Musikkapelle "La Lira" de Issime

HISTORY OF THE BAND

The Musikkapelle "La Lira" Issime (Valle de Aosta, Italy) was founded in 1906. The Band performed in town festivals, weddings and private events and in neighboring countries. The work of the Band was interrupted by the World Wars, but they regrouped enthusiastically in 1979. Courses to introduce young people to musical instruments strengthened the Band's ranks and its membership grew to 50 musicians under the direction of Floriano Rosini and Ercole Ceretta and, since 1994, Enrico Montanari.

The Musikkapelle gives concerts in the Valle de Aosta, in the north of Italy, in festivals, fairs and carnivals, and takes part in the cultural life of the country, offering numerous displays and playing in religious festivals. Their recent activities include the recording of a CD and twinning the Band with the Harmoniemusik de Triesenberg (Liechtenstein), the Banda Musical de Formazza (Verbania, Italy) and the Musikverein d'Hirschegger (Kleinwalsertal, Austria). To celebrate their centenary, the Band participated in many activities, including concerts with other bands, the publication of a book and an exhibition of photographs, documents, musical instruments and uniforms.

The Band regularly takes part in the Walsertreffen (meetings of people from the Walser region), which are hosted in one of the Alpine countries, and the meeting of bands from the Valle de Aosta, performing before an artistic committee made up of teachers such as Angelo Bolciaghi, Denis Salvini and Franco Arrigoni. They also participated in the International Band Contest "Vallée d'Aoste" (art direction by Maestro Lino Blanchod) under the direction of Maestro Montanari. In 2006, they took part with a youth group and they won Third Prize in Division Three. They returned in 2008, with a complete group, and participated in Division Two. In 2011 the Youth Band of the Issime Music School, directed by Nicola Linty, took part in the Costa Volpino Youth Band Contest (Bergamo, Italy) with great success.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONDUCTOR

Enrico Montanari

Enrico Montanari began studying the trumpet under the direction of Floriano Rosini and continued his training with Renato Cadoppi in the Torino Conservatory (Italy) where he graduated with honors.

The same year he was admitted to the Italian Youth Orchestra with which he toured Madrid, La Spezia, Perugia and Florence under the direction of Maestro Piero Bellugi.

From 1989 to 1994 he worked with the Turin RAI Symphony Orchestra, the Aosta Chamber Orchestra and the Piemonte Youth Orchestra. He plays regularly with the Orchestre d'Harmonie du Val d'Aoste with which, under the direction of Lino Blanchod, he takes part in numerous contests and concerts.

He is a founding member of the Walser Blaskapelle popular chamber group with which he has given numerous concerts and made several recordings to promote the popular music of the Alps and Walser culture.

In 1997 he began to study with band maestros such as Fulvio Creux, Lorenzo Della Fonte, Jan Van der Roost, Angelo Bolciaghi and Franco Cesarini. Since 1994 he has directed the Musikkapelle "La Lira" de Issime, and he is also director of the wind bands of Palazzolo Vercellese and Brass Vallée. Since 2003 he has been a teacher at the Valle de Aosta Foundation Music School.