The Lithuanian Armed Forces Headquarters Band ( lt, Lietuvos kariuomenės orkestras), also known as the LKO HQ Band is a Lithuanian musical unit stationed in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, being attached to the

Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion The Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion () is a unit of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, whose staff it protects. It is also charged with representing Lithuania and its army by providing guard of honour at official events in Lithuania and abroad. ...

and one of 5 that are based in the country. It is the largest professional military band in Lithuania as well as in the military bands in the other Baltic States, being larger than the

Kaitseväe Orkester The Kaitseväe orkester, known in Anglophone countries as the Band of the Estonian Defence Forces, is the official military band service of the Estonian Defence Forces. The main task of the band is to play music at all national and military cerem ...

and the

Central Military Band of the Latvian National Armed Forces The Central Military Band of the Latvian National Armed Forces also known as the NAF Staff Band is the central military band of the Latvian National Armed Forces Staff Battalion. It is the largest military band in Latvia. History On February ...

. The band is currently led by Egidijus Ališauskas, with assistance from the deputy commander, Lieutenant Dainius Pavilionis.

History

On September 4, 1991, the Lithuanian Armed Forces Band was founded following the restoration of Lithuania's independence. The band was then managed by Major General (1938–2013) and was made up of 57 civilian and military musicians, many with prior experience in military bands in the Soviet Union. It was formed in the basis of the HQ Band of the Vilnus Garrison under the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

, which served as the official military band of the city during Soviet times and was the

Lithuanian SSR The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialistiche ...

's principal band for state celebrations. The main purpose of the band is to participate in the official meetings of high ranking foreign guests and in ceremonial events of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. In addition, the band also conducts regular concerts on public holidays, and competes in musical festivals. As of date, the band has released seven CDs. The band also prepares parades performed during various holidays.

Performances and Collaborations

Since its creation, the band has worked with the military bands of many other countries that are members of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. The band has successfully participated in military music festivals and has performed in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

, and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. In 1996, it won 1st place in the Grand Prix at the International bands in Poland, and in 1999, participated in the

Military band Festival in

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...

. On special occasions, the band wears historical 18th century uniforms of the Infantry Regiment of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...

2006 LSDP performance controversy

At the end of June 2004, a public event was held in Vilnius to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the

Lithuanian Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos socialdemokratų partija, LSDP) is a centre-left and social democratic political party in Lithuania. Founded as an underground Marxist organization in 1896, it is the oldest extant part ...

, to which, at the request of one of the leaders of the LSDP, defence minister

Gediminas Kirkilas Gediminas Kirkilas (, born 30 August 1951) is a Lithuanian politician who was Prime Minister of Lithuania from 2006 to 2008. Life and career Kirkilas was born in Vilnius in 1951. After returning from mandatory military service, from 1972 to 197 ...

sent the armed forces band. Opposition parties were outraged by the participation of Lithuanian military musicians in the event, with members of the Liberal Movement of the Seimas demanding an explanation from Kirkilas. Kirkilas justified his decision, explaining that the anniversary of the LSDP was "a significant cultural event related to the statehood of Lithuania and a part of the country's cultural heritage." In October of that year, the Central Commission for Official Ethics (COEC) ruled that then Minister of National Defense Kirkilas had not committed an offense by asking the President to send the band to the LSDP event. Commenting on the COEC decision,

Chief of Defence The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position withi ...

Valdas Tutkus Lieutenant General Valdas Tutkus (born 27 December 1960) is a former Chief of Defence of Lithuania. He served in this position from 30 June 2004 to 3 July 2009. Biography From 1978 to 1982, he studied at the Tashkent Higher All-Arms Comm ...

said that the event was not a domestic party, but a public event for Vilnius residents, which the army always tries to participate in to cultivate patriotism, love and respect for the army.

References

{{reflist

External links

Discography

LR VRM Orkestras Dūdų vasara 2014

LR VRM reprezentacinis pučiamųjų orkestras Baltijos kelio 25 metų minėjime

Massed Netherlands Royal & Lithuanian Army Bands in Vilnius plays Lithuanian Top Hits Medley
Lithuanian military bands Lithuanian musical groups Musical groups established in 1991 Military units and formations established in 1991 1991 establishments in Lithuania