Štětí, church

WIND MUSIC IN ŠTĚTÍ AND FEDO

North Bohemian Wind Harmony Štětí

The amateur brass band has been a great phenomenon of Stettin's cultural life for more than half a century. During its existence it has changed several names, for a long time it was called the Štětí Wind Harmony. Its current name is the North Bohemian Harmony of Štětí.

The origins of the brass band date back to 1945. The orchestra has been led by a number of conductors who have influenced its style and constantly cared for its level and the replenishment of its musician base. Today, the orchestra has around 60 members and musicians not only from Stettin, but also from Litoměřice, Mělník and Slánsko. The orchestra's development, always tending more towards concert wind music, was probably most influenced by the bandleaders Jaroslav Bílý and later Mgr. Jiří Lhotský.

The orchestra has also performed abroad many times and has had many important performances and competition successes. The orchestra is closely cooperating with the group of Szczecin majorettes, which inherently belongs to the tradition of Szczecin festivals. The oldest and best known group are the Majorettes of the Štětí Cultural Centre, who first performed with their home orchestra in 1973 at the Prague Harvest Festival. It is said that the Štětská majorettes were the first such troupe in the then Czechoslovak Republic. Since then, they have successfully performed many times both as a guest and in competitions not only in the Czech Republic but also abroad.

National Festival of Wind Orchestras FEDO

Jaroslav Bílý (1935-2010), a composer and later a bandleader from Zlín, was instrumental in organising the first Festival of Wind Music in 1970, during his professional beginnings in Štětí in 1961-1970. He literally trampled it out of the ground on the green empty meadow of Hus Square. The very first time, 10 brass bands performed in Štětí, one of which was Yugoslavian. This music festival was an artistic and audience success, and a series of annual festivals followed until 1978, after which festivals were held at two-year intervals. The brass band festivals are abbreviated as FEDO.

The course of every festival has a well-established ritual. It is usually held on a weekend at the end of June in even-numbered years. The festival is three days long and the music groups perform from Friday afternoon throughout Saturday. On Sunday afternoon, the festival culminates in a monster concert on the stage of Hus Square. All the participating orchestras play together, rehearsed, for a total of 400-500 musicians.

Until 1992 the concerts were held on a temporary portable stage. Since 1994, there has been a stable roofed summer stage with sanitary facilities on Hus Square, where other shows, not only FEDO, take place in the meantime. On festival days, Štětí is alive with brass band music not only for its fans, but also for those who do not normally listen to this genre of music. The auditorium under the crowns of huge trees is usually filled with up to 1000 satisfied spectators. Short shots are usually also taken by TV cameras of national and local media.

During the twenty-five years of the festival, many foreign bands came to Štětí. The most exotic guest was an ensemble from Japan, which participated in FEDO in 1990. The participation of an orchestra from the United States of America is also worth mentioning. The participation of musicians from European countries such as Croatia, the Netherlands, Italy and others has become a tradition.

Since 2010, FEDO has also included a festival of rock brass bands called FERODO. This takes place on the Elbe riverfront and is an alternative for young residents and visitors to the city during FEDO.

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