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Annual International Championships and Festival - Australia

Contributed by Heather Masefield

The AATA (Australian Accordion Teachers Association) held their annual International Accordion Championships and Festival from May 25th to 27th in Ashfield, Sydney. Contestants from Australia, China and New Zealand competed in the event, which was organised by Tania Lukic-Marx. Guest performers included the "K" Trio (USA), Christchurch Accordion Orchestra (New Zealand), ACE (Australian Concert Ensemble) and Rebekah Greig (New Zealand).

A final concert was held on the 27th with performances by John MacDonald (Australia), "K" Trio, Christchurch Accordion Orchestra, ACE and competition winners, followed by a “Prize Giving and Farewell Dinner” at Bertones Restaurant in Burwood, which was dedicated to the “K” Trio.

Results of the Australian International Piano Accordion Solo Championship:
1st: Paula Harris (New Zealand)
2nd: Adam Thorpe (New Zealand)
3rd: Lesieli Moala (New Zealand)

Accordionist Vladimir Zubitsky will hold a Master Class at the Viseu Conservatory in Portugal from June 6th to 13th. The class program will include accordion ensembles (trio and quartet), contemporary technical resources of the accordion and the new accordion repertoire at conservatory level. For further details email: orquestralusitana@mail.telepac.pt.

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Should your travels take you to Montana from August 2nd to 5th, 2001, a cultural surprise will await you in Philipsburg as they hold the 5th Annual Rocky Mountain Celebration.

From its beginning in August of 1997, the Rocky Mountain Accordion Celebration has been a rousing weekend of dancing and listening to music, steak barbeques and outdoor pancake breakfasts, concerts in the 1892 Opera House and a parade of homemade pies. This years featured artists include the Spokane Accordion Ensemble and The Smilin' Scandinavians.

With the platzl and the tented dance floors in the center of this picturesque 1890's town, visitors, residents and participants alike find fun, food and frolic. Dance or tap your toes to the music, in the sun or shade, by starlight or streetlight! For details email: sapphire@sapphire-gallery.com.

Accordionist Gary Blair toured Kuwait (Middle East) from May 28th to 31st, performing at a Ceilidh held to celebrate the Kuwait Caledonians Ball. This event was held in Kuwait city.

Contributed by Sinikka Jutila

The 16th Toholampi Accordion Week will be held in Toholampi from June 27th to July 3rd. This international festival will include workshops and concerts of a variety of accordion music. For further details email: sinikka.jutila@toholampi.fi.

Contributed by Leo Flake

Enthusiasts would like to know more about two rare historic accordions, which are for sale in the Netherlands. The first one is a 2.5 chord Symphonetta, which was manufactured in 1939 by the Ernst L. Arnold Company in Germany. The instrument was sold in 1950 to the well-known symphonetta player Müller, but the story of its production is not known.

The second instrument is a 4 chord Symphonetta, which was used for the film "Kuhle Wampe" in 1932. This instrument was also manufactured by the Arnold family, who manufactured bandoneons and concertinas as well. It is assumed that the Symphonetta was developed to replace all other free reed instruments. Up to now very little is known about these rare historic instruments. For further information email: leo.flake@abbing.nl.

On May 18th, Duo Paris–Moscou (Domi Emorine & Roman Jbanov) performed at Petite-Synthe (near Dunkerque, northern France), an event organized by Martine Quetel. This was followed by a comprehensive Master Class the next day.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Following its success at the “Città di Castelfidardo” International Competition, concert activity of the L. Fancelli accordion orchestra (based in Terni and conducted by Marco Gatti) has greatly increased.

Recently the orchestra featured in a very successful concert at the "G. Lombardi" Terni branch of the A.GI.MUS association, where together with the percussion quartet “Tetraktis” it presented a very interesting programme of original compositions for accordion ensembles by F. Dobler and L. Atarov, as well as some arrangements (by Marco Gatti) of pieces composed by Fancelli and Piazzolla. The orchestra is currently rehearsing a series of new original pieces to be performed in concert in September at the time of the launch of its second CD.

The 15th Illawarra Folk Festival, held in Jamberoo (year 2000) was the winner of the 2001 Illawarra Awards for Business Excellence in Tourism in the Significant Regional Festivals & Special Events Category! Festival Director David De Santi (who is an accordionist and member of the Wongawilli Band, Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club Inc., Illawarra Folk Club Inc. and Folk Alliance Australia Committee) believes the award is recognition of the huge effort of over 20 dedicated committee members and over 90 volunteers over the weekend to create a truly unique, diverse, entertaining and attractive event which features folk music!

The 16th Festival was held in March this year with performances by “Haven Harmonicers” (Shoalhaven Harmonica Band) and the Wongawilli Band (with accordionist David De Santi). The 17th festival will be held from September 12th to 16th in Jamberoo. For further details email: ddesanti@keira.hotkey.net.au

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Trio Klezmer, which includes Giorgio Dellarole (accordion), Antonio Sacco (violin) and Massimiliano Limonetti (clarinet) will perform a concert in Ivrea (TO) on June 14th. Their program will include traditional Jewish music. For further details email: giorgio.dellarole@libero.it.

Contributed by Tom Torriglia

June is National Accordion Awareness Month in the United States. As part of the celebrations, the annual “Day of the Accordion” will be held at the Cannery in San Francisco on June 17th. This year’s entertainers include The Bay Area Accordion Club Fun Band, Bella Ciao, Conjunto Romero, Big Lou (San Francisco's accordion princess), The Jazz Chords (three jazz accordionists), Baguette Quartette (French cabaret), Sex Fresh (bossa-mambo rock), The Squeegees, Alex Yaskin and The Crawdaddys who will play zydeco pieces.

If accordion clubs have organized an event in support of National Accordion Awareness Month, please contact Tom and he will pass it on to the media during the local, regional, national and international interviews that he will be doing.

Two causes he will be addressing include:

1. to get polka and zydeco listed as musical genres with BMI
2. to get the Polka Grammy awarded during the nationally broadcast portion of the Grammys.

For further information email: bellows@ladyofspain.com

Noton and Soave in Pula - Croatia

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

From May 24th to 27th the International Accordion Competition was held in Pula. Guests included Peter Soave who entertained at the opening concert with the Pula Jazz Orchestra and Jean-Louis Noton who performed in an open air concert in the big town market place.

Other performers included Mika Väyrynen (Finland - who gave a recital of works by Nuorvala, Kaipainen, Kchatsaturjan, Stravinsky, Bach, Mozart, Piazzolla and Makkonen), Owen Murray (England), Raymond Bodell (England), Matti Rantanen (Finland), Aleksandar Skljarov (Russia), Ulrich Schmülling (Intermusik) and Orhida Antunovic, Senka Bask-Samec, Vladimir Balyk, Radmila Bikic, Davor Bobic, Franko Bozac, Deni Dekleva-Radakovic, Sanja Drakulic, Drazen Kosmerl, Marjan Krajna, Lidija Maksic-Petrovic, Kristijan Potocnjak, Senka Sajc-Hoffmann, Zeljko Skoic and Mladen Tarbuk (all from Croatia).

New Duo CD "O Guarani" - Brazil

A new CD entitled "O Guarani" was released recently in Brazil by accordionists Dante D’Alonzo and Angelo Sanzovo. The CD includes a variety of popular classical music and was recorded at Eureka Studios. For further information email: acordeon@valerio.com.br.

Contributed by Catherine Steiner

The “Colorful Accordionists” will perform a concert at Bowler Hats Keller in Lyss on June 8th. The following day they will entertain at Stadtkeller in Unterseen-Interlaken with a program that includes works by Grieg, Tchaikowsky, Dvorak, Prokofiev, Strauss, Piazzolla, Duke Ellington, Marquina, Goodwin, Zaugg and Heinz Ehme. The ensemble includes accordionists Doris Peters, Beatrice Böhlen, Monika Portmann, Barbara Müller, Catherine Steiner and Andreas Steiner. For further details email: colorful.accordionists@accorda.ch

The All-France Accordion Contest was held recently in Paris, France. Japanese accordionist Kanako Kato won 1st prize in the Free Bass Honor Class. Kanako has been studying the accordion in France for the past four years and will return to Japan in July this year.

A new edition of the Accordion USA, United States National Accordion News is now online. If you would like to contribute an item for this news either send it via the online submit form or email Kevin Friedrich at: usanews@accordions.com

Contributed by Owen Murray

The successful Kells Festival was held recently in Dublin, organized by Gerry Kelly. The festival comprised of popular concerts by the Marianske Lazne Orchestra (Czech Republic), the Oristown Accordion Orchestra (Ireland) and The Czardas Duo (UK).

The festival competition attracted over 550 entries, most of whom were under the age of 18. Adjudicators included Patricia Kavanagh (Head of Keyboard, Royal Irish Academy), Ian Watson (UK) and Matthew Forbes (UK). The number of young performers was especially impressive, with over 30 entrants in many of the age group sections and some outstanding performances.

The Festival was a celebration of the Accordion (as a solo and chamber music instrument) which helped to produce good performances from the entrants and encouraged them through meeting others with the same interests. The event was so successful that it will run again in Kells in May 2002.

Toowoomba Accordion Festival - Australia

The annual Toowoomba Accordion Festival was held in Toowoomba, Queensland in early May. The weekend consisted of two main concerts, workshops for all free reed instruments and jam sessions. Over 1,000 people attended the workshop given by Ray de Santi, which featured a variety of different harmonicas. Guest accordionist Ross Maio entertained festival concerts with French and Italian favourites as well as unique arrangements of music by Mozart, Bach, Paganinni and Piazzolla.

Next year’s festival will be held in late April or early May 2002.

Popular Quartet at Klingenthal - Germany

Contributed by Olga Kopylova

Sergei Voitenko and his quartet “Non Stop” were successful performers at the recent Klingenthal International Competition. Sergei (who has won many International competitions as a soloist) was now successful with his quartet, winning the ensemble Category VB. Their program included works by Moscow composer A. Rosenblatt (which were well received by the public and jury members) as well as their own compositions.

On their return home, the popular group were met at the station with colourful banners and shouts of "Bravo". The group plan to release a video of the “Non Stop” ensemble entitled “Russian Bath House” and a CD in the near future. For further information email: servoit@hippo.ru

Australian accordionist Bernadette Conlon performed two concerts with Vladimir Mircotan (tenor) and Pavel in Puscha-Vodiza (on the outskirts of Kiev) recently. The first was performed to a group of 40 children aged from 7 to 15 years old, who were victims of Chernobyl. The trio then travelled by tram to an orphanage where they entertained over 200 enthusiastic young people.

The 12th annual Accordion Kings festival will be held at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, Houston, Texas (presented by Texas Folklife Resources) from June 14th to 16th. The event will include performances of zydeco, Cajun, conjunto, Tejano and Czech polkas aimed at family entertainment. Performers include “Les Cajuns de Prairie”, “Texavia” (which includes accordionist Mark Halata), “Willie T and the Zydeco Posse”, “Lil Band O Gold”, “Grupo Vida” (winners of Most Promising Band at the Tejano Music Awards, with accordionist Sunny Saucedo), Terrance Simien and “Victoria y Sus Chikos” (who featured in Hector Galan’s film Accordion Dreams). Admission to this event is free of charge. For further details phone: + 1 512 441-9255.

If you would like to contribute an item for the News Francais, please email coordinator Grégory Frénard at: greg@accordions.com

www.theaccordioinst.com
Information on accordionist Paul Chamberlain from Scotland.

www.borsini-accordions.com/vincenzo.htm
Information on well known accordion producer, tuner, technician and teacher Vincenzo Borsini.

www.accordions.com/artigianavoci
Updated information on Artigiana Voci s.n.c. (accordion reed manufacturer) including new contact details.

www.accordions.com/tchirkov
Updated information on accordion performer and Accordions Worldwide East European News coordinator, Sergej Tchirkov, including "CV" information and "Selected works".

Sophie Bayard would like information and a possible value of a Trionfor Castelfidardo La Tosca (1935) accordion. Email: sophie.bayard@umontreal.ca