In addition to our local activities, we have close links to the British BMG (Banjo Mandolin Guitar) Federation.
The BMG was formed around a century ago, in an era when banjos and mandolins had become very popular. There was a profusion of local orchestras, who were keen to meet each other and compete. Musical fashions have come and gone, but the BMG has managed to change with the times, and has reinvented itself for a new wave of enthusiasm in the 21st century.
The BMG helps us keep in touch with other plucked string orchestras across the country, and the MMO takes part in national events such as the bi-annual BMG Festival (from which we always bring back a certain amount of silverware) and the annual Summer School.
Membership of the BMG is not expensive and we’d recommend any banjo, mandolin or guitar player to join. It is a great way to keep in touch with the world of fretted instruments: orchestras, concerts, workshops, teachers and instrument makers. And you get an excellent quarterly magazine (now edited by the MMO’s own Anne Moller).
