Pictured above at Thornebridge

Back row: Lee Oliphant, Lisa Madetoja, Gordon Dong, Joan Duffy, Betty Varto, Shirley Miller, Irwin Ross, Marlene Giddens, Annette Oakes

Front row: Margreet Preston, Anne Stefanek, Medi Tarim, Catherine Sands, Hannah Govorchin. Nadia Anderson

Missing: Barbara Conrad, Carl Kober, Evelyn Kober, Mary Fraser, Barbie LaDouceur, Lala Hajdu

Our orchestra, the Melodious Mandolins, will perform anywhere from Whistler to Harrison Hot Springs, for care facilities, seniors' activity centres, private parties, or ethnic functions. We play old-time tunes and folk songs from around the world, with some occasional classical and seasonal flavour thrown in for good measure. Currently we perform two to four times per month. Email us for bookings. We prefer weekday evenings or weekends, since we are volunteers and some of us are still working.

Watch for our public performances at the Russian Community Centre bazaars and other ethnic festivals.

Our CD, Melodious Mandolins, was produced by Stephen Bulat of Mix Media Productions. Click here for a sample. For a video of us playing a Turkish song, Yine bir Gul, see our Facebook page under Lower Mainland Mandolin Society.

Orchestra news

Check out our Photo Album.

.Come play with us

Playing music is a wonderful form of stress management. It requires so much concentration you have no time to worry about your problems.

Perhaps you learned mandolin as a child, or have come to it more recently? If you once played the violin, you will find it easy to play the mandolin, for the tuning is the same.

If you have never played mandolin, we have a couple of "trainer" instruments and one or two people who may be able to find time for a student. Contact the webmaster if you are interested in learning. Group or private lessons available.

We are always looking for new members. Mandolin players need to read notes, and guitar players need to be able to at least read chords in various keys. Some improvisation skills may be necessary for bass viol or mandola players, due to a lack of parts. There is a nominal membership charge of $10 per year. If you would like to join, or if you belong to an out of town orchestra and are visiting the lower mainland with your mandolin, call 604-202-4191 or e-mail us to find out the current practice date and location. We usually practice Thursday afternoons in New Westminster from 1:30 until 3:00 pm. Anyone attending must be fully vaccinated.