The Idrija miners' brass band is the oldest in Slovenia and one of the oldest worldwide. Dating back to the 17th century, the ensemble celebrates its 360th anniversary this year, and anyone interested to learn more about its storied past can visit an exhibition in Idrija, a western town known for its rich mining heritage. The band's next performance is scheduled for June.

According to ethnographer Janko Trošt (1894-1975), the brass band was established in 1665. The founder of heritage museums in Idrija and Ribnica, Trošt did not cite the source of the information, but the first documented record of the ensemble appears not long after the year he mentioned.

The reference to the brass band can be found in Janez Vajkard Valvasor's most famous work, The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola, an encyclopedia the polymath, also known as Johann Weikhard von Valvasor, published in 1689.

Written in New High German, the anthology is about the flora and fauna, history, geography and folklore of his homeland, the Carniolan region - the present-day central part of Slovenia.

Valvasor mentions the brass band when he talks about festivities in Idrija celebrating the Habsburgs' win against the Ottomans in Buda, modern-day Budapest, which ended almost 150 years of Ottoman rule in 1686.

The Idrija miners' brass band has been there to mark other major milestones including the end of both World Wars. By the mid-19th century, the ensemble has been well-known beyond the region's borders, and in 1857 its members performed in Postojna Cave to mark a visit by the then Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Empress Elisabeth.

Mining roots

The brass band almost dissolved in 1976 when the local mercury mine, once the second largest in the world, stopped sponsoring it as a result of its own financial struggles.

The mine was eventually closed in 1995, but the ensemble survived having been supported by different cultural organisations. Since 2002, its mains sponsors are car industry supplier Hidria, an industrial conglomerate based in the Idrija municipality, and the municipality itself.

The band still pays homage to its mining roots with the musicians donning miners' outfits or habits as the traditional dress of miners is called in Europe.

Marking its 360th anniversary, they performed in Idrija's City Square last week. On the eve of Labour Day, they played marching songs and cover versions of several hits in what was the first in a series of events celebrating the anniversary.

The ensemble currently numbers some 70 members of different generations, and despite its long history or perhaps precisely because of it they are one of the youngest such bands in the country as the average age of a member is 31.

Youngest and oldest members 77 years apart

Marijan Kogej, an 88-year-old clarinet player who has been part of the ensemble since 1949, plans to continue playing for a while. "75 years with the brass band! No one has ever done it for so long," the oldest member said after the 30 April concert.

"I think it's great that I can play in the oldest brass band in Slovenia. On Fridays during rehearsals we chat a bit as well. It's fun. I'll definitely stay with them as long as I can," said the youngest member of the ensemble, the 11-year-old Olja Vencelj, who also plays the clarinet.

The outdoor exhibition in City Square was opened on the same day as the concert. Honouring the 360 years of music and camaraderie, it presents the historical background of the ensemble through the personal stories of ten former and current members.

The exhibition boards mostly focus on the post-WWII period since most of the older records have been lost to time. They will remain in the square until 9 June. The exhibition will then be moved to the Gewerkenegg Castle courtyard to run until late August.

More anniversary celebrations to follow

The anniversary celebrations will continue on 13 June when the brass band will perform their traditional concert at the opening of the prominent Idrija Lace Festival.

A day later they will host brass bands from Idrija's twin towns and other mining towns in Slovenia, and their New Year gala will wrap up the festivities.

The ensemble made the Culture Ministry's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2013. The town's mercury mining heritage is meanwhile part of UNESCO's world heritage list.

The brass band, whose origins tell a story of a morale-boosting entertainment for the miners and other locals, has been performing at every major event in the Idrija area to this very day. This year, they were also part of the grand opening of the Nova Gorica-Gorizia European Capital of Culture.