The No.1 Ladies Accordion Orchestra is a cake-loving, tea (and wine!) drinking group of accordion enthusiasts who travel around the UK to introduce audiences to the amazing versatility of the piano accordion.
We get together six weekends a year, usually organised a year in advance. Two of these weekends are rehearsal-only weekends, and potential new members attend a rehearsal-only weekend. The above photo of "Six ladies in a bath tub" was taken during one of our rehearsal-only weekends on a farm in Cornwall, where there was lots of music practice, hiking in the surrounding countryside and fine dining, for which the No.1 Ladies are renowned.
The remaining four weekends are concert weekends - one new member referred to them as "accordion bootcamp". We arrive on a Friday, have dinner then practice into the evening. Saturday morning - more practice. Saturday afternoon, some practice but then a good break to stretch your legs and explore the locality.
On the Saturday evening we usually have a concert and then spend the Sunday either performing again, or playing new tunes before heading for home.
Generally, concerts are in Autumn and Spring as the Ladies have various other interests during the summer months which makes it difficult to get the orchestra together.
Over the years the Ladies have become firm friends. In 2018 they went on a week-long holiday to the home of the accordion, Castelfidardo, organised by Peter Le Geyt, to celebrate significant birthdays of two of our number. Since then we have organised a summer social each year where whoever is available comes along for a weekend of music, hiking and sightseeing. This fills in the big gap between the last Spring concert and the first rehearsal-only weekend of Autumn and provides an all important opportunity for a catch up and to try out sight-reading music in parts. Always a fun challenge 😁
