The Banda Municipal de Machico (initially designated Filarmónica D. Carlos I) was founded on November 1, 1896 by Jayme Rodrigues Gouveia, João da Costa Miranda, Benjamim da Costa Miranda, Augusto Marcos da Câmara and Ângelo Álvares de Freitas, among others. José Feliciano da Cruz (1st class Military musician in the position of retired who, after his stay in Machico, was responsible for Ribeira Brava Band), Francisco Maria Nobre, Francisco Assis Moreira, Sgt. Carapeto , José da Costa Miranda, Sergeant Rocha (who later went to the Band of Faial), José da Costa Miranda, Filipe Alves Gouveia Vieira, and teacher Amaro Nunes dos Santos.
For the first time in public on the birthday of His Majesty, King D. Carlos I, in the year 1897, in the town of Machico, he first played in Funchal on July 15, 1899, at the time of His Majesty’s Visit, the King D. Carlos I to Madeira, as Band of Honor.
On June 21, 1985, its headquarters and musical instruments were destroyed by a fire that led to being turned off for 1 year. In August 1989 Banda returned to active and began a set of cultural exchanges that until today, has already led to the Canary Islands and the Azores, as well as several locations in the continental territory. Of its trips to mainland Portugal, it is worth mentioning its performance in 2008 at the Lisbon Tourism Exchange in Parque das Nações, at the invitation of the then Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Transport.
The collectivity is linked to the creation of the Conservatory of Machico. In recent years, the Choral Group of Machico has been joining this band performing religious and profane music.
Having as main priority the school of formation of the Band, this Band participates still like invited in several meetings in particular of Corals Groups. The group has created a Song Group, has a carnival troupe with about one hundred elements, a Youth Theater Group and another for Adults, a Dance Group and a Big Band in an experimental phase.
The institution was endowed with its own headquarters in 2004, according to the program of the Regional Government, in Sítio da Graça, in Machico. It welcomes the meritorious recognition of the Public Utility Statute awarded by the Regional Government of Madeira in the past year of 2013, for its work in favor of culture in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
Under the Artistic Direction of Nelson Spínola, the Banda Municipal de Machico currently has about five dozen elements.
Bibliography:
FRANCO, João Elias Domingues (2011); Bandas Filarmónicas Portuguesas, Vila Praia de Âncora: ANCORENSIS;
http://www.jf-machico.pt/turismo/banda-municipal-de-machico/ Consultado a 19 de novembro de 2017.