Members of the CIA Executive Committee met at the Ikaalinen Spa and Conference Center to begin the 115th General Assembly of Delegates.

Located on the banks of Lake Kyrösjärvi which is the 49th largest lake in Finland covering 96.2 square km, the Ikaalinen Spa is the largest of its type in Scandinavia. The lake is now frozen solid for the winter months and affords a quick trip between the Spa and the town center as residents drive across.

The Executive Committee's work is offered as recommendations to the General Assembly for discussion and voting in the general running of the CIA's international business.

CIA Public Relations Manager Harley Jones is pictured below being outfitted with a warm winter coat by CIA Vice President and Winter Congress organizer Kimmo Mattila to help cope with the Nordic winter weather. Harley lives in tropical Fiji where he doesn't even own a coat! Harley will in turn host the Winter Congress in 2007 on Nagigia Island, Fiji which will make a strong contrast to the freezing cold.

September 21, 2004 marked the first donation to the archives of the CIA. This first donation of many CIA Test Piece scores was made by Ernest Deffner, Inc., the parent company of Ernest Deffner Publications commemorating the firm's own 70th anniversary. The president of the firm Mrs. Faithe Deffner is a long time friend of the CIA and has been a United States delegate to the CIA for more than 30 years. The New Zealand Accordion Association (NZAA) was the first CIA Member nation to make a donation of material including Pictures, Newspaper articles and other material to the Archives, and past CIA Vice President - Maddalena Belfiore has recently made a significant donation of program books, competition results, Newsletters, minutes, newsletters, correspondence and much more. Most recently, the CIA General Secretary has donated a large collection of documents collected over his 31 year tenure as an Executive Committee member of the CIA.

Anyone interested in donating material to the CIA Archives is invited to do so, by sending it to:

CIA Archives - Hanuritalo
Kyrösselänkatu 3
IKAALINEN, 39500
FINALND

Tel: 358 3 4400221
Fax: 358 3 4509071
E-mail: cia.archives@harmonikkaliitto.net

Material might include program books, copy of test pieces, newspaper articles, subsequent solo recordings, tickets from functions, mark/score sheets, copies of pictures from the Coupe Mondiale and any other items that will help document and preserve the history of this 70 year old organization. Much of the information will be included on the CIA website in the future, or maybe even available for displays at national member events.

The Finnish Accordion Association hosted a welcome concert for members and guest of the CIA featuring the winner of the recent Lasse Pihlajamaa International Competition Veli Kujala performing both original Finnish accordion works as well as with the Pipoka Trio featuring Veli on accordion, Jarmo Julkunen on Guitar and Petri Keskitalo on Tuba.

The concert program was as follows:

• Power (2001) by Sampo Haapamaki (b. 1979)
  
  
• Vuo (2005) by Pasi Lyytikainen (b 1975)
  -Ardente
  -Chorale - Toccata
  -Con Mobile
  -Adagio, con sentimento
  -Presto
  
  
• Pirun Keuhkot (Devil's Lungs, 2005) by Olli Viretaperko (b. 1973)
  performed by Veli Kujala (accordion)
  
  
  
• Nilopolitano by Dominguinhos
  
• Riacho Seco by Joao Lyra
• Cada Um Torce Como Pode by Sivuca-Gadelha
• Um Tom Pra Jobim by Sivuca-Oswaldinho
• Vuelvo al Sur by Astor Piazzolla
• Chorinho PRA Ele by Hermeto Pascoal
• Concorde/Pau Doido by Dominguinhos/Lyra
• Nas Quebradas by Hermeto Pascoal
  performed by the Pipoka Trio (accordion, guitar and tuba)