Our club “Accordions at Morley” meets twice a month to enable accordionists to play together and develop their musical skills.
The club’s main activity is ensemble playing - we play music written or arranged for accordion orchestra, typically in 4 parts plus bass. Recent repertoire has included Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue” and Kurt Weill's “Threepenny Opera”.
We give two concerts each year in Morley College as part of the college Music Department’s Tuesday lunchtime concert series. There are also opportunities to play solos or small ensemble pieces in a supportive environment.
Ian Watson, LRAM, BMus, ARAM, conducts the ensemble, and Julie North, BA, leads the ensemble and deputises for Ian.
We welcome accordion players of diverse musical taste and standard. With around 25 regular members of the ensemble, 4 or 5 people play each part, so no-one is too 'exposed'. However, if you are an absolute beginner or cannot read music, you would be better advised to join the Beginners' classes run by the College on a Saturday morning.
Alison Briggs writes...
Christine Gowdridge writes...
A brief history of "Accordions at Morley"