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Contributed by Garbiñe Egilegor

The "Arrasate Hiria" International Accordion Competition will take place in Arrasate-Mondragón (Basque) from December 3rd to 8th and is open to soloists of any age and nationality. The competition will be held in two stages, a qualifying round (which will include the test piece "Aztarnak" by Ramon Lazkano and a Prelude and Fugue by Bach) and a final round (a 30 minute program including a piece from the "Baroque Repertoire for Clavier" and at least one contemporary piece). Prize winners will receive certificates, trophies and prize money totalling 850,000 pesetas (US$6,000).

The competition winner will be invited to give a series of concerts at the "Arrasat Hiria" Nazioarteko X. Akordeoi Lahiaketa (10th "Arrasate Hiria "International Accordion Competition) and also invited to take part in the Kragujevac International Festival in Yugoslavia in July 2002.

Applications close on September 30th 2001. For further details email: hauspoz@euskalnet.net

An Irish Fest Summer School will be held on the UW-Milwaukee Campus, Milwaukee, Wisconsin from August 12 to 17th, tutored by John Whelen, who has won the All Ireland Accordion Championships more than once. The event will offer workshops in all Celtic instrumentation including "Celtic Accordion", "Celtic Accordion for Session Playing", "Celtic Concertina" and "Introduction to Irish Music Session Playing". For further details phone: +1 414 476-3378

Melodeon workshops will be held by Moira Clarke at the Malton Folk Festival, War Memorial Hall, Old Malton, North Yorkshire on July 7th. The workshops will cater for intermediate to advanced level players and cover "Scottish and Border Repertoire" and "French and Continental Repertoire". For further details email: melodeonsmalton.55nb@btinternet.com

The Donaufestival began in Vienna on June 8th and will run until July 1st. On June 29th the Trio Fratres (Finland) will perform their "Fratres in Rock" concert at the event. Their program will include modern new pieces by Finnish composers such as Jukka Tiensuu, Juhani Nuorvala, Herman Rechberger and Petri Makkonen. These works have been commissioned and premiered by the trio. The group will also perform rock and pop classics with electric sound and light effects! Their concert will be broadcast by the NÖ1 radio station.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

On July 13th Giorgio Dellarole will perform a concert in Reggio Emilia. His program will include works by Farkas, Fugazza, Piazzolla and Solotarev. The following day Dellarole will perform a different program at the same venue, which will include works by Scarlatti, Bach, Pozzoli, Tschaikin, Piazzolla and Würthner. For further details email: giorgio.dellarole@libero.it

Two Gypsy Music summer workshops will be held in Valjevo, Yugoslavia from August 5th to 25th and September 2nd to 22nd, organized by the Amala Summer School for Gypsy Music. The accordion workshops will be tutored by Dusko Belic. The goal of the workshops is to offer a complete cultural experience as students will learn authentic Romani music by ear, in the traditional way, while surrounded by Romani culture, food, language and family atmosphere. For further details email: amala@galbeno.co.yu

An accordion concert was held on June 16th at the Teenagers Center at Jingan District, Shanghai to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Li Cong Accordion School. Over the past two years the school has trained many outstanding students and has nearly 20 young accordion teachers working in the school (who have graduated from various music academies and universities), ensuring a high standard of accordion teaching at the school. Each year the school sends many students to attend a variety of accordion activities and competitions within China and internationally.

This year's concert included performances by students that had won recent international competitions in Australia, New Zealand and France. Over 600 people attended the concert, which was recorded by Shanghai TV and reported in Shanghai newspapers.

"The World of the Accordion" radio show compeered by accordionists Robert Gesmundo and Peter Piccini airs weekly in Perth, Western Australia. The features accordionist's from Australia and all over the world. Recent recordings featured in the show include the Air New Zealand Accordion Orchestra (New Zealand) and Eddie Chavez (USA), who sent the radio station recordings of American accordionists such as Guido Diero, Galla-Rini, Ernie Felice and Charles Magnante. The station is interested in receiving new recordings from accordion players for the show. For further details email Peter Piccini at: piccini@bigpond.com

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

On July 19th Jean-Marc Fabiano (accordion, bandoneon) will perform a concert at the Summer Music Academy School in Nancy with his trio which includes Patrick Zygmanowski (piano, lecturer at the Lyon Conservatory) and David Zambon (lecturer at the Montpellier Conservatory). Their program will include works by Astor Piazzolla. For further details email: jm.fabiano@wanadoo.fr

Contributed by Paul Rogers

Those Darn Accordions will perform at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg, Illinois on July 7th. The group includes accordionists Paul Rogers, Suzanne Garramone and Patty Brady. For further details email: tda@thosedarnaccordions.com

Moni Ovadia's TheaterOrchestra Looking for Accordionists - Italy

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Emilio Vallorani (Moni Ovadia's musical coordinator) is currently selecting accordionists for the next season of the TheaterOrchestra. The group has a theatrical approach to music, so the ideal candidates should be keen to play while acting i.e. moving, walking and so on. To apply please email your CV: emilio.vallorani@tin.it

Contributed by Toru Katou

A number of accordion concerts will be held in Japan on July 1st. The YAA (Young Accordion Association) will hold a concert at "Second House" in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture. The concert will feature performances by YAA members including accordionists Misuzu Minou and Kei Inomata. For further details phone: + 81 727-50-5650

The "Classic Buskers" (Michael Copley and Ian Moore) will perform at the Suntory Smaller Hall in Tameike-Sannoh, Tokyo (phone: + 81 3-3586-8771) and bandoneon player Mr Teho will perform with guitarist Masakazu Tokutake at the Saeki Ward Culture Center in Itsukaichi, Hiroshima. Their program will include Bach's "Trio Sonata No.6" and works by Piazzolla. Phone: +81 82-921-7550

Contributed by Amadeo Eduardo Menduiña

The 1st International Accordion Festival will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina from April 17th to 21st, 2002. Accordionists from around the world can participate (with no age limit) in a variety of classes for soloists, duos, trios, ensembles and orchestras. Accordionists playing piano accordion, chromatic accordion and/or diatonic accordion may compete.

Three main categories will be held as follows:
Category A: Accordionists from anywhere in the world, between 12 and 15 years old.
Category B: Accordionists from anywhere in the world, between 16 and 90 years old.
Category C: Accordionists from anywhere in the world, with no age limit, who play accordion pieces composed by themselves.

Prize money of US$3,500 (Category A), US$5,250 (Category B) and US$3,500 (Category C) will be awarded. In addition, winners in each category will receive a trophy statuette called "El Acordeonista" (The Accordionist) and Honorary Diplomas will be awarded to those in 4th to 10th places. For further details email: bemusica@infovia.com.ar

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

The community of Italian immigrants from Umbria has organised three concerts in Lausanne (Switzerland) with singer-songwriter Ivano Pescari. The concerts will take place at the Sav Belan Park on June 29th, 30th and July 1st. For further information please phone Natale Volpi: +41 79 6371775

Accordionist Klaus Paier tutored a successful workshop entitled "Accordion workshop for Jazz improvisation and Tango" at the Liechtensteinische Musikschule in Vaduz recently. Following this he travelled to Switzerland to perform in St. Gallen with his group the Paier Preinfalk Project, which includes Gerald Preinfalk (saxophone).

Duo 2000 performed a series of fortnightly Sunday afternoon picnic concerts at the Roodepoort botanical gardens recently, attracting audiences of between 2,000 and 3,000 people. With a mix of fine weather, sunshine and warm temperatures (despite being winter) the picnic audience was enthralled. The concerts were engineered to attract people to the gardens in winter and to create the opportunity for picnickers (who are not permitted to picnic there, unless there is a concert).

A Summer Squeez-In was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota recently in honor of "June is Accordion Awareness Month". Accordionist Dee Langley directed the Squeezers Accordion Orchestra at the event which was sponsored by the Minnesota Accordion Club and Kramarczuk's East European Deli. The Minnesota Accordion Club sponsors four Squeez-Ins a year with accordion performances and a massed band. The next Squeez-In is scheduled for September 29th. The club also sponsors the NE Accordion Festival which will be held on November 9th & 10th. For further details email: squeezer@mnaccordion.org

An updated East European News is now online featuring new items from Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine. If you would like to contribute an item for this news please email coordinator Sergej Tchirkov at: tchirkov@accordions.com

The final week of the Free Reed Festival featured New York City writer, singer and accordionist Rachelle Garniez, Alexei Levin who performed some new live recordings (with his ensemble, VedaKi) and some accordion solos, Peter Pot and Philip Baumgarten (Netherlands) who played their new song, "Creepy Island".

Upcoming performers include Yann-Fañch Perroches and his new ensemble Jolie Vilaine, Guy Klucevsek & Phillip Johnston and UK accordionist Sam Pirt.