The third annual World Concertina Day, sponsored once again by the International Concertina Association, was on February 6, 2024, the anniversary of the birth of Sir Charles Wheatstone, with events around the world. The ICA itself put together another of our annual international video concerts and a participatory international concertina players gathering on Zoom.
Video and audio from WCD 2024 is still available for viewing and listening, below!
New video recordings
- ICA’s third annual WCD international video concert, showcasing players from many countries:
Part one: Alistair Anderson, Eimear Donnellan, Espen Wensaas, Yuxin Ding, Sandra Kerr, Zak van der Vyver, Bryan Creer and Valmai Goodyear, Jon Dietz, Gilbert Carrère, Elena Frecot, Kitty Greenwood, and Michael Eskin
Part two: Dave Townsend, Mary MacNamara, Richard Burgess, Lexie Boatright, Alex Wade, Aidas Rusa, Mary Roth, Gavin and Julie Atkin, Will Pound, Greg Mirken, Ríona Hely, and Michael Jary - New videorecordings for the occasion from Steve Turner, Iris Bishop, Paul McCann (twice!), Ryo Sato, Edward Jay, Matt Heumann, the Banding Together Concertina Band, the Hawkwood Concertina Band, Kettle Bridge Concertinas, mirimalindë and a collection of players in Australia. We put them all together along with the 2024 International Concert video in a playlist on the ICA YouTube channel.
- Concertina-playing members of Newcastle CCÉ in County Down, Ireland recorded 12 videos for World Concertina Day 2024 and posted them here on Facebook . Scroll down to February 6 to see them – no Facebook account required.
New audio recordings
- SqueezEast Concertinas in the UK posted many concertina duet, trio, quartet and ensemble recordings from their 2024 World Concertina Day gathering on their website.
- John Wild made a new audio recording for the occasion (on a tritone concertina!).
- From Kettle Bridge Concertina Day in the UK: Great Escape March, Jungle Book, Moon River and When Johnny Comes Marching Home/Battle Hymn of the Republic .
- From a WCD session at Cadgwith Cove Inn in Cornwall, UK: a recording of Boys of Bluehill and Captain Pugwash including Jeffries duet, Anglo and English concertinas.
Real-time events for WCD 2024
International
- ICA’s first international concertina players gathering on Zoom drew 47 people from at least seven countries.
United Kingdom
- Streamed concert from the Folk in Gloucester.
- Concertina playing and session at the Cadgwith Cove Inn, Helston, Lizard, Cornwall. Audio here!
- Forestinas Concertina Band put on a concertina event in Ringwood, Hampshire.
- Kettle Bridge Concertina Day was at the Maidstone Museum in Maidstone, Kent. Video and audio recordings: Dark Island (video), Great Escape March, Jungle Book, Moon River and When Johnny Comes Marching Home/Battle Hymn of the Republic
- “Feast of Concertina Music” concert in Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes.
- Chiltinas put on a concertina-themed session in Maulden, Bedfordshire.
- Yorkshire Concertina Club put on a short informal concert at their usual meeting venue in Leeds, North Yorkshire.
- SqueezEast Concertinas played at Strangers’ Hall Museum in Norwich, Norfolk. Audio here!
Australia
- Bush Traditions session with a focus on the concertina in Goulburn, New South Wales.
- Concertina flash mob Candelo, New South Wales.
- “Squeezing-Together Musical Get-Together”, an informal concertina meet-up in Mindarie, Western Australia.
- Video of some of the Australia events is here!
United States
- Northwest USA players gathering in Port Townsend, Washington State.
- The band Three Times Through including English concertina player Greg Mirken performed in Nevada City, California.
- Northern California players gathering near Berkeley, California.
France
- Lecture about the concertina “Le concertina dans tous ses états” by Jean-Louis Auneau in Nantes.
Merchandise
WCD 2024 merchandise is still available for purchase! .
The future!
If you would like to take part in future World Concertina Days or would like to discuss any aspect of World Concertina Day, feel free to contact the WCD team at WCD@concertina.org.
Plan a WCD event of your own!
The ICA encourages everyone with an interest in the concertina to participate by organizing or taking part in an event in your local area or online on or near World Concertina Day on February 6 of every year.
Some possibilities:
- Gatherings of concertina players
- In-person or online public concert performances by concertina groups or individual performers. Online events could also be pre-recorded and posted online on the day.
- Events such as “concertina flash mobs” that lend themselves to social media publicity and local media interest
- Live workshop events featuring concertinas
- Local or national radio/TV interviews by concertina people
- Display or demonstration of the concertina at your local museum, library or community center
- Sharing a recording of yourself or telling your social media friends about your interest in the concertina
- ….or anything else you can think of! Take a look at what happened on World Concertina Day in 2022 and 2023.
We would be happy to use ICA’s communication channels to help you publicize your event. We can also provide a World Concertina Day logo to use in your event publicity. However, please note that the ICA cannot provide funding for your event or accept liability in connection with it.
If you would like to take part, have ideas, or would like to discuss any aspect of World Concertina Day, feel free to contact us at WCD@concertina.org.
The World Concertina Day logo may be used for promotional purposes and on official merchandise, as agreed with the ICA. If you are interested in using the logo, email us at WCD@concertina.org to request permission for use, and describe your purpose for using it. If you receive permission, we can email you a copy of the logo.