HBTS Review

Dear Friends, Artists, Sponsors and Colleagues,

This time last year, I sat chewing a pencil and wondering whether or not Harpin’ By The Sea could ever happen again. Following our tenth anniversary bash, co-producer Stuart McKay retired from the pressures of event management, and the global pandemic brought live music to a standstill. The outlook was bleak. Meanwhile in the US, SPAH took the bold decision to deliver their annual summer convention online. HarmonicaUK followed suit with a chromatic weekender and their virtual online festival. A brave HBTS REVIEW new world of opportunity had been pioneered, and Harpin’ By The Sea was next in line to carry Richard Taylor Joint Vice-Chair the torch. With a rekindled appetite for adventure, a new production team was recruited, and the fresh twist on our festival took shape. What better way of bringing our past guest artists together, acknowledging their contribution to our ten-year history, and raising funds to support them in a time of lockdown? The production team rallied round the concept. Russ Turner set to work on a schedule of archive video footage, Ben Reese approached a shortlist of trade sponsors, and Matthew Edwards designed a brand new logo to carry us forward. Paul Gillings took up the task of translating our charity raffle into an online feature while managing our guest artists, and Trevor Yeo masterminded the necessary technical checks, risk assessments, and a contingency plan against outages and meltdown. Two of our former guest artists were unable to join the party. Our thanks go to Rory McLeod and Jerome Godboo for the joy they shared through their respective past appearances. Two newcomers therefore made their HBTS debuts in the shape of Mickey Raphael

and Mark Hummel, both from the USA. We very much hope they can join us in person next time.

Finally, the entrepreneurial genius John Cook joined the plan, providing a technical breakout room for anyone with an interest in harmonica repairs, modifications, and maintenance. Before we knew it, we were ready to broadcast live to the world on Zoom and YouTube for the very first time. On Friday 5th February 2021, green screens and mute buttons at the ready, our introductory video tape rolled and Harpin’ By The Sea Eleven was launched. The weekend’s schedule included presentations by fifteen guest artists, interviews with our trade sponsors, a virtual Hohner factory tour, further archive video, and the climax of our charity appeal, which raised over £3,000 for children in critical care.

Statistics from Zoom and YouTube indicate that the event drew between 800 and 1,000 unique visitors each day, with an audience figure of 250 viewers at any one time.

This is a fantastic endorsement of everything the team had put into the production. As they drew a collective sigh of relief on Sunday evening and scanned the initial feedback, a combined sense of pride and shock took over.

Everything had gone exactly to plan!

Nothing would have been possible without the dedication and determination of the event’s team of volunteers, the generosity of our sponsors, the trust of our guest artists, and the encouragement we received from everyone who tuned in worldwide. In a time of global pandemic, we all need to feel connected, and I hope our efforts have helped. Anyone who was unable to join us can still enjoy the event, which has been recorded and will be rolled out on the Oxharp and Harpin’ By The Sea YouTube channels, respectively. Our list of artists and sponsors can be found on the event website at www.harpinbythesea.com It’s impossible to say whether we will be in the same situation a year hence, but rest assured that Harpin’ By The Sea remains committed to its mission of celebrating the harmonica on an annual basis. We hope you will continue to lend us your support and friendship.