern Italy: founded in the 19th century, in 2025 it reached its 194th concert season.
Alongside symphonic marches and funeral marches performed during the Easter period—elements historically central to Apulian tradition—the repertoire includes the traditional sunti d’opera lirica, a form that in the 20th century helped spread opera beyond the confines of the theater. In recent decades the repertoire has expanded to include popular music and film soundtracks, both Italian and international, fostering dialogue with more diverse audiences.
The band is composed largely of professional musicians under the age of 35 and has, over time, achieved several recording milestones, such as the sessions collected in the project In viaggio con la banda, broadcast by Rai Radio3, as well as participation in various events including the “Maestri” Festival in Conversano, attended by Riccardo Muti, on the occasion of the entry into force of the regional legislation on musical bands.
The band’s contemporary reorganization dates back to 2003, when the association “I Fiati” relaunched its activities. Under the presidency of Maestro Nicola Parisi and the artistic direction of Benedetto Grillo—who has served since 2018 as the 43rd director in the ensemble’s history—the band has received numerous awards.
Among the most recent achievements is the “Easter Festival,” dedicated to popular and original music by Apulian composers during Holy Week, recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a special project of national significance. In 2025, the band also took part in international initiatives, performing in the United States as the only Italian musical ensemble for the Columbus Day celebrations.
Specifically, the Gran Concerto Bandistico “Città di Bisceglie” performed in New York on October 10 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a concert dedicated to the seventieth anniversary of NATO, and on October 12 during the opening ceremony of Columbus Day at Columbus Circle, followed by a parade through Times Square.
