Last summer I was strolling through Ostend when I heard a brass band playing in the old kiosk on a city square. Not just any brass band—not the Bommerkonthe harmony where the cheeky Antwerp group De Strangers once wrote a hilarious song about it. No, this was a very well-conducted band, highly musical, perfect. The Royal Finance Ministry Brass Band? I'd never heard of it...
Well, well, well—a (bored?) politician discovered this orchestra that's racking up successes and performs at numerous occasions at home and abroad. I didn't know about it? Look, I'll admit it, my bad, because at Klassiek Centraal we haven't given brass bands and harmonies nearly enough attention, and that's a serious oversight because there's plenty of excellent music to hear there, played by sometimes very accomplished brass bands and harmonies ranging from amateurs to professionals. There's a gap we need to fill at Klassiek Centraal. If anyone reading this feels called to help us with words and deeds as a reviewer, please let us know with a quick email to bestuur@klassiek-centraal.be.
The 'the-civil-service-orchestra-nobody-knows'
It's shameful for the politician who dares call it that and then attacks it as a hobby distraction for amateurs who play together in their ensemble during their paid hours. Well, the ensemble playing could happen outside work hours. That's something we could work with. A structural subsidy from the ministry—our money, the finance ministry's money—could be worked out to match current legitimate costs. We're not talking about just any officials blowing and drumming away during work hours, just for fun. This is a fully legitimate quality product that can actually generate some goodwill for that ministry-nobody-likes. A solid ensemble, excellent music, a well-thought-out program with a healthy mix of serious and more popular fare. An ensemble that's an absolute and undeniable added value. And one more thing: the work pays for itself... Every team-building event in modern HR happens during work hours and is paid by the employer. Should we scrap that too because the customers of company X are essentially paying for that team-building? How absurd can it get?
Anyone who's heard this so-called 'civil-service-orchestra-nobody-knows' before will agree with me: this orchestra must stay! The annoyed parliamentarian who thinks it's far too expensive and irresponsible will certainly find millions upon millions more to cut elsewhere in a heartbeat. If he just did a little research, it's no heavy lifting to simply scan the daily news for the umpteenth example of waste. There's money lying around for the taking. And leave this orchestra alone, please—it's an absolute added value. This orchestra has existed for 120 years. If that parliamentarian calculated how much money that insignificant little orchestra has spent over all those years... yikes. Maybe he could set a good example and advocate for responsible cuts to parliament itself? Fewer parliamentarians, fewer trips abroad, lower pensions, smaller severance packages, lower salaries: the orchestra could be funded from that alone, and there'd still be room for a few more orchestras...
Long live the 120-year-old Royal Finance Ministry Brass Band!
