Kettle Bridge Concertinas

 

The eagle has landed!

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Report by Karen, pictures by Karen and Alan.

It was summer solstice day and, with temperatures reaching in excess of 30 degrees around the country, ten Kettle Bridge Concertinas members made an appearance at the Church of St. John the Baptist, Harrietsham.

There was to be no escape from the heat, even in the church. We were seated in the nave facing the fabulous west window and, just as we were about to play our first piece, the 16th Century Pastime with Good Company, the sun hit us like a spotlight! There it stayed until the interval.

The programme for the first half consisted of traditional and classical tunes such as Bushes and Briars, Highland Cathedral and two pieces making their KBC premiere - Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No 2 and Drunken Sailor, an original piece written by Claire Wren specifically for a concertina band. The second half contained old favourites and more popular tunes from musicals and films such as The Great Escape, Jungle Book, and Oom Pah Pah and we encouraged the audience to singalong.

Entry to the concert was free but with donations and proceeds from a raffle, the Friends of the church had agreed to share the funds raised with KBC so we were all happy!