HarmonicaUK Newsletter June 2026
Wendy Wood, Acting Chair and Editor
Overview
I hope you are all well and enjoying your harmonica playing and listening. I certainly am – I had the wonderful opportunity to see our president, Paul Jones, twice over the past month. More about that in the next magazine. In this newsletter. I want to share some of my learning whilst we have been preparing the first magazine since I became Acting Chair and assisting Roger Trobridge as editor. I want to update you all on the progress of the festivals, both this year and next. And as will be a regular feature, highlighting some of the key roles HarmonicaUK need to help us to thrive. And of course, to highlight some of the forthcoming gigs and festivals – especially since not everyone uses HarmonicaUK Facebook. Finally, an invitation to share your ideas. However, first:
A warm welcome to new members! We have had several people join us over the last few weeks – I will not name you since I don’t have your permission. But I just wanted to thank you for joining us – and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any support. Do try to join our coffee mornings and open mike sessions, it’s a great space to get to know people. And of course, we will be creating other events to join soon! You may have joined after we sent the distribution list to the printers, but the magazine is available in the members' section of HarmonicaUK. website.
Lessons learned Working on the magazine has been a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills and learn more about our HarmonicaUK community. What really became apparent was the diverse talents and the geographical reach we have. As members will see in the magazine, the talent in our community is so inspiring to those like me who are novices. Over the last two years, since I have been part of HarmonicaUK, connecting with people across the world has enriched my life so much. I hope it does the same for you. As we were preparing the magazine for print, I realised just how wide our geographical reach is. We have over 600 members, from countries including Austria, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, India, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovenia, the UK, and the USA. (I hope I have not missed anyone – let me know if I have!)
Festival News
Festival 2026
SAVE THE DATES! SUNDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER ONLINE EVENT WITH THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.(Via Zoom) SUNDAY 25TH OCTOBER ONLINE EVENT (Via Zoom)
Festival 2027
FRIDAY 29TH OCTOBER TO SUNDAY 31ST OCTOBER (see below)
SUNDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER ONLINE EVENT WITH THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. We are running a one-day event that incorporates the annual general meeting. We are finalising guest performers and a detailed schedule.
SUNDAY 25TH OCTOBER ONLINE EVENT
This event will include a whole day of workshops and other activities. We are finalising guest performers and a detailed schedule.
Festival 2027
We are very excited to tell you that we have secured a venue for the October 2027 HarmonicaUK festival. We are going to Harrow Arts Centre. We will be sharing more details over the coming months as we continue the planning process. We chose this venue because it offers good transport links, good accessibility, and technical support for running a music festival. Many thanks to Roger Trobridge, Pete Hewitt, Trevor Yeo and Simon Joy for doing the initial site visit.
FRIDAY 29TH OCTOBER TO SUNDAY 31ST OCTOBER: VENUE: HARROW ARTS CENTRE https://harrowarts.com/
WE NEED YOU
I am looking for many different ways to recruit volunteers for key roles and people to support the key roles, both via this newsletter. Harmonica World magazine, word of mouth and through external organisations, including Reach and NVCO. I think HarmonicaUK deserves to continue and to thrive – this will not happen without support. I am very grateful to three people who have offered support since my last newsletter, and I will certainly be in touch as we move forward with festival plans. This month, I am highlighting the role of the Membership secretary. So even if you do not have time to do all of this, there may be things you can assist with. It may also be that you know someone who would enjoy this role or support parts of this role.
Membership Secretary: Key Responsibilities Member records management Maintain an accurate and up-to-date database of members Track new members, renewals, and lapses Communication Act as the main point of contact for membership enquiries Send out welcome messages, renewal reminders, and updates Recruitment & Retention Support initiatives to attract new members Help retain existing members (e.g. through engagement activities) Subscriptions & Payments Monitor membership fees and subscriptions Coordinate with the treasurer on payments and outstanding dues Reporting Provide regular reports on membership numbers and trends Highlight issues such as declining membership or low renewals Event Support Assist with member-related aspects of events (e.g. sign-in lists, attendance tracking) Skills Needed Organisation and attention to detail Good communication skills Basic administration and record-keeping Familiarity with databases or spreadsheets Customer service mindset
Magazine contributions
Don’t forget, your contributions to the magazine are most welcome.
Your ideas are welcome
Many thanks to those I have been in touch with recently who have shared ideas for how we can continue to develop HarmonicaUK. We are working on them! Thanks to the coffee morning group, who always come up with some great ideas. If you have any ideas about what you would like to see happening with HarmonicaUK do get in touch at [email protected]
Events
Below are some of the events happening this year. And the beginning of next year. More details will be published in the next issue of the magazine. Do let us know if you have any events you would like us to feature. [email protected] Weekly Events HarmonicaUK Coffee Morning (Online) – Every Friday, 11 am UK time. A friendly, informal session to share, receive and offer support. More info: https://www.harmonica.uk/pages/Events Monthly Events First Saturday of every month at 5 pm UK time.
A supportive space to listen or play, suitable for beginners and experienced players alike. More info: https://www.harmonica.uk/pages/Events Saturday sessions – We are working on re-establishing Saturday sessions, which were very popular. You can see some of the previous sessions on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/HarmonicaUK
Other Events
July
Citrus Sun featuring Adam Glasser (14th and 15th July) more information https://www.soulmama.co.uk/whats-on
Ricky Cool and the In Crowd The Blue Piano Birmingham.(16th July) More information https://www.bandsintown.com/e/108350595-ricky-cool-and-the-in-crowd-at-the-blue-piano
Adam Glasser Trio (Tuesday 21st July) Spikes Place Barwell social club Weald Road Brentwood Essex CM14 4TJ £15 on the door More information https://www.spikesplace.co.uk/spike-s-place-brentwood
Adam Glasser Trio (23rd July) Club Langley Beckenham Beckenham Club Langley 2 Hawksbrook Lane Beckenham BR3 3 SR £15 on the door Information: https://www.clublangley.co.uk/events/ The Manfreds (25th July) Hampton Pool Summer Picnic Concert (with Mike d’Arb and Noel McCalla. More information https://www.hamptonpooltrust.org.uk/concerts/manfreds-noel-mccalla.php BluesWeek 2025 (24th Anniversary) University of Northampton (26th – 31st July) A chance to spend a week learning to play the blues and make new friends. For more information, call (+44) 01242 701765
August
Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival – Yellow Pine, Idaho (30th July–1st August 2026) Long-running community harmonica festival. Info: https://www.yellowpinefestival.org/
The Manfreds (2nd August) Guiting Music Festival (2.30 – 4 pm) More information https://guitingfestival.org/open-air-blues-concert-the-manfreds-the-charlie-wood-trio/
2026 SPAH Convention – St. Louis, Missouri (11th –15th August 2026)
World-class performances, seminars, and nightly jam sessions. Hosted by the Gateway Harmonica Club. More info: https://spah.org/convention-events/2026-spah-convention/
Eric Clapton with Ronnie Wood, Andy Fairweather Low, and Will Wilde (Sunday 23rd August, Royal Estate, Sandringham. More information https://sandringhamestate.co.uk/events/heritage-live-presents-eric-clapton-special-guests/
September
The Manfreds Warner, Holme Lacy, Hereford (9th September) (with Mike) d’arbo) More information https://www.warnerhotels.co.uk/entertainments/the-manfreds Other dates for the Manfreds in September Thurs 17th Ilkley, Kings Hall - 01943 602319
Fri 18th Yarm, Princess Alexandra Auditorium - 01642 792587
Sat 19th Whitby, 60’s Weekend Festival - 01757 700042
Thurs 24th Corby, The Core at Corby Cube - 01536 470470
Fri 25th Clacton, Westcliff Theatre - 01255 433344
Sat 26th Hunstanton, Princess Theatre - 01485 532252
Mundharmonika Live – Seydel, Klingenthal, Germany (15th – 20th September) more information http://mundharmonika-live.de
Harmonica Masters Workshops at Mundharmonika Live Festival in Klingenthal, Germany (15th – 18th September), more information https://www.seydel1847.de/workshops/en
October
Other dates for the Manfreds in October Thurs 1st Hoddesdon, The Spotlight - 01992 441946 Fri 2nd Wavendon, The Stables - 01908 280800
Sat 3rd Braintree, The Institute - 01376 323228
Weds 7th Lytham St. Annes, Lowther Pavilion - 01253 794221
Thurs 8th Bury, The Met - 0161 7612216
Fri 9th Lanark, Memorial Hall - 01555 673199
Fri 30th Ramsgate, Granville Theatre - 01843 594510
Sat 31st Felixstowe, Spa Pavilion - 01394 284962
November
Harmonica Masters Workshops Trossingen, Germany (28th October – 1st November) more information www.harmonica-masters.de/en
Other dates for the Manfreds in November Sun 1st Basildon, Towngate Theatre - 01268 205300
Weds 4th Paignton, Palace Theatre - 01803 665800
Thurs 5th Taunton, Brewhouse Theatre - 01823 283244
Fri 6th Worcester, Swan Theatre - 01905 611427
Weds 11th Hayes, Beck Theatre - 0203 3429970
Thurs 12th Christchurch, The Regent - 01202 499199
Fri 13th Isle Of Wight, Shanklin Theatre - 01983 868000
Weds 18th Newcastle-under-Lyme, New Vic Theatre - 01782 717962
Thurs 19th Sunderland, The Fire Station - 0191 5700007
Fri 20th Scarborough, Spa Theatre - 01723 376774
Thurs 26th Bridport, Electric Palace - 01308 428354
Fri 27th Eastleigh, Concorde Club - 023 80613989
Sat 28th Warners, Littlecote House, Hungerford (with Mike d'Abo) https://www.warnerhotels.co.uk/entertainments/the-manfreds
January 2027
January Blues: Charlie Musselwhite & Kirk Fletcher: Night One more information: https://unionchapel.org.uk/whats-on/charlie-musselwhite-kirk-fletcher-night-one
February 2027
Broadstairs Blues Bash (17th -21st February 2027) more information www.broadstairsbluesbash.com Take Care Warm wishes Wendy
