In Concarneau, for the Bro Konk Kerne bagad, things begin in earnest… In less than three weeks, the team will perform on the Quartz stage, in Brest, for the first round of the 1st category national bagadù championship. Every Sunday that comes will therefore be devoted to rehearsals. “The challenge of the year is to remain in the 1st category,” announced this Sunday, January 19, Martin Le Meur, re-elected president of this bagad which has around a hundred members. A goal which, if it seems reasonable, remains ambitious for the team, entering the big leagues in 2020. After the emotional lift of the 2024 season (14th out of 15 in the first round, in Brest, then a formidable comeback, in Lorient, by securing 6th place), the Concarne team wants to maintain its rank. With the temerity of someone who has nothing to lose, bagad Bro Konk Kerne relies on “his musical openness to other styles”.
A new stage for the bagadid
The other objective of the year is to give a new dimension to bagadid, the bagad of young people. “We are one of the only 1st category bagads whose bagadid does not compete in the national bagad championship, which had to be remedied,” explains Martin Le Meur. At the beginning of July, the Bagadid from Concarne will therefore compete in Plouharnel (56) in the only event of the championship in 5th category (the lowest in the national championship). Between twenty and thirty musicians will participate. “Within a few years, we would like to classify our Bagadid in 4th category, or even 3rd,” aims the 27-year-old president.
An artistic creation for 40 years
By betting on the rise in power of the bagadid, the bagad Bro Konk Kerne wishes to keep its young people “in the desire and pleasure of playing” while offering “convivial moments outside of music, in the field of singing or Breton dance. It is in this spirit of openness that the 40th anniversary of Bagad is also being prepared, in 2026. “We are thinking about events, outside of competition performances. We are already working on an artistic creation with external contributors, such as the singers of the Blue Glaz quintet, who accompanied us to the Lorient competition last year,” reveals Martin Le Meur.
During the general assembly on Saturday January 18, a new office was elected. Martin Le Meur returns for a second year as president, Yann Durel left the board of directors, but remains a member of the bagad. Steven Plouzennec was elected secretary, Audrey Le Meur, assistant secretary, Bleuenn Gestin became treasurer and Stefen Jegou, assistant treasurer.
