Azores Band of Escalon

In the early 1980s, many Portuguese migrants came to California in search of opportunity while maintaining their Portuguese culture and identity. John da Silveira and other Portuguese immigrants in California were fueled by their desire to continue the musical traditions of their homeland and eventually made their dream of bringing the Azorean Filarmonica to the US a reality. Silveira and local Portuguese musicians formed a small band (currently known as the Azores Band of Escalon) in the Nunes dairy of Escalon. They made their first public debut in May of 1980 in Antioch. After several decades of local performances, the Azores Band of Escalon traveled to the Azores in 2008, touring the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, and Pico. In 2013, they became the first Portuguese Filarmonica from California to perform at the Sanjoaninas festa in Angra do Heroísmo. This year they celebrated their 45th anniversary and now include over 60 musicians from the surrounding area.