Band Clubs

Philharmonic Society Santa Marija

It was on the 5th May 1995 when a meeting was held for all those who were interested to learn music. It was the start of a month full of commitments to put the foundations for the new cultural project aimed to promote music in the locality. A committee, composed of nine members, was set up and the officials were elected during the first official meeting. In the meantime a number of persons started taking music lessons once a week as through the efforts of the committee youths and adults were encouraged to join the project to learn a musical instrument. Maestro Joseph Grech was appointed as the director of the Band. The committee started in the meantime organizing fund raising and also drafting the Statute under the supervision of Dr. Alfred Grech. A call for suggestions for the name of the Band led to a decision taken on 30th May 1995 where the name chosen was Banda Santa Marija, so that the seventh band club in Gozo was founded.

The first musical instrument of the Band was blessed on the 16th August 1995 during a mass celebrated at the parish church. Five days later, the Band performed for the first time at Iż-Żebbuġ’s square during a musical concert named ‘Lejla Kulturali’ [Cultural Evening]. The official inauguration of Banda Santa Marija took place during a special ceremony on the 20th August 1997.

The Band has now established itself as it is not limited to perform services at the village of Iż-Żebbuġ but is regularly invited to perform service in every locality in Gozo and some localities in Malta. Banda Santa Marija has regular services at Iż-Żebbuġ which are performed without any remuneration, such as that of Carnival, the procession of Our Lady of Sorrows, the procession on Good Friday, the celebration on Easter Sunday, the performance during the annual celebrations on Jum iż-Żebbuġ [Iż-Żebbuġ Day], and the annual concert held every August at Iż-Żebbuġ’s square. The Band participates almost through the program of services during the celebrations of on the titular feast of Iż-Żebbuġ dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady

The Band performs a popular marc on the occasion when the statue of Our Lady is brought out of the niche and exposed in the church, the demonstration marc that takes place on the Friday prior to the feast, the performance of the main anthem of the feast and also during the procession with the statue of Our Lady. The Band has other services at Iż-Żebbuġ on the feast of Madonna ta’ l-Għażżiel (the traditional feast at the beginning of autumn), the feast of San Fortunato martyr and also during the annual Christmas concert which take place at the parish church. Banda Santa Marija performed services during a march-past of four young priests from Iż-Żebbuġ during the celebration of their first solemn mass.

The Band performed also during the ceremony when the public school of Iż-Żebbuġ was named for Mons. Gian Andrea Vella on the 15th June 2001, while it celebrated with marches when Iż-Żebbuġ Rovers FC won the main honours of football in Gozo, including the championship of the season 2003-2004. The Band was also invited by the Local Council to other services such as those commemorating Jum il-Lokalita’ [Locality Day]. The Band honoured the Missionary Society of Saint Paul on the 6th September 2004 on the 30th anniversary of the opening of Dar Stella Maris and performed marches when the first commemorative stone of Dar Museum in Iż-Żebbuġ was laid and when the centre was officially inaugurated.