Accora Orchestra
Formerly Castletown Accordion Orchestra
Est. 1981
Background.• 1981 formed as a marching band in
Castletown, Navan, County Meath.
• 1993 the current musical director John Chilton, took over and changed the band to a classical accordion orchestra holding their practices in Nobber, Co. Meath.
• 2014 the Orchestra relocated to St.Kilian’sNational School Mullagh Co. Cavan as the majority of our young musicians are based in this area.
• Currently 90 members who come from the South Cavan /North Meath environs.
4 Orchestras
Mini-Musicians (age4-6): Sara Brennan
Preparatory Orchestra (8-12): Yvonne Chilton
Intermediate orchestra (Age 11-17): Sara Brennan
Senior Orchestra: John Chilton
Percussion Players: Clare Martyn
Successes All-Ireland champions at 3 different levels winning The Northern
Ireland Open Accordion Championships in Carrickfergus over the
years.
World Music Festival Innsbruck Austria 2007,2010, 2013 2nd and
3rd place twice.
European Accordion Championships Praque 2006, 2016, Placed 2nd
and 5th respectively.
Concert tour of The Dolomites Italy 2012. 4 concerts to audiences
in excess of 1000 people.
International Festival in Pula Croatia 2014.- Hotbed of Accordion
music. Awarded one gold, two silver, one bronze.
London Accordion Orchestra 2017 Concert Performance London
Sundgau France 7th July 2018 2 concert performances with the
L’Orchestre d’Accordeon du Sundgau
Ethos of The Orchestra
No Parent /Guardian has to invest a large sum of money
to purchase an instrument.
“..we aim to provide the highest quality musical education possible to meet the needs of all our students
within the limits of available resources…” Mission Statement
€10 per lesson per week. €3 instrument rental fee.To a maximum of €150 - a security deposit which can be
used off the purchase price of the instrument should
parent decide to invest.
Doing our part for
Funding: €3,717.66
• Clothes Collections
• Busking in Grafton Street
• Raffles
• Busking in Blanchardstown Centre Christmas 2017
Impacts/ Benefits of The Project
Rebranding – A growth in Profile/exposure
Name Accora Orchestra : Abbreviation of the word Accordion
A Chorus/ A Chord
A Cara - Her friend encapsulating friendship
New Logo: Modern Symbolic representation illustrating the significance of our primary
instrument, the classical accordion.
As classical accordion is not taught in Ireland, by purchasing a Pigini Base Accordion from
Italy we are able to achieve an authentic sound.
By adhering to correct specification re our new amplication and microphones, the
mechanism of the instrument cannot now be heard through the sound system so our overall
sound is greatly enhanced. We are also now able to accept more outdoor performing
opportunities.
New Leroni Trailer: Safe transport of all our
equipment to our practice and performance
venues.
• Laptop/Printer: Enabled us to stream line our
overall administration with all important
documentation easily accessible , safely stored
and backed up. Helping us to meet our
requirements for G.D.P.R. We can now
communicate efficiently with members /parents
and other relevant organisations/bodies by email
and also avail of internet banking.
Minister Heather Humphreys T.D
Official Launch of our Rebrand
at our
Third Annual Mid-Summer Concert
Ramor Theatre
Virginia
Co. Cavan
Saturday 30th June 2018
Challenges for the Promoter.
Time - voluntary nature of most youth groups
Appropriate expertise
Documentation: policies, tax certs etc
Paperwork/ administration of the Project
Trust – Accepting the need for openness, accountability
and transparency
• Fundraising
Challenges for Leader Personnel.
Provision of ongoing guidance and assistance for participants
Endless patience
Understanding /awareness of difficulties Promoters face.
Developing ongoing trust with the Promoter.