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About the Cicero Concertina Circle

The Cicero Concertina Circle is a concertina club that has been meeting in the Chicago area since 1919. The club meets on the first Friday of each month, except July and August. Meetings begin at 7:00 and are held at Drexel Hall (of the Hawthorne Park District), at 3539 S. 54th Ave, in Cicero, Illinois. (Map) Please contact us if you are interested in joining or attending as a guest.

A typical evening begins with the business portion of the meeting, which usually lasts approximately 30 minutes. Dinner (usually sandwiches, chips, desserts) is served immediately after the business portion. After dinner, some members work through repertoire from the songbook, while others have informal sessions. Some members just stay to listen and socialize.

Two meetings each year are parties: May (Mothers' Day & Polish Constitution Day), and December (Christmas & New Year). An admission is usually charged at parties, so please check the Events section or contact us for details.

Visit the Downloads section for keyboard charts, staff paper and more!

About the Chemnitzer Concertina

The Chemnitzer FAQ explains in detail what a Chemnitzer Concertina is, but here are a few basics:

A Chemnitzer Concertina:
  • ...is one member of the hand-held, bellows-driven, free-reed class of musical instruments (sometimes referred to as squeezeboxes), which also includes accordions.
  • ...is a close cousin to the Bandonion....is approximately square in cross-section...has buttons that travel parallel to the motion of the bellows.
  • ...generally has 38, 39, 51 or 52 buttons, arranged into curving rows....has a long bellows that usually includes two intermediate frames.
Visit squeezebox.wikia.com for a description of the entire spectrum of squeezeboxes.

"To buy a Concertina is a good investment for any young man, to study and play it, is the best employment of his spare time."
—Henry Silberhorn, Instructor for the Concertina.