This week we have a news item on a Universal Accordion Day in Argentina, which will include thirty accordionists marching along Buenos Aires streets. The Argentinean Accordion Association have asked other associations from around the world to show their support by sending them an email and I am sure that many of you will do this. It is great to know that Accordions Worldwide has been able to bring together accordion clubs and associations from all over the world, giving them the opportunity to keep in touch so easily.

Unfortunately we have been experiencing difficulties with both the Accordion Yellow Pages and Search Accordion, that are out of our control. We hope to have this problem solved very soon and apologize for any inconvenience.

Wayne Knights Webmaster

• 4th Kainuu Accordion Festival - Finland
• Accordion Band Performs at Sydney Paralympic Games - Australia
• Fiddler on the Roof - South Africa
• Accordion Seminar - Turkey
• 7th International Accordion Festival Sappemeer - Netherlands
• 2001 Annual Competition and Festival - USA
• Forty Accordionists Perform - Japan
• Fazzi & Zuccatti Duo Success - Italy
• Soave Tours Europe
• 2000 Shanghai Accordion Examinations - China
• Manny Bobenrieth Ensemble - USA
• Universal Accordion Day - Argentina
• 18th International Grand Prix - Switzerland
• New Fisorchestra Liberina Perform at Chestnut Festival - Italy
• Joint Concertina Meeting - England
• Forzando Light Orchestra Concert - Netherlands
• Gypsy Group Perform in Belgium
• Northeast Accordion Festival - USA
• Lydie Auvray & Les Auvrettes Tour Germany
• Piano Accordionist Wins the Variety Category at Castelfidardo - Italy
• Masterclass in Switzerland
• Accordion Lecture in Shanghai - China
• Leyland Accordion Club Guest - England
• New CD by Yuri Shishkin
• New Sites
• Antique Accordion Information

Contributed by Dr Herbert Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich Lips Productions

The 4th Kainuu Accordion Festival held in Kainuu (North-East Finland) is now underway, finishing on October 29th. Organized by the Kuhmo Music Institute, guest performers include Professor Friedrich Lips, who will give a recital and a master class. "Pump Jump Fellows" (a Jazz Quintet led by accordionist Tiit Kalluste) will also perform, along with a Finnish accordionist Jukka-Pekka Kuusela with pianist Henrik Sandas. Kalle Välimaa (Finland) will give ensemble courses. The event will finish with a Grand Gala Concert at the Kuhmo Arts Centre on October 29th.

For further information email the Artistic Director, Jukka-Pekka Kuusela: jukka-pekka.kuusela@kuhmo.fi

Accordion band "Monsieur Camembert" performed at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Paralympic Games on October 18th. Featuring accordionist Svetlana Bunic, they played Gypsy Klezmer music to over 100,000 people.

The opening night (October 19th) of "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Nico Opera House in Cape Town included Stanislav Angelov performing the accordion part. Stanislav will continue to perform for the season, which runs until November 4th.

Contributed by Tsvetana Kojuharova

In September, Bulgarian accordionist Diana Stancheva held a two week seminar for 11 enthusiastic children in Eskishehir, Turkey which included 8 hours of intensive work each day. The event was held at the "International Musik Center" with the assistance of Turkish accordionist Aidin Yavash. The seminar covered "Development of the Bellows Shake", "Working upon the "loure" and "leggiero" touch with methods developed by Jacques Mornet".

The 7th International Accordion Festival Sappemeer will be held at the Struvé Partyhouse in Sappemeer on October 29th organized by Adri Kruijer. Guests include Theo Bodewits, Johan Kleine and Rik Cornelissen (Netherlands) And Amico Liborio and Roger Pluymers (Belgium). For further details email: AdriJanny@hetnet.nl

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

The ATG is pleased to announce not one, but TWO international competitions to be held at its 2001 Annual Competition and Festival from July 19th to 22nd in San Antonio, Texas.

This year's Virtuoso Entertainment Competition was truly stimulating and thrilling to everyone. This will once again be offered in next year and, because the need for such a competition in the USA exists for players of the classical repertoire and because the ATG wishes to honor the accomplishments of Anthony Galla-Rini (one of its founders), there will be a second competition "The Anthony Galla-Rini International Competition For Classical Accordion". Each competition will offer prize money totaling US$1750.00 to the winners.

The ATG is offering both these events as a testimony of its faith in the future of the accordion and to continue its encouragement of young people to play the accordion! For further information and entry requirements, please visit the ATG site.

Contributed by Toru Katou

On November 19th, Noboru Emori (former chairperson of the Japan Accordion Association) and 40 members of the Takasaki Accordion Circle will perform at the Sogo-Bunka Kaiakan (General Culture Hall) in Takasaki, Gumma Prefecture. For further information email: itagaki@basil.ocn.ne.jp

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Accordionist Mirko Fazzi (Bolzano, Italy) has won the most prestigious category of the "Gorni Kramer" competition for the third consecutive time. Mirko gained first place in the category entitled "Jazz à la Gorni Kramer", by playing the very challenging test piece "Alla Kramer" (Wolmer Beltrami) and his original arrangement of Kramer's "Angolo di Cielo".

Mirko also won first prize in the duo category with his friend and colleague Luciano Zuccatti (saxophone). Both are also members of the group "New Beppe Band". Mirko and Luciano then performed "Besame Mucho" (C. Velasquez) and "Oblivion" (A. Piazzolla) at the competition's final concert to an appreciative audience. Luciano obtained a special mention by accordionist Vladimir Zubitsky for his excellent saxophone performance.

Accordionist Peter Soave will embark on a European concert tour in which he will perform three concerts in three different countries on three consecutive days. Perhaps this is a first in the accordion world!

Beginning on October 26th, Soave was in Bucharest, Roumania with the Roumanian Philharmonic, performing the world premier of Aldemaro Romero's "Piazzollana - Concerto For Bandoneon". This will be followed by a concert in Nova Gorica, Slovenia with the Rucner String Quartet (27th) and in Zagreb, Croatia with the Rucner Quartet on the 28th.

The tour will conclude on November 3rd with a concert at the Villa Borromeo Senago (near Milan, Italy) in a star studded concert featuring The Roumanian Philharmonic and the famous Italian singer/actress Milva. Their program features symphonic works of Aldemaro Romero and Astor Piazzolla. For further details email: SoavePeter@webtv.net

Contributed by Li Cong

The year 2000 Shanghai Accordion examinations were held on October 14th and 15th. This is the 10th anniversary of these examinations, which included over 3,600 candidates from Shanghai and suburbs. Over the last four years student numbers have increased dramatically, from 2,800 in 1998 and 3,200 in 1999.

Examination organizers are extremely pleased with the success and popularity of their exams. The Accordion Association is now planning a competition to encourage examination participants in future performances.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

The Manny Bobenrieth Ensemble, a newly formed group consisting of accordion, violin, piano, bass, electric guitar and vibes performed recently to sell out audiences at Blues Alley in Washington D.C., The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The State Department and various colleges and community centers.

Although the group perform a diverse program of jazz, classical, American popular songs and ethnic music, its forte lies in the interpretation of the music by Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla. Their new CD entitled "Tangata" features primarily the music of Piazzolla as well as works by Cole Porter and Brazilian composer A.C. Jobim.

Contributed by Julio Erman, President of A.I.D.A.

The "Asociación Internacional de Acordeonistas" (International Accordionists Association) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has declared November 15th the Universal Accordion Day. To mark this day a "Peña del Acordeón" (Accordion Evening) will take place on November 12th at Club Villa Malcom, Capital Federal, where participants can dance and listen to international accordion music.

On November 15th a musical march of thirty accordionists will be held, emerging unexpectedly from a bus. They will walk along main streets playing happy melodies and conveying to the public the joy of the magic sound of the accordion. The event is sponsored by the Government Secretary of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires and by A.A.D.I. (Argentinean Music Players Association). This event (celebrated since 1996) is now popular in the streets and plazas of numerous towns in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Spain. A giant final serenade will be held at the headquarters of Padilla 699, Capital Federal.

The AIDA invites accordion associations of all interested countries to participate in this celebration sending their support by email to: diadelacordeon@acordeonistas.com.ar

Contributed by Yves Blum

The 18th International Grand Prix for piano, keyboard and accordion will be held from November 3rd to 5th in the Thônex Suisse Celebration Hall, Geneva. Every evening concert will feature international performers such as the Joint Accordion Union of Geneva (directed by Claudine Cintas), Vitali Dimitriev (St. Petersburg, Russia), Kazan Instrumental Ensemble (Russia, directed by Rafik Tazetdinov), Zhang Guoping (Beijing, China) and Oleg Sharov (St. Petersburg, Russia).

For further information and bookings phone the Centre de musique Lacroix: + 41.22.329.97.84

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

On October 21st the "New Fisorchestra Liberina" held a concert in Flumeri (near Melfi, Italy) during the 41st annual Chestnut Festival. After performing some classical pieces, the orchestra then played music from a variety of genres including Argentinean and Latin American tangos, Neapolitan songs and Viennese waltzes, all very well received by the audience.

The four-hour show was so successful that the organizers (the local tourism board) asked the orchestra to play for another hour. At the end of the concert the President of the tourism board handed a plaque to the conductor, Pasquale De Marco, as both a souvenir of the occasion and a way of saying thanks to the orchestra.

Contributed by Jane Edwards

A joint Concertina Meeting will be held at the Marsh Liberal Club, Huddersfield on November 19th with the North East Concertina Players (based in Sedgefield, Co. Durham), the North Western Concertina Players (based in Liverpool), the Peak District Players (based in the Hope Valley) and the Yorkshire Concertina Club. Each group will prepare a few pieces to perform and then share with everyone. For further information email: R.Kefford@hud.ac.uk

Contributed by Hillebrand van der Veen

The Forzando Light Orchestra (FLO) will perform at the Buurthuis De Rietwijker in Amsterdam Noord on October 29th. The event will include a "Let us Hear what you can Do" competition for soloists and small groups, where an accordion teacher will be judging the competitors. For further details email: H.J.Veen@net.HCC.nl

Gypsy group "Koumpaneia Kostas Xalkias" (Greece) will perform at a concert in Brussels on November 10th organized by the Centro Galego de Bruselas asbl, in cooperation with Jeunesses Musicales. The group which includes accordion, clarinets, violin, lute, and percussion have toured France and Brazil recently. They perform a traditional repertoire of "miroloï" and "skaros" (where instruments reproduce mountain sounds like birdsong, barking of shepherds' dogs etc) as well as rhythmical dances called "pogonisio". For further details email: cult@latentation.org

The third Northeast Accordion Festival will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 10th and 11th. This event has been gaining in popularity with accordionists and general public alike since it began two years ago. It drew so much local support during the planning stage that festival coordinators Dee Langley and Tom Sullivan (co hosts of Accordion Saturday Nights at Kramarczuk's) had to expand the festival into two days of workshops, performances and displays.

Participants include solo accordionists, duets, an accordion orchestra, and performing groups that highlight the accordion. Special guests include Machinery Hill (ethnic rock band), Tubby Esquire (polka band), Ethnic Dance Theatre (folk dancing troupe with ethnic orchestra) as well as accordionists Larry Malmberg, "Squeezer" Dee Langley, Greg Dagoumas, Dan "Daddy Squeeze" Newton, Idilio Del Col & Mario Cianflone, and Tom Sullivan.

The festival is free, open to the public and is sponsored by the Minnesota Accordion Club, Castle Accordion, and Kramarczuk's Sausage Company. For further details email: squeezermn@uswest.net

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Lydie Auvray & Les Auvrettes will tour Germany during November and December. The group will perform a mix of Chanson, Jazz, Caribbean and Creole influences in Erlangen, Lorsch, Saarbrücken, Freiburg and Bielefeld during November. This will be followed by December concerts in Soest, Langenfeld, Peine, Göttingen, Osnabrück, Kaarst, Aachen and Köln. For further details email: Scala.Weissenberger@t-online.de

Contributed by Borsini

Accordionist Vincenzo Abbracciante won first prize in the Variety category of the "Città di Castelfidardo" competition held from October 10th to 15th. This success is all the more newsworthy as Vincenzo excelled with his piano accordion over competitors playing mainly button instruments.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Peter Soave, Matthieu Chaussalet and Jean-Louis Noton gave a week-long masterclass in Grimentz, Switzerland recently. Fifteen students worked, in a superb mountain setting, on topics such as jazz, bass work and MIDI accordion programming. All participants plan to meet again next year.

On October 11th an accordion lecture was held at the Shanghai Children's Palace. President of the Shanghai Accordion Association, Li Cong introduced "Current Global & National Accordion Event Development" to over 50 association members and accordion enthusiasts.

During his lecture, Li Cong reviewed the Accordion Master Class in Tianjing (July 2000), the 7th Beijing International Accordion Festival (August 2000), the Australia Accordion Teachers Association competitions & New Zealand Accordion Association Championships, and also the current international accordion developing directions. He also played videos showing a variety of musical styles by top accordion artists to the lecturers. Li Cong made suggestions for the future of teaching and playing in Shanghai, which were all very well received.

Contributed by David Batty

The Leyland Accordion Club will feature guest accordionist Fintan Stanley (Irish accordion champion currently living in the USA) at their November 8th meeting. The concert will be held at the Mill Hotel in Croston, Lancashire. For details email: david@sectorsoftware.demon.co.uk

Contributed by Susan Cornell

Accordionist Yuri Shishkin recently released his new CD "Romantic Bayan". The CD includes works by Brahms, Moszkowski, Carl Weber, Mendelssohn, Sibelius and Grunfeld such as Hungarian Dance No. 6, Spanish Caprice and Kozertstück in F minor. For further details email: rusmuscat@musicarussica.com

http://www.accordions.com/eugeniamarini - Updated information on Italian accordionist Eugenia Marini with sound files available

http://www.accordions.com/ensemble Information on the "Ensemble di Musiche Possibili" which includes accordionist Martino Fabio

http:// www.accordions.com/atg Updated information on the 2001 Annual Competition and Festival held from July 19th to 22nd in San Antonio, Texas, USA organized by the ATG.

Oscar would like some information on a Dorian Piano Accordion. email: Presstv@aol.com