Concordia is a dedicated plucked-strings chamber orchestra based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Formed in 1978, its first conductor was the prominent Australian guitarist, John Griffith. The ensemble comprises about twenty players of mandolin, mandola, guitar, one mandocello, and two bass players.
Membership includes both professional and amateur musicians with a common love of playing plucked instruments together. With no outside funding, Concordia operates through the voluntary work of its members, committee, and their families and friends. The ensemble is largely self-funded.
Concordia has performed hundreds of concerts in Melbourne, regional Victoria, and interstate. In 1984, under the direction of Frank Mazzitelli, Concordia toured Italy, performing in cities such as Rome, Florence, and Milan. The ensemble’s repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the Romantic periods, as well as more contemporary and original Australian works.
Concordia has made several CD albums with Melbourne-based Move Records since 1996, including ‘Salut d’Amour’, ‘Eclectic Collection’, ‘Forgotten Dreams’, ‘Flight’, and ‘Ringing the Strings’, featuring new compositions and arrangements by resident composer Michelle Nelson. The ensemble performs about five times a year at various venues around Melbourne and regional Victoria.
We rehearse every Wednesday night in East Malvern, and new members are very welcome. Please contact our leader, Marion Blazé, if you are interested in joining Concordia.
The Mandolin Orchestra
Mandolin orchestras have existed in Australia since the beginning of the 20
th Century. There are currently eight mandolin orchestras in Australia, with Melbourne boasting three, namely the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra, Concordia and Mandolins D’Amour.
A mandolin orchestra is an ensemble of plucked string instruments similar in structure to the string sections of a symphony orchestra. There are first and second mandolin sections (like the first and second violins); a mandola section (like the viola), classical guitars and a double bass. A mandolin orchestra may also include the accordion, percussion and woodwind.
Mandolin orchestras enjoy popularity in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom. You can learn more about the mandolin orchestras in Australia and New Zealand by visiting the Federation of Australian Mandolin Ensembles (FAME) website.
The Mandolin and Mandola
The mandolin is a fretted steel stringed instrument, which evolved in the 18th century from the Italian mandora, a type of lute. It has the same tuning as a violin and is played with a plectrum. The mandola is very similar to the mandolin, but is larger and is tuned an octave lower.