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 A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the tit ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

History

On February 6, 1919, Captain Ludvigs Bolšteins, commander of the newly formed Latvian Army ordered company No.11 of the Latvian Army to form a band composed of 11 volunteers. This was considered the first military band of independent Latvia. As the country regained its independence in December 1991, a group of military musicians with years of experience in various Soviet military bands reestablished the original Latvian band as part of the Staff Battalion and was based on the organizational structure of the Headquarters Staff Band of the

Baltic Military District The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet armed forces in the Baltic states, formed briefly before the Operation Barbarossa, German invasion during the World War II. After end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added ...

which operated during the long Soviet occupation. Dainis Vuskans, a Soviet musician of Latvian ethnicity, who at the time served as the conductor of 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 ...

's 11th Band in

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

, was immediately invited to become the band's first conductor. On January 3, 1992, the band made its first performance at the

Latvian War Museum The Latvian War Museum ( lv, Latvijas Kara muzejs) is a Museum#military museum, military museum in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The Latvian War Museum was established on 15 October 1916 as the Latvian Riflemen Battalion Museum. Initially the muse ...

. Since then, the band has grown into a professional group of military musicians. It has taken part in receptions for

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

and the Pope in Riga. Foreign conductors have contributed to the development of the band. The NAF Staff band has represented Latvia in several international brass band festivals in many European countries such as

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and

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 ...

. On September 15, 2009, the band joined the Latvian National Armed Forces Staff Battalion.

Purpose

The main purposes of the band are to: * Play the national anthems of foreign countries during the state visits of high-ranking foreign officials. * Take part in the accreditation of ambassadors in

Riga Castle Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava (river), Daugava river where ...

* Play during parades and celebrations of national holidays

Cooperation

Several foreign conductors have contributed to the professional growth of the band with concerts prepared and conducted by bandmasters from different countries. * In mid-2015, the Chief Conductor of the band Dainis Vuskans conducted master classes for the

Military Band of the National Guard of Georgia The Military Band of the National Guard of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს ეროვნული გვარდიის ორკესტრი) is the main military band of the National Guard of Georgia, and the senior state ...

.{{cite web, url=https://mod.gov.ge/en/news/read/1857/latvian-conductor-holds-master-classes-for-georgia%60s-military-band, title=Latvian Conductor holds master classes for Georgia's military band - News, website=MOD.GOV.GE, accessdate=2018-04-13 * The band performed with the CAF Central Band in the Latvian Song and Dance Celebration.Central Band performs in Latvia
/ref> * It performs with other bands in the national armed forces such as National Guard Band and the Naval Band.

Gallery

File:The Staff Orchestra of the Latvian National Armed Forces01.JPG, File:Ministru prezidents Valdis Dombrovskis piedalās svinīgajā vainagu nolikšanas ceremonijā Rīgas Brāļu kapos (8174994330).jpg, File:Marching Latvian military band01.JPG, File:Latviju oficiālā vizītē apmeklē jaunievēlētais Lietuvas Seima priekšsēdētājs (8265821461).jpg, File:The Staff Orchestra of the Latvian National Armed Forces.JPG, The band in the

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

Town Festival in 2009.

References

External links