Banda Internationale

The capital of Saxony has been at the epicenter of a prolonged social debate about asylum law, xenophobia and integration since 2014. For the band Banda Comunale from Dresden it was clear they needed to participate in this debate. With their catchy and captivating brass band music, which is influenced by various cultures such as Eastern Europe, South America, and North Africa, they played tirelessly at demonstrations, welcome festivals, solidarity concerts, and most recently directly at a primary registration facility. Some exceptional meetings took place at those events, which hardly any other medium but music makes possible.

These experiences moved the musicians to take the next step. Within a time frame of roughly a half year, "Banda Comunale" searched for musicians amongst the refugees in Dresden and formed a new band called "Banda Internationale".

Since the end of 2015, the musicians have rehearsed, played and performed together. The Cellex Foundation supported this experiment from October 2015 to December 31, 2016, as a project promoter, launched a crowdfunding campaign, raised funds, co-organized performances, and provided instruments and technology.

Although the sponsored project ended in 2016, Banda Internationale 2017 continued with a lot of energy, with more music, more concerts, educational work in schools and youth institutions and much more.