Leyland Accordion Club, Leyland, Lancashire, England.

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Leyland Accordion Club - 16th March 2011

Our Website

Our Internet website has had 147,084 visitors as at the 15th of April 2011, that's 948 visitors since last month.

This Wednesday

This Wednesday is our Local players Concert Night. Please Remember to bring any friends or family to this entertaining night. The Doors open at 7.30 for an 8pm start. Make sure you get there early for two reasons, one is that you get a good seat, the other reason is that you get to chat to other people prior to the start of the club. If you see someone you haven't met before then please say hello to them, they will probably be quite pleased that someone came over to speak to them. The social side of the club is something I know people enjoy. See you there. Players don't forget your accordion. David

Show Another Talent Off

Do you have another talent apart from playing the accordion? In order to find out what other talents our members have, we are looking at doing one or two spots on Local Players nights where you dont have to be playing an accordion. Maybe you want to play Banjo, Sing, show us your keyboard skills, do a comedy spot or even do a juggling act? We are going to be making 1 or 2 spots on a local players night for you to bring your other talent and show it on stage, if you would like to do a spot let us know in advance so we can space these non accordion spots out so we dont detract from the fact that we are an accordion club. I am sure that we have many hidden talents that I think we should share and which are maybe going unappreciated, until now?

Preston Guild 2012

Next year is the year of The Preston Guild. The Guild started when King Henry II granted Preston the right to have a Guild Merchant in 1179, this was when he gave the town its first royal charter. There is some evidence of a Guild Court in 1328, but the first reliably recorded celebration of the Guild was in 1397, when it was already more than two centuries old. These gatherings for renewing membership were infrequent. It was soon accepted that they were needed only once in a generation. As a result, from 1542 onwards, Preston Guild took place every twenty years. The rarity of the celebration, and the fact that large numbers of people congregated in Preston for the occasion, made the Guild a special opportunity for feasting, processions and great social gatherings. In this way the great festival which is the Preston Guild was born, hundreds of years ago, and continues to flourish today. Preston Guild has six themes for the Processions they are: Creative Guild, People’s Guild, Green Guild, Merchant Guild, International Guild and Welcome Guild.The vehicular floats will start from Moor Park with walkers joining in at Adelphi. The floats will then move through the packed city streets before making their way back to their starting points.Churches Procession – Monday 3rd September 2012. Start time 2pm, Trades Procession – Wednesday 5th September 2012. Start time 11am, Community Procession – Friday 7th September 2012. Start time 11am, Torchlight Procession – Saturday 8th September 2012. Start time 8pm. The Harris won a £1.1 million Lottery grant towards a new Guild Gallery, filling the place with historical objects to tell the story of Preston. Are you going to be part of any processions or events to celebrate the guild 2012? let us know so we can put it in the forthcoming newsletter. A Big list of events will be on the preston guild website at www.prestonguild2012.com

Guiness World Records

How many world records do you think there are related to the accordion? The answer is 4. Largest Accordion was set by Giancarlo Francenella in Italy in 2001, the dimenions of the playable accordion are 2.53 m (8 ft 3.5 in) tall, 1.9 m (6 ft 2.75 in) wide, 85 cm (2 ft 9.5 in) deep, and it weighs approximately 200 kg (440 lb). The Largest Accordion Ensemble was set at 29th Annual Newfoundland & Labrador Festival In Canada on 6th August 2005 which consisted of 989 participants. The Fastest Accordion Player is Liam O'Connor from Ireland, Liam played Tico Tico at a speed of 11.67 notes per second on the Rick O'Shea show on 2FM in Dublin, Ireland, on 8th November 2006, as part of Guinness World Records Day. The Longest Marathon (Playing Accordion) was set by Anssi Laitinen in Finland on 1st August 2010 the marathon lasted 31 hours 25 minutes and was achieved by Anssi Laitinen (Finland) at Koljonvirta Camping Area, Iisalmi, Finland from 31 July to 1 August 2010. As for the melodeon and the concertina there are no world records currently set for these instruments but the piano currently has 12 world records. Are there any of you out there looking to beat these records or create a new one?

Blackpool International Accordion festival

Accordions International organized by Heather Smith takes place on May 15th/20th at Norbreck Castle, Blackpool. Currently the guest artistes include the David Vernon & Dick Lee duo playing accordion/clarinet, Stefan Andrusyschyn (accordion) & Denise Leigh (soprano), Romano Viazzani, Harry Hussey, Bert Santilly, and Roy Hendrie, more details are to be announced. the week will be shared with‘Blackpool Extravaganza’ which is an organ festival. The festival includes a trade show and numerous workshops.
To book, tel 01780 782 093 (Sceptre Productions).For more information email: heather@accordions.karoo.co.uk

Ireland Accordion Festival

(Article Taken From the Meath Chronicle)
Over 200 musicians from France, England, Scotland and Ireland will descend on Navan this Saturday and Sunday to take part in the All-Ireland Accordion Festival and perform in a star-studded concert. This is the first time in its 40 year history this prestigious festival will be held in Navan. Organised by the Irish Accordion Association, it has been co-ordinated by renowned composer and musician, John Chilton, and his wife, Yvonne, also a highly regarded accordion musician and teacher, for the past 18 years. The organisers are bringing in Italy's first 'jazz accordion' musician and teacher, Renzo Ruggieri, to adjudicate on the competitions. He is the founder of the Club Voglia D'Arte, an organisation of music schools that use an innovative teaching method that has already received international acclaim. With an influx of international competitors, there will be plenty of competition for the Irish over the two-day music festival. As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, the Irish Accordion Festival organisers are including a huge concert on Saturday evening. The line-up for the concert, which will take place in the Newgrange Hotel at 8pm, includes Renzo Ruggieri and a Reunion Orchestra which consists of 50 musicians, in a collaboration of five orchestras. Many members are from five local Meath orchestras in Castletown, Kentstown and Seneschalstown, Oristown and the Paddy Kavanagh and Sean Kearney orchestras. Patricia Kavanagh, daughter of one of the Irish Accordian Association's founder, Paddy Kavanagh, will conduct the reunion orchestra. Also appearing at the concert will be the Meath Harp Ensemble, a unique ensemble of young harp players based in Nobber and led by the renowned artist, Dearbhail Finnegan. Evin Kelly, a local student who is studying accordion performance in the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin; Igor Zavadsky, an accordion artist from Ukraine, and Ian Watson and Julie North, legendary accordion musicians from London, will also perform. On Sunday evening, again at 8pm in the Newgrange Hotel, there will be céilí music by Draoicht, a traditional Irish group from Limerick. According to John Chilton, there is huge excitement as the group finalises plans for this 40th anniversary of the All-Ireland Accordion Festival. "We are particularly delighted to have musicians who performed at the festival over the past 40 years come back together to form a 'Reunion Orchestra' and I want to thank all the musicians for their hard work and many rehearsals since the beginning of the year to prepare for gala concert on the Saturday night," he said. "I also want to thank the members of the organising committee who are working very hard to ensure everything is in place for a successful and enjoyable weekend of accordion music and fun and, of course, to the many competitors who are perfecting their pieces for the many competitions over the two-day accordion festival."

Tram Sunday

Tram Sunday is to be held on Sunday 17th July. There will be Classic Cars, Vintage Trams, Buses, Commercials, Motorcycles and other Special Interest Vehicles of all types, sizes and descriptions. Other attractions planned will be a vintage run from the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland terminating at the Fleetwood rally.

Preston Riversway Festival

The Annual Riversway Festival is on the 15th - 17th July at the docks in preston. Last year they had a Yurt that had all sorts of singing events in it . On the stage they had brass bands, youth bands, dance troupes and more. There hasn't been any word on what they have planned this year but we do know that The Houghton Weavers will be performing on the Saturday.