The Indian Army Chief's Band is the Indian Army's full-time music band. It was founded in 1990 as the official band of the Indian Army and the foremost in the armed forces. It also, as its name implies, represents the Chief of the Army Staff at events involving the COAS's presence. The band represents India in most important state events held in the Indian capital. It was raised in 1990 with bandsmen being drawn multiple Indian military bands in order to "retain the true representation of the entire nation in one band". In April 2011, a string section was added, consisting of cellos, violas and violins, elevating it to a symphony orchestra comprising 72 musicians. Outside of the Indian Army, it has also represented the Indian nation at various military music festivals in France, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and Bangladesh.
Structure
The band consists of the following ensembles:
Parade Band
Symphony Orchestra
Brass ensemble
Percussion ensemble
Woodwind ensemble
Jazz ensemble
Vocalist group
Initially, the band played with percussion, brass and woodwind sections. Today, the band uses traditional Indian instruments such as the Mridangam, the Tabla, and the Carnatic. In addition other traditional instruments such as the Santoor, Sitar and Jaltarang have been incorporated in the band.
Events
The band performs at ceremonial events with the Indian Army, including the Presentation of Colours and the annual Delhi Republic Day parade on the Rajpath. In the latter, the band is not a marching contingent but rather is located away from the road in an area near the national flag during which it performs Jana Gana Mana the presentation of honours by the President's Bodyguard. It alsp performs at state dinners held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, hosted by the President of India for a foreign head of state. It also performs at community events in its vicinity.
In July 2009, Indian military bands, a bands from the three services, with the Army band being one, marched down the Champs-Élysées in Paris with contingents from their respective services during the Bastille Day military parade to the sound of Indian martial tunes including Saare Jahan Se Achcha, Haste Lushai and Kadam Kadam Badaye Ja.
In April 2017, the band performed at a concert sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Indian Embassy in Hanoi. During the performance, three Vietnamese artists accompanied the band in performing the music arranged.
