At the turn of the 20th Century, Italian immigrants began to settle in Leominster, Massachusetts, just as the first plastic shops were opening in what would soon be known as the “Pioneer Plastics City.” Many found work building the infrastructure needed to support the burgeoning industry that put the city on the map by the 1930s.

Gaspare Bisceglia arrived in Leominster from his native Italy at the age of sixteen. It wasn’t long before the apprentice bandmaster gathered other Italian immigrant musicians and founded the “Banda Regione d’Italia” in 1910. As the band’s role in the city evolved and its membership diversified, it was renamed the “Leominster Colonial Band.”

Bisceglia’s ensemble was praised as being able to “perform both intricate operatic arias and stirring patriotic marches.” It played in celebrations at the end of World War I and led the city’s welcoming parade for American troops returning from World War II. During the Great Depression it established a free summer concert series on the Common, a tradition which continues today in historic Carter Park.

Another long-standing tradition of the Leominster Colonial Band is the Annual Christmas Concert, which has been performed for more than thirty years. Enjoy the talents of the band’s dedicated musicians as demonstrated in the 2019 performance available on-demand on the Leominster Access Television website.