- Published on
By Marion Blaze
IF YOU’VE never heard a mandolin orchestra, I can tell you it’s a unique and thrilling experience – sometimes delicate and often dramatic.
I play mandolin with the Concordia Mandolin & Guitar Ensemble, which has a long association with Bass Coast, having played annual concerts in Cowes for the past several years.
We are thrilled to announce our upcoming concert at St Johns Uniting Church in Cowes on May 1, our first performance outside Melbourne since 2019
IF YOU’VE never heard a mandolin orchestra, I can tell you it’s a unique and thrilling experience – sometimes delicate and often dramatic.
I play mandolin with the Concordia Mandolin & Guitar Ensemble, which has a long association with Bass Coast, having played annual concerts in Cowes for the past several years.
We are thrilled to announce our upcoming concert at St Johns Uniting Church in Cowes on May 1, our first performance outside Melbourne since 2019
This is a concert we were ready to hold on the same weekend in 2020 but had to cancel due to lockdown. Then, in 2021 we scheduled the same event only for the same thing to happen again! Well third time lucky it is! (Okay, our fingers are crossed!)
Concordia are a chamber orchestra of plucked string instruments and play a mixed repertoire of classical, contemporary and Australian compositions. Now into its fourth decade, the group has recorded five albums and has had numerous plays on ABC Classical.
Concordia are a chamber orchestra of plucked string instruments and play a mixed repertoire of classical, contemporary and Australian compositions. Now into its fourth decade, the group has recorded five albums and has had numerous plays on ABC Classical.
We rehearse in Malvern East but several of our players are local to Bass Coast. Two drive all the way from Coronet Bay for weekly rehearsals and our lead guitarist and resident composer, Michelle Nelson, lives in Wonthaggi. We will also have Tania Ravbar, who lives in Grantville, as guest guitarist.
As well as playing with the orchestra, Tania and Michelle will perform the beautiful duet Tango, Milonga y Final by the Argentine guitar composer Maximo Diego Pujol.
We play a wide variety of musical styles as well as music written for our ensemble by Michelle.
Having been unable to perform for two years, we are very much hoping for the support of the Cowes community for our return concert.
The Concordia Mandolin & Guitar Ensemble plays at St Johns Uniting Church in Cowes at 2pm on May 1. Tickets at the door $25/20. Children free entry.
As well as playing with the orchestra, Tania and Michelle will perform the beautiful duet Tango, Milonga y Final by the Argentine guitar composer Maximo Diego Pujol.
We play a wide variety of musical styles as well as music written for our ensemble by Michelle.
Having been unable to perform for two years, we are very much hoping for the support of the Cowes community for our return concert.
The Concordia Mandolin & Guitar Ensemble plays at St Johns Uniting Church in Cowes at 2pm on May 1. Tickets at the door $25/20. Children free entry.
Comments are closed.
I am so pleased that the Concordia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble are still performing and will soon return to Bass Coast.
My father, Charlies Eccles-Smith was a member of this ensemble and enjoyed playing mandolin until his death in the early 1990s.
I still have his mandolin and hope there might be a grandchild who, one day, will pick it up and be inspired to play.