Two founding members and first musicians
Michael Vincent Nunes Raposo |
Ruben Anthony da Silva |
Band History
After talking, so many times, with
my son Michael and my nephew Ruben about the possibility of forming a band
on the North Bay of San Francisco to perpetuate Portuguese music in this
beautiful area of our Golden State,we finally met with another 6 people
on December 7th, 1995.
From that meeting was born the "LUSITANIA
BAND OF NORTH BAY". The name was suggested by Ruben C. da Silva who is
the band's president. When the Romans invaded the Iberian Peninsula, they
divided it in 3 big parts, Tarragona, Lusitania and Betica. Part of what
is now Portugal was in the province of Lusitania, hence the name Lusitanos
for the Portuguese people and the reason why Lusitania was chosen for the
name of our band.
Michael and Ruben, both then 16 years
old, took the responsibility of starting rehersals of a band that had only
5 members, including them. The band now has over 30 musicians of all ages
and nationalities and is conducted by Manuel Ávila, a native of
the the island of São Jorge, who now lives in San Jose, California.
The birth of this band filled a big
need the Portuguese and the Portuguese-
-american youth had to gather and was one of the missing
links between the youth and the adults of the Portuguese comunity of the
Norht Bay.This band has filled a great need of the areas in the Portuguese-american
youth, but, as well, of the entire Portuguese-american comunity of the
North Bay increasing social and cultural interaction, and solidifying bonds
of frienship and camaradery between youth and adults of all ages.
José M. Raposo
