Nikolaos Halkiopoulos Mantzaros becomes the president of the newly established Philharmonic Society of Corfu

The establishment of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu and others that followed is directly linked to the Ionian Islands' growing national consciousness. The islands' inhabitants considered it insulting for English and French bands to be playing during Greek saints' litanies. In 1841, a Greek band played for the first time during the litany of Agios Spyridon, an event that created excitement amongst the crowd. From that date on, the Philharmonic also established a music school with a curriculum planned by Mantzaros. The school had a class for advanced theory and composition, a class for woodwind organs and choir, and string and piano classes. Musicians from the Philharmonic often accompanied the opera performers visiting the island.