Kettle Bridge Concertinas

 

It's official!

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Report by Sandy.

The 6th February 2022 was the 220th anniversary of the birth of Sir Charles Wheatstone, inventor of the English concertina. To mark the occasion, the International Concertina Association encouraged concertina players and groups to hold celebratory events. Kettle Bridge Concertinas' contribution was a concert and "have a go" session at Maidstone Museum on 12th February.

We arrived soon after 10am to find that the staff had kindly put out chairs for us and comfy deckchairs for the audience. The museum had reopened after its winter break only a few days before and we were still under the shadow of Covid, but we need not have feared about a lack of audience. A steady trickle came and sat, enjoyed the music, and then continued round the museum. Some daring souls wanted to have a go and find out about the instrument, and we were always very happy to show how straightforward the concertina is to learn.

All the photos show us to be a little solemn, but we were concentrating hard, whilst thoroughly enjoying the chance to play in such a good space. The museum made us very welcome and seemed to enjoy our music. We, in turn, were pleased to have such a good opportunity to show off our favourite hobby!

A big "thank you" to all those who were involved in organising and supporting the event. If World Concertina Day becomes an annual celebration, who knows where we will be next year?

P.S. Click here to watch a video of Kettle Bridge Concertinas performing at the museum.