A Tubo! – Wind Band Festival

The wind band festival in Corato

A Tubo! – Wind Band Festival is the event that transforms Corato, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, into the beating heart of Puglian and Southern Italian band culture every August. Born to rediscover, promote, and cherish wind bands, the festival offers a series of performances ranging from famous symphonic and operatic pieces to original works written specifically for wind ensembles.

A name that is music itself

The title A Tubo! pays homage to a famous symphonic march composed in the early 20th century by musician and band director Ernesto Paolo Abbate (1881-1934), a piece still featured in the repertoire of many Italian bands, including military ones. This identity-driven choice declares the event's mission from the very start: to value the wind band as a centuries-old witness to the authentic roots of Puglian communities.

The venues

The festival takes place in two evocative settings within Corato's historic center. The initial performances are held in the 15th-century cloister of the Town Hall, an intimate space perfect for concert listening. The final events move to Piazza Cesare Battisti and along the streets of the center, featuring bands in motion and the traditional parade through the city, often coinciding with the celebrations for the patron saint, San Cataldo.

Organizers

A Tubo! is conceived and organized by the PugliArmonica association, under the artistic direction of Maestro Aldo Caputo, with the support of the Municipality of Corato and the patronage of the Puglia Region. As Caputo himself notes, "the wind band is a centuries-old witness to the authentic roots of Puglian communities": a statement that encapsulates the spirit of an event designed to protect and support a living, participatory popular heritage.

A heritage to experience

With its program of free-admission concerts, A Tubo! brings the general public closer to the richness of the band repertoire, offering a prestigious stage to historic ensembles from Puglia and the South. Today, the festival is a highly anticipated summer event in Corato, successfully blending musical memory, a sense of community, and the promotion of the historic center.