THE STORY BEHIND CONCERTINAMUSIC.COM
ConcertinaMusic.com was conceived, designed, and created by Ken Yagelski (Jagielski). Ken is second generation, American-born of a proud, Polish family. He was raised just southeast of Chicago, Illinois, in a rural area not far from Michigan City, Indiana. This is a part of the Midwestern United States that is blessed with many Polish-American people… and some very talented musicians!
Ken’s family cherishes the many ethnic traditions that have been handed down through the generations, including the enjoyment of Polish-American music and the chemnitzer concertina. He created the first version of this website in 1996 to help promote and preserve an important part of his Polish heritage; the music and the instrument that so many of us have grown to love. Managing the website has introduced Ken to many wonderful people from around the world. It has been very rewarding for him to provide a valuable resource to so many appreciative people.
Stanley Yagelski, Ken’s Father, was a very talented concertina musician and a member of the World Concertina Congress Hall of Fame. He taught Ken and his brother how to play the chemnitzer concertina over 50 years ago. These days, Ken makes his home in Southeast Virginia. He continues to play the concertina for his own enjoyment, to entertain family and friends, and for the occasional public performance. Ken values the chance to watch and listen to more seasoned musicians at music festivals and jam sessions all across the country. There is always something new to learn about this beautiful and unique musical instrument.
Shown below is the ConcertinaMusic.com home page from May 1999; back when the website was just getting started!
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Additional information can be found by browsing the Concertina History feature. Please see the Glossary of Terms feature for simple definitions for many chemnitzer concertina related terms. If you have other concertina related questions, please visit the community supported Facebook Group.