Ruishton Play Day
7th July 2024
We had a goodly number for the July Play Day at Ruishton.
The main theme of the day was ‘classical’ music and several attendees brought suitable versions of well-known classics.
In planned sessions, Paul McCann took us through his own arrangement of the ‘Hovis’ theme from Dvorak’s ‘New World’ symphony and Doug Watt ran a session on playing rounds and canons.
Small-group workshops generated performances of ‘I Vow to Thee, My Country’ from Holst’s ‘Planets’ (picture), extracts from three of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ and ‘The Hole in the Wall’ by Purcell.
In the individual’s Showcase slot we were treated to a duet from Tony & Diane on English concertinas of ‘Praise to the Mountain’ (picture), Chris Hammond played the ‘Trout’ on his duet, Doug Watt played a Bach violin movement on the anglo, Paul gave us a Swedish traditional tune on duet and John Lambert lightened the tone with ‘Java Jive’ on his English on the grounds (see what I did there…) that it also happened to be National Doughnut Day!
We also found time to have an open-floor discussion on the format and content of these Play Days and the organizing Committee will reflect on all the points arising.
The next WCCP ‘event’ will be the week of mornings at All Saints Church during the Sidmouth Folk Festival. This is an opportunity for Members and potential Members to try different systems and join in band groups and generally to enjoy and promote the WCCP in its core territory.
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WCCP AUTUMN RESIDENTIAL WEEKEND
18th – 20th October 2024
at Wellington School, South St, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8NT
Booking is now open for non-members
This year we are at a new venue which is a great space, and promises several benefits over Quantock Lodge. The reason we are opening booking much earlier is that there are more limited residential places than at QL (22 rooms/44 beds vs +/- 70) so it gives you plenty of time to arrange other accommodation locally if necessary. However, the good news is that the school is in a town so there should be enough accommodation nearby for everyone, and there is also room on site for camper vans! The town is compact and flat, and the school is central.
There are many different packages on the booking form so please read them carefully to choose what is suitable for you.
There are 2 information files which should be read before completing the booking form:
1. Event Description This describes the event, including information about tutors and sessions.
2. Event and Booking FAQ Get in touch if your question is not answered on here.
Autumn weekend 2024 BOOKING FORM
The package prices are on the form, and each person attending, including all tutors, needs to complete a separate form. The answers you give can reduce the number of questions to fill in so any repeated questions (ie about tutors) are there for a reason. You will receive an acknowledgment from Google and a copy of the form you filled in.
Please get in touch with Alex (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 07950 894195) if you are unable to do an online booking form.
Last year we were booked up in less than a week, so please do book as soon as you can.
As this is a new venue, please excuse any teething issues – we will do our best to fix things, so get in touch if there is anything not answered in the information so far.
A limited number of youth bursaries will be available for Residential Weekends.
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There was a full house for the
WCCP 2024 Spring Residential Weekend
held at Halsway Manor, 22-24 March
The Spring weekend is for intermediate and advanced players of all concertina systems.
The workshop tutors were:
- Simon Thoumire, English
- Iris Bishop, Duet
- Brogan McAuliffe, Anglo
- Claire Wren, Concertina band
- Steve Dickinson, Concertina care and maintenance
The course members worked diligently in their workshops throughout the weekend, and the groups provided impressive demonstrations of their progress in the Showcase event on the Sunday afternoon. The concertina band were joined by a scratch choir for a performance of "Pastime with Good Company".
Steve Dickinson (Wheatstone & Co) set up a workshop in the lIbrary for consultation and emergency repairs throughout the weekend, and the Barleycorn Concertinas pop-up shop attracted the usual keen interest.
The Saturday evening concert featured virtuoso performances by Brogan, Iris and SImon.
Tutors' Concert
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Sunday Showcase
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Quantock Lodge 2023
This year’s Autumn residential weekend at Quantock Lodge had a special twist, as we celebrated the WCCP’s 40th Ruby Anniversary.
Over 85 attendees joined us, with lots of new players and members – which was great to see. Beginners and Improvers enjoyed receiving focused group tuition on their Duet (Crane, Hayden and McCann), Anglo or English concertinas. The more proficient players enjoyed honing their skills in the Band. There were also Option sessions and concertina maintenance available, with quite a few attendees leaving with new concertinas from Barleycorn Concertinas.
On the Friday night, there was an open session in the bar area. On the Saturday night, we had pre-dinner drinks in the dining room (in special commemorative WCCP Ruby Anniversary cups) and the room was a sea of red. After dinner, we played tunes and watched the tutors play in a showcase. On the Sunday, it was lovely to hear what each group had been working on during the weekend. Every beginner group was able to play a tune or two, as well as hearing the more advanced tunes the band were playing. At the end of the session, we all joined in to play Farewell Old Friends and a Ruby Anthem, composed by our very own John Lambert.
The club will need to find a new venue for the 2024 Autumn Residential weekend. We are keen to continue the fun and success of the Quantock Lodge weekends for beginners and improvers of all Concertina systems. Please watch this space for more details in early 2024.
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