The Norwegian Military Tattoo will get underway for the 14th time this weekend, when Norway’s defense department will be welcoming marching bands and other military music corps to the Oslo Spektrum arena from April 20-22. The event is billed as a major international attraction, with 850 participants from eight countries.
Among them are members of the US Army Field Band, themselves billed as “the musical ambassadors” of the US Army. Their Jazz Ambassadors and the US Marines Silent Drill Platoon are also on the program, along with Norway’s own King’s Guards, guests from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy, Royal Guards’ music corps from Denmark and Sweden, the 21st Batallion Grey Coats Fife and Drum Corps and the Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland, Fanfara Bersaglieri from Italy and the Lochiel Marching Drill Team from New Zealand.
Norwegian Defense Chief Haakon Bruun-Hanssen noted that this year’s event is part of several tied to celebrations of the Norwegian military’s 200th anniversary of making military music. It’s all part of a “long and strong tradition” of music aimed at inspiring and “building bridges” between defense forces and civilian society, Bruun-Hanssen states in the Norwegian Military Tattoo’s program.
newsinenglish.no staff