This year, the 19th National Meeting of Barrenta Concertina Players, will take place in a different format, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This initiative, which usually takes place on the last Saturday in September, since 2001, will take place on the internet and will take two stage trucks for 10 hours of music over 105 km in the heart of Serra de Aire and Candeeiros.
“We cannot do the meeting in the format that we have always done, but we did not want to miss this day, which is expected by many concertina players who travel to Barrenta year after year, but also for the populations of the villages in the Municipality of Porto de Mós, who support us unconditionally”, explains Ricardo Pereira, President of Centro Cultural da Barrenta
In this way, and with the support of several local entities, the Concertinas da Barrenta Group, in a total of about 20 musicians, will tour the villages of the Municipality of Porto de Mós, taking music safely, for 10 hours, in a total of 105 km, covered in the middle of Serra de Aire and Candeeiros.
“It was only possible to realize this idea, with the support of the Municipality of Porto de Mós, and with all the Parish Councils, so that we could outline a path that covered as many people as possible, without the need to leave their homes, but even so they could enjoy a little of our music”, explains the responsible.
“It is a demanding and ambitious path, because it is long, it takes many hours, but we think it will be worth it”, says Ricardo Pereira.
In parallel, Barrenta ComVIDA, 19th National Meeting of Concertina Players Online, will take place online from 5 pm on the official Facebook page of the Concertinas da Barrenta Group. More than 30 groups of concertina players from all over the country have already been confirmed.
This moment will not only divulge all the groups that participate and the culture that encompasses the concertina, and that in these pandemic times have not had the opportunity to show their commitment and dedication, but also to make known the region and many of its attractive points. especially with regard to Serra de Aire.
This initiative promises to connect hundreds of players and their groups through their places to the small village in Serra de Aire, in complete safety, avoiding the usual crowds that move there.
This initiative usually takes place on the last Saturday of September, since 2001, and brings to the small village of Barrenta, Porto de Mós, hundreds of concertina players from all over the country. This year, all these groups were invited to participate in a meeting that will take place online, and will be broadcast on social networks, thus marking this day in a special way.
This small place, in the União das Freguesia de Alvados and Alcaria, has about 38 inhabitants, and in 2019 it welcomed more than 500 concertina players and thousands of visitors.
The first meeting was in 2001 and involved about 40 players, with the aim of being able to give “life” to a village that would itself disappear over the years if nothing was done to have some visibility.
