Harley Jones, Director and founder of Accordions Worldwide was presented with a plaque at the American Accordionists' Association 2000 annual festival and competitions this week. He also received a standing ovation from the audience for Accordions Worldwide.

The plaque was inscribed:

The American Accordionists' Association Honors Harley A. Jones founder of Accordions Worldwide for his vision and creativity in launching a significant and prestigious cyberspace voice for the international accordion community accordions.com

Millennium Accordion Festival July 16, 2000 Washington DC

Faithe Deffner, President Frank Busso and Dr. Carmelo Pino, Vice Presidents

Harley was honored to accept the plaque on behalf of Accordions Worldwide. Please see the news item below for details of the AAA festival.

Wayne Knights Webmaster

• AAA 2000 Annual Competition and Festival - USA
• 11th International Accordion Competition - Italy
• Tango Concert - South Africa
• Folkworks Adult Summer School - England
• Anniversary Concert - Puerto Rico
• Piazzolla Concert Program - Spain
• USA Accordionist Tours Czech Republic
• Rastelli in Concert at L'Aquila - Italy
• Own Composition Performed in Strumica - Macedonia
• Sidmouth International Festival - England
• Cereté Concert - Colombia
• New 2000 Leavenworth and Happy Hans Accordion Champion - Canada
• Nottingham Accordion Club Entertain - England
• Jazz Accordionist Kept Busy - Italy
• New CD by Duo 2000 - South Africa
• New CD "Free Range Accordion" - USA
• Antique Accordion Information

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

The American Accordionists Association celebrated its annual festival in the Nation's Capital, Washington D.C. from July 12th to 16th. Media coverage appeared across the nation, reporting the many concerts, workshops and other accordion activities at the Press and Squeeze opening evening. There was also about 10 TV channels who reported the massed band performance on Capitol Hill.

A Welcome Celebration was held to open the 2000 festival, followed by an exciting variety of events such as daily exhibits featuring instruments, accessories and music, a Cabaret Night featuring Angelo DiPippo, a Millennium Festival Banquet, the AAA Massed Accordion Band conducted by Gary Daverne, the US Army Band, featuring accordionist Manny Bobenreith, a Farewell Breakfast and guest performances by Carmelo Pino, Tony Dannon, Joe Cerrito, The 'K' Trio and The Staten Island Accordion Ensemble directed by Frank Busso. Workshops were given by Jane Christison, Tony Dannon, Gary Daverne, Lynda Griffith, Helmi Harrington and Harley Jones.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

The 11th International Accordion Competition for soloists and groups will be held from August 3rd to 6th in Montalto Uffugo, Calabria, Italy organized by the "S. Vincenzo" Musical and Cultural Association. Categories include classical, variety, electronic and MIDI accordion. For further information email: concorso11@yahoo.it

Accordionist Stanislav Anguelov will perform a tango concert with vocalist Violina Anguelov, Albert Combrink (piano) and Basil Heald (double bass) at the Kirstenbosch Conference Centre, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town on July 26th. Their program will include vocal and instrumental pieces by South American composers such as Oblivion, Libertango, Verano Porteño & Chiquilin de Bachin (Astor Piazzolla), El Chocolo (Vilolodo) and many others. For further information email: sangelov@netactive.co.za

UK accordionist Karen Tweed will tutor a workshop at the Folkworks Adult Summer School in Durham from July 31st to August 5th. The workshop will cover Irish, English and Scandinavian tunes that will bring out the most in right and left hand techniques and bellows control.

Karen will also perform at the event's Big Squeeze concert on August 5th with John Kirkpatrick (melodeon), Alistair Anderson (concertina) and David Oliver (accordion).

The Summer School has classes for adults and young people, where students participate in classes of their own main instrument, dance or voice, and play in a band ensemble that performs to the public on Friday night. Every evening there are dances, sessions, singalongs and opportunities to perform. For further information email: folkworks@folkworks.co.uk

The Orquesta de Acordeones de Puerto Rico (AAPR) under the direction of Esther Eugenia Bertieaux will perform at the "Plaza" in Salinas on July 22nd. The concert is part of a celebration of the town's anniversary. Their program will include tangos, bossa novas, merenques as well as well known pieces such as "Syncopated Clock" (Leroy Anderson). For further details email: janeberkovitz@email.msn.com

Angel Luis Castaño played a program of Piazzolla works with the Ensemble Ciudad de Segovia on July 10th in Segovia. He will perform in Segovia again in September. For further details email: ANGELLUI@teleline.es

USA accordionist Jon Hammond will tour the Czech Republic in September giving concerts in Malostranska Beseda, Prague on September 21st and a seminar during the Muzika 2000 trade show. This will be the fourth time Jon has held a seminar at the show, which will be moderated and translated by Ales Kralik chief Redaktur of Muzikus. The show caters for a variety of musical instruments, accessories, lights, sound gear etc., organized by the Czech music magazine Muzikus and the city of Prague.

Jon's concert program will include "Czechoslavakian Salsa Song", "No X-cess Baggage Blues" (a song Jon wrote for the Pakistan International Airways promotion), "Pocket Funk" and "Late Rent". For further details email: laterent@excite.com

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

On July 23rd Emanuele Rastelli will appear as the guest of honor at the Cechio International Competition in Cechio (near L'aquila) organized by Costantino Ciofani. Rastelli will perform at the final concert.

On July 13th composer Toni Pecanov performed his own solo accordion composition "Mysik for Komads" in Strumica, Macedonia. Toni is currently composing a new piece for accordion and strings. For further details email: tpecanov@freemail.org.mk

The 46th annual Sidmouth International Festival, held from August 4th to 11th in Sidmouth, Devon will include a variety of concerts, dance parties, ceilidhs and workshops for melodeon and concertina. Roger Digby will tutor a concertina workshops entitled "The Anglo in Traditional Music" for beginners and more experienced players.

Roger will also accompany traditional singer Bob Davenport, and play for two ceilidhs as a member of the group "Flowers and Frolics". Other performers include bands Old hat (Katie Howson - melodeon), Stomp (concertina), Bayou Seco (accordion), The Poozies and Two Duos Quartet (both featuring Karen Tweed on accordion) and The Kate Rusby Band (Andy Cutting - accordion). For further details email: Roger@hoppits.demon.co.uk

Accordionist Lacides Romero will perform in the "Casa De La Cultura" in Cereté, north Colombia on July 28th. His program will include Danza de los pequeños Cisnes (Tchaikovsky), Tarantella (Beaumont), Serenata Española (Oliver Metra) and his own arrangement Variaciones al Carnaval de Venecia. Lacides has released two CDs and is also a member of the Duo Contrastes with pianist Arnaldo Garcia (Venezuela). For further details email: lacidesromero@yahoo.com

Accordionist Patricia Bartell won the "Happy Hans Open" class at the recent Kimberley, International Old Time Accordion Competitions in British Colombia. The competition was very close with the scores just "tenths of a point" apart, leaving everyone in suspense. Seven contestants reached the final round including last year's champion Len Gadica.

Patricia also won the Open class at the Leavenworth International Accordion Championships (USA) earlier this year. Having recently completed four years of intensive classical accordion training under the direction of Ilmar Kuljus at Whitworth College, Patricia gained the first ever Whitworth College classical accordion performance degree. She plans to teach the accordion at Accordia-Nova School and direct the Spokane Accordion Ensemble.

Contributed by Mike O'Regan

Six members of the recently formed Nottingham Accordion Club played at the Annual Midsummer Happening in Victoria Park, Ilkeston, Derbyshire on July 15th. The show, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Ilkeston raised several thousand pounds for charity.

Jazz accordionist Renzo Ruggieri has been kept busy teaching and furthering his two projects, the "Renzo Ruggieri Group" (traditional jazz with drummer Massimo Manzi, pianist Paolo Di Sabatino and Massimo Moriconi on double bass) and the "Solo Accordion Project" (contemporary jazz for solo accordion). Recently Renzo has performed at the Kabala Jazz Club in Pescara, at the "Corto Maltese" jazz house in Roseto degli Abruzzi (province of Teramo), at the Enoteca Centrale in Teramo and played on the latest CD by percussionist Claudio Canzano. He then participated as a jury member at the "Pianello Val Tidone" International Competition giving concerts also and performed at a concert to honor the memory of Wolmer Beltrami in Mantua Province.

Renzo's new collaborations include projects involving Ares Tavolazzi, Massimo Moriconi, Maurizio Rolli, Diana Torto, and many more. His new CD (the first one with his group) will be released in August by the "Wide-Sound" jazz label and offers melodic jazz of great impact and some of his most well-known compositions "Carnevale", "I'm Stupid" and "Piccolo valzer Francese".

Duo 2000 are currently recording tracks for their second CD which will include Aragonaise (from Le Cid Ballet - Massenet), The Glow Worm Idyll (Lincke) and La Chanson pour Anna (Popp). Further tracks to complete the CD will be recorded in August .

Guy Klucevsek has just released a new solo CD "Free Range Accordion" by the Starkland label. The CD includes compositions by 1998 Pulitzer Prize winner Aaron Jay Kernis, Stephen Montague, Somei Satoh, Jerome Kitze, Lois V Vierk, Lars Hollmer, Burt Bacharach and Guy Klucevsek. For further details email: Guysqueeze@aol.com

Jeff Wilson would like information on a Hohner Verdi V accordion. Please email: jeffw@fishinternet.com.au

Gary would like some information on a 15" "Ariston" "Castelfidardo" piano accordion with four switches. GLB1@aol.com

Bonnie Pogany has a small Noble piano accordion called a deluxe standard 12-B #6 with the original paperwork from the factory, but no dates. gep1949@aol.com

Marci Clark would like some information on a Gean Scala or Jean Scala accordion. jkjk9@juno.com

John Newman would like information on a Pesaresi accordion (Italia model). newman.john@home.com

A reader has two piano accordions and would like some history on them - a large Nicolo Solonti and a small Francini, both purchased in the early 1950's. rpoa@zianet.com

Another reader has a black Serenelli piano accordion, which they would like appraised. Tiger61386@aol.com

If you require Antique Accordion Information please email: news@accordions.com