Slovene Military Orchestra


The Slovene Military Orchestra is the only musical ensemble of the Slovenian Armed Forces and a unit of the General Staff of the SV in Ljubljana, being first in the order of battle in the SV. Also known by its acronym, the SAF Band, it consists musicians with mainly an academic background. Anyone who wants to play in the orchestra must have at least a 1/5 of the required level of education in the field of music, and must successfully perform at an audition. Training also includes, as with all other SV units, drill and marching precision practice.
It was established in April 1996, with its first conductor being Franc Rizmal who served until October 2000. The tradition of military bands on Slovenian territory dates back to the second half of the 18th century with the SAF Band playing an integral part in that history in being the first unified Slovenian military band.

Tasks

The band engages in the following daily tasks:
In fulfilling these goals, the band sometimes cooperates with the Protocol Unit of the SV. An example of this relationship was seen publicly in Moscow in 2013, during the Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo which took place that year.
Each year, the band plans concerts on national holidays

Composition

The SAF Band has several different ensembles. It is composed of 58 personnel, 48 of which are actual musicians while the other 10 are part of the band's staff. The band is divided into particular sections such as the following:
The uniform of the SAF Military Band is worn by the band members at concerts or when representing the SAF Military Band. SAF Military Band uniform resembles the basic service dress, but is complemented by a golden yellow shoulder cord, coat and raincoat.

Gallery