Complete programme for 2026 International Philharmonic Band Festival

The 2026 International Philharmonic Band Festival gets under way on Friday evening, 18 September. See the full programme for the two-day festival below:

First Part: Music in Corfu’s Historic Centre

Start time: 19:30
End time: 21:00

Venue: Corfu Historic Centre

The first part of the festival brings the musical heart of the event into Corfu’s historic centre.

Musical ensembles from the town’s historic philharmonic bands, together with the “Flagginio” Choral Ensemble, will present short programmes at selected locations throughout the Old Town.

The event aims to create a vibrant, polyphonic musical experience, with different ensembles performing alongside one another within Corfu’s historic urban fabric.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS

Annunziata Square – Saint Spyridon Square (Plakada) – Kofineta – Liston – Pentofanaro

18 September

PARTICIPATING MUSICAL ENSEMBLES

“Mantzaros” Philharmonic Society
The ensemble will participate with two separate musical groups:

• Woodwind and brass ensemble, conducted by Dimitris Argyrou, under the name “Jazz on the Move”
• Percussion ensemble, conducted by Spyros Aspiotis, under the name “Drum Line on the Road”

Corfu Philharmonic Society – Old Philharmonic
The band will be represented by its Youth Band, comprising 60–70 young musicians. The 15-minute programme will feature works by Manos Hadjidakis, Giorgos Katsaros and Yiannis Markopoulos. The Youth Band will be conducted by Assistant Conductor Spyros Kakarougas.

“Flagginio” Choral Ensemble
The choir will perform well-known pieces from the musical tradition of the Ionian Islands, conducted by Andreas Gousis.

Municipal Philharmonic of Zakynthos, Artemision Municipal Unit
The band will perform pieces from the musical tradition of Zakynthos. It will be conducted by Chief Conductor Dionysis Mallias.

Indicative performance time for each ensemble: 12–15 minutes.

The performances will take place through an organised rotation of the ensembles at the selected locations, creating a continuous musical presence at different points throughout the historic centre.

DETAILED PROGRAMME – FIRST PART

18 September | 19:30–21:00

ANNUNZIATA

19:30 — Corfu Philharmonic Society – Old Philharmonic (Youth Band)

20:00 — “Mantzaros” Philharmonic Society (“Jazz on the Move” / “Drum Line on the Road” – the two ensembles alternating every 15 minutes)

SAINT SPYRIDON SQUARE – PLAKADA

19:30 — “Mantzaros” Philharmonic Society (“Jazz on the Move” / “Drum Line on the Road” – the two ensembles alternating every 15 minutes)

20:00 — Corfu Philharmonic Society – Old Philharmonic (Youth Band)

20:30 — Choral Ensemble of the Thomas Flagginis Choir (with instrumental accompaniment)

LISTON

20:30 — Corfu Philharmonic Society – Old Philharmonic (Youth Band)

KOFINETA

19:30 — Municipal Philharmonic of Zakynthos – Artemision

20:30 — “Mantzaros” Philharmonic Society (“Jazz on the Move” / “Drum Line on the Road” – the two ensembles alternating every 15 minutes)

PENTOFANARO

20:00 — Choral Ensemble of the Thomas Flagginis Choir (with instrumental accompaniment)

20:30 — Municipal Philharmonic of Zakynthos – Artemision

SECOND PART: INTERNATIONAL PARADE OF LOCAL & GUEST MUSICAL ENSEMBLES

Start time: 21:00
End time: 22:15

Following the completion of the first part, the music moves into the streets of the town.

The International Parade of Local and Guest Musical Ensembles will make its way through Corfu’s historic centre, bringing together local philharmonic bands and guest musical ensembles from Greece and abroad.

The grand parade will feature musical ensembles from Corfu, Zakynthos, Italy, Serbia, Ukraine and Poland, creating a unique international musical gathering in the heart of the town.

PARTICIPATING MUSICAL ENSEMBLES

Local Corfu Philharmonic Bands:

• Gastouri Philharmonic
• Sinarades Philharmonic

Guest Philharmonic Bands / Musical Ensembles:

• Fanfara of Bedizzole: Bersaglieri (Italy)
• Police Orchestra of the City of Belgrade (Serbia)
• Representative Orchestra of the Border Guard (Poland)
• Crazy Drummers: A project by Studio-117 (Ukraine)

Zakynthos Philharmonic Bands – three bands from Zakynthos:

• Municipal Philharmonic of Zakynthos, Artemision Municipal Unit
• Municipal Philharmonic of Zakynthos, Alykes Municipal Unit
• Municipal Philharmonic of Zakynthos, Zakynthians Municipal Unit

PARADE ROUTE & ORGANISATION

Starting point: Spilia – Saint Anthony

Route: Nikiforou Theotoki ➔ Liston ➔ right onto Evgeniou Voulgareos ➔ Georgiou Theotoki ➔ Municipal Theatre Pedestrian Street

Finish: Municipal Theatre Pedestrian Street

Route duration: The estimated duration of the route for each musical ensemble is approximately 12–15 minutes.

Staggered starts: To ensure the smooth flow of the parade and avoid overcrowding, the musical ensembles will set off at five-minute intervals.

The staggered starting times will allow sufficient distance to be maintained between the participating ensembles, while ensuring a continuous flow of music along the entire route and a better experience for the audience.

SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER
GRAND FESTIVAL EVENT

Grand Presentation of Musical, Dance and Choral Ensembles

Venue: Specially arranged area – Lower Square, Corfu

Start time: 20:30

The second day will feature the festival’s main artistic event, bringing together the participating musical, dance and choral ensembles.

The event will take place in a specially arranged area in Corfu’s Lower Square, with organised facilities for welcoming the public and presenting the participating ensembles.

The venue will have all the necessary infrastructure for the full presentation of the artistic programme, including appropriate sound and lighting facilities, as well as spectator stands.

ARTISTIC PRESENTATIONS & RULES

Formations & choreography: Musical ensembles choosing to present formations and organised choreographed movements will have a strict 10-minute time limit.

Simple parade: Musical ensembles choosing to perform a simple musical parade in the specially arranged area, without formations, will have 5 minutes.

Strict adherence to the allocated times is essential for the smooth running and precise scheduling of the overall artistic programme.

ORDER OF PHILHARMONIC BAND PRESENTATIONS

The order in which the philharmonic bands will perform will follow their chronological order of establishment, as listed on the official poster and in the organisers’ official material.

The presentations will proceed from the newest to the oldest band, according to the year each was founded.

This choice aims to highlight the historical development and evolution of the philharmonic band tradition, with particular reference to the unique musical heritage of the Ionian Islands.

The musical ensembles will present organised formations (Tattoo) and choreographed movements. A special dance programme will be presented by the Niki Giannou School of Dance, focusing on World Peace.

JOINT PERFORMANCE BY THE THREE HISTORIC CORFU TOWN BRASS BANDS

A special place in the artistic programme will be given to a joint performance by the three historic philharmonic bands of Corfu:

• “Capodistrias” Philharmonic Union
• “Mantzaros” Philharmonic Society
• Corfu Philharmonic Society – Old Philharmonic

The three historic philharmonic bands will perform and parade together in a particularly symbolic moment of the festival. Their joint appearance highlights Corfu’s unique musical tradition and the enduring contribution of the philharmonic band tradition to the cultural identity of the Ionian Islands.

Special mention should also be made of the Corfu Choral Union, which will participate with all the island’s choral ensembles and perform two pieces. These will include an arrangement of “Ode to Joy” by Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as a new piece performed together with internationally renowned Italian tenor Al Bano.

ELENI KORONAKI