The Gruppo Ocarinistico Budriese (G.O.B.) has carried foreward a more than century old tradition which has linked Budrio now and forever to the ocarina. The ocarina was invented in Budrio, a small town in the province of Bologna, in 1853 by Giuseppe Donati. After making five ocarinas of different sizes, in 1863 the first ensemble was formed. Since 1870 it became a septet, performing with great success all over Europe in the following years, playing original music and arrangements of arias taken from famous operas. The Gruppo Ocarinistico Budriese has inherited the musical tradition of the ocarina groups present in Budrio over the years, paying particular attention to the groups which were active in the town during the twenties and thirties and those conducted by Alfredo Barattoni. The original formation of the group, which began life in the ocarina school in Budrio, has been enriched by the presence of muscicians from a classical background. The GOB group has been active for many years performing at more than 1000 concerts in Italy and abroad and has recorded numerous CD's. Recently the unmistakeable pastoral sound of the ocarina, typical of a number of ocarinas playing together, has been innovated by adding a more classical sound such as the guitar or piano in a repertoire for one or two ocarinas. (GOB Solo Players). International engagements include: concert tours in Australia (1987, 1996, 2000); Argentina (1990), Chile (1990,1999), Venezuela (1991), United States (1994), South Korea (2010, 2012, 2014), Japan (2014), China (2014, with a concert at the NCPA in Beijing) and numerous concerts throughout Europe.