The Guards Band (
Finnish: Kaartin soittokunta;
Swedish: Gardets musikkår) is the premier band of the
Finnish Defence Forces. Established in
Parola on April 1, 1819, it is the oldest of the six Finnish military bands as well as the oldest continuously operating professional musical organization in Finland.[1]
The Guards Band is officially the Representative Band of the President of the Republic of Finland.[1][2] As of 2022, it consists of 42 musicians led by Senior Conductor Timo Kotilainen and Conductor Aino Koskela.[3]
1964 Arvo Uro appointed as Chief Conductor of Finnish Defence Forces as well as leading Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta and adjoining Defence Forces Music School.
1952 name changed first to Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunta I and then to Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta.
1940 name changed to Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunta (Helsinki Garrison Band)
1934 Arthur Rope appointed as conductor.
1932 Chief conductor of the Finnish Defence Forces, Lauri Näre, is also conductor of the band.
1926 visits to Riga, Stockholm and Tallinn.
1924 Johan Leonard Linnala appointed as conductor.
1919 name changed to Suomen Valkoisen Kaartin Soittokunta (Finnish White Guards Band).
1918 Helsingin Torvisoittokunta performed in military functions of the Senate during the
Finnish Civil War and was taken into active service as Valkoisen Kaartin Rykmentin Soittokunta (band of the White Guard Regiment).
1917 Finland gains independence.
1905 Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoona was disbanded. Many of the musicians transferred to Helsingin Torvisoittokunta which also received many instruments and sheet music from the band.
1904 first recording by a Finnish wind orchestra by the Band of the Finnish Guard. Conductor Albin Lindholm.
1901 Aleksei Apostol established Helsingin Torvisoittokunta (Helsinki wind orchestra). Musicians come from the Guard Battalion's band and former Uudenmaan Pataljoona band.
1899 Aleksei Apostol, an orphaned boy adopted by the band during the Russo-Turkish war, appointed as the conductor of the band.
1891 huge public concerts with 250 musicians to aid famine victims in Russia.
1880 Imperial decree on the instrumentation and number of musicians in the band.
1878 Suomen kaarti was given the rank of
Old Guard and named as Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoona (3rd Imperial Guard Finnish Rifle Battalion).
1874 first Finnish born conductor, Adolf Leander, was appointed Director of Music
1861 an imperial decree established the instrumentation of the band as 1 conductor, 34 musicians, 12 students, 1 band trumpet major and 20 company fanfare trumpeters plus the band drum major, a pure ensemble of brass and reed instruments, for a total composition of 70 personnel
1831-1832 Suomen kaarti took part in the quelling of the
November Uprising in Poland. Before leaving to Poland the band had one conductor, 32 musicians, 9 drummers, 9 trumpeters and one
drum major.
1829 the battalion (and band) was named Suomen Opetustarkk'ampujapataljoona (Finnish Sharpshooter Drill Battalion) and received the rank of New Guards of the Russian
Imperial Guard. It was more commonly known as Suomen kaarti (
Finnish Guard) . Starting from this year, the battalion and band were stationed during the summer in
Krasnoye Selo, near
St. Petersburg, where the
Tsar had his summer residence.
December 24, 1824: the band, now with 21 musicians, nine buglers and two
fifers moved with the battalion to
Helsinki.
First the band had only three musicians but in the end of year it had grown to a platoon of twelve.
Founded in
Parola on April 1, 1819, as the band of the Helsingin Opetuspataljoona (Helsinki Drill Battalion), with Josef Thaddeus Tvarjansky as the founding conductor
The Guards Band (
Finnish: Kaartin soittokunta;
Swedish: Gardets musikkår) is the premier band of the
Finnish Defence Forces. Established in
Parola on April 1, 1819, it is the oldest of the six Finnish military bands as well as the oldest continuously operating professional musical organization in Finland.[1]
The Guards Band is officially the Representative Band of the President of the Republic of Finland.[1][2] As of 2022, it consists of 42 musicians led by Senior Conductor Timo Kotilainen and Conductor Aino Koskela.[3]
1964 Arvo Uro appointed as Chief Conductor of Finnish Defence Forces as well as leading Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta and adjoining Defence Forces Music School.
1952 name changed first to Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunta I and then to Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta.
1940 name changed to Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunta (Helsinki Garrison Band)
1934 Arthur Rope appointed as conductor.
1932 Chief conductor of the Finnish Defence Forces, Lauri Näre, is also conductor of the band.
1926 visits to Riga, Stockholm and Tallinn.
1924 Johan Leonard Linnala appointed as conductor.
1919 name changed to Suomen Valkoisen Kaartin Soittokunta (Finnish White Guards Band).
1918 Helsingin Torvisoittokunta performed in military functions of the Senate during the
Finnish Civil War and was taken into active service as Valkoisen Kaartin Rykmentin Soittokunta (band of the White Guard Regiment).
1917 Finland gains independence.
1905 Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoona was disbanded. Many of the musicians transferred to Helsingin Torvisoittokunta which also received many instruments and sheet music from the band.
1904 first recording by a Finnish wind orchestra by the Band of the Finnish Guard. Conductor Albin Lindholm.
1901 Aleksei Apostol established Helsingin Torvisoittokunta (Helsinki wind orchestra). Musicians come from the Guard Battalion's band and former Uudenmaan Pataljoona band.
1899 Aleksei Apostol, an orphaned boy adopted by the band during the Russo-Turkish war, appointed as the conductor of the band.
1891 huge public concerts with 250 musicians to aid famine victims in Russia.
1880 Imperial decree on the instrumentation and number of musicians in the band.
1878 Suomen kaarti was given the rank of
Old Guard and named as Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoona (3rd Imperial Guard Finnish Rifle Battalion).
1874 first Finnish born conductor, Adolf Leander, was appointed Director of Music
1861 an imperial decree established the instrumentation of the band as 1 conductor, 34 musicians, 12 students, 1 band trumpet major and 20 company fanfare trumpeters plus the band drum major, a pure ensemble of brass and reed instruments, for a total composition of 70 personnel
1831-1832 Suomen kaarti took part in the quelling of the
November Uprising in Poland. Before leaving to Poland the band had one conductor, 32 musicians, 9 drummers, 9 trumpeters and one
drum major.
1829 the battalion (and band) was named Suomen Opetustarkk'ampujapataljoona (Finnish Sharpshooter Drill Battalion) and received the rank of New Guards of the Russian
Imperial Guard. It was more commonly known as Suomen kaarti (
Finnish Guard) . Starting from this year, the battalion and band were stationed during the summer in
Krasnoye Selo, near
St. Petersburg, where the
Tsar had his summer residence.
December 24, 1824: the band, now with 21 musicians, nine buglers and two
fifers moved with the battalion to
Helsinki.
First the band had only three musicians but in the end of year it had grown to a platoon of twelve.
Founded in
Parola on April 1, 1819, as the band of the Helsingin Opetuspataljoona (Helsinki Drill Battalion), with Josef Thaddeus Tvarjansky as the founding conductor