Editors Note
As this is our final news for 2001, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. During 2001 we have made a number of changes to the Accordions Worldwide site, which we believe has improved the site and helped to make it much easier for readers to find the large amount of information we provide. We aim to continue these positive updates during 2002.

Our first news for 2002 will be online January 18th. If you would like to contribute an item for this news please email: news@accordions.com

Wayne Knights Webmaster

Contributed by Dré Sprangers

The 3rd International Folk Festival will be held from January 23rd to 27th, 2002 at the "013 Popcentre" in Tilburg. The festival will include over 40 concerts with top new folk acts from all over Europe and North-America. Accordion performers include Robert Pignol (France), Jo Lemaire (Belgium), Les Primitifs Du Futur (which features Robert Crumb & Fay Lovsky - France), Oleg Fateev Quartet, 'T Molenkot (Belgium/Netherlands), Balcanto Vero, Renaud Garcia-Fons & Jean-Louis Matinier (France), Catherine Delasalle & Une Anche Passe (Belgium/France), Bratsch (France), Flook! (UK), Ialma (Belgium/Spain), Susana Seivane (Spain), Kíla (Ireland), Laïs (Belgium), Troissoeur & Satoshi Takeishi (Belgium), Besh O Drom (Holland), Debout Sur Le Zinc (France), Realones (Norway), Ogham & Friends (Netherlands), Deux Accords Diront (Belgium), Régis Gizavo (Madagascar) and The Mighty Jackals (Netherlands). For further details email: info@folkfestival.nl

The Samspel - ISME 2002 World Conference in Music Education will be held from August 11th to 16th in Bergen, Norway and will include a wide variety of exciting musical and educational events, a multitude of workshops, lectures, concerts and social events. Participants will also get the opportunity to enjoy performances and lectures involving Norwegian educators, musicians, students and pupils. Over 70 performing groups from all continents have applied and those selected will be notified as soon as possible. Patron of this event is: Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway. For details email: isme2002@uib.no

Contributed by Vladimir Zubitsky

The First London Accordion Festival 2001 was held at the Wembley Conference Centre in Wembley, London on December 8th and 9th. The event featured an opening concert with the BBC Symphony Concert Orchestra (conducted by Nick Davies), Frederic Deschamps who played "Suite Punta Del Este" (Piazzolla), Owen Murray playing the John Webb "Concert", Romano Viazzini, Vladimir Zubitsky who played a concert version of "Rossiniana" with the symphony orchestra.

The festival included music exhibitions, CD's, musical instruments and non-stop concerts from 9.30 am to midnight, featuring a variety of music from classic to jazz and musette by soloists, ensembles and orchestras. Performers included Djordje Gajic, John & Lisa Leslie, The Czardas Duo, David Farmer, The High Society Dance Orchestra, David Lukins, The Blair Scottish Dance Band, Andy Anderson, Colchester Accordion Show Band, Jack Emblow, KODA, Frank Marocco (USA), Fredeic Baldo, Marielle Roy, Jerome Richard & Lucile Touchard (France), Fabio Rossato, Vincenzo Abbracciante (Italy), Vely & Susanne Kujala (Finland), Nan Li, Phuong Nguyen & Yi Yao (China ), students of the Royal Academy of music and many others.

The closing concert included performances by "Duo Zubitsky" (Vladimir and Natalia Zubitsky), "Hallo Mr Sax" with Simone Zanchini and Gervasio Marcosignori.

Contributed by Dr Herbert Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich Lips Productions

Popular quartet "Dobrek Bistro" performed at the "Porgy & Bess" Club in Vienna on November 23rd. The group consists of Polish accordionist Krzysztof Dobrek, Russian violinist Aliosha Biz, Daniel Klemmer (percussion) and double bass player Peter Strutzenberger. The group play a variety of Parisian musette waltzes, latin american pieces like salsa, tango and bossa nova, jazz, gypsy swing, classic influences, music of the Balkans and Orient, the Roma and Jews of Eastern Europe as well as Slavonic folk music. For details on their next concert email: Krzysztof.Dobrek@netway.at

Accordionist Jon Hammond had an official request from the San Francisco Sheriff's Dept to perform inside the facilities of the SF County Jail on December 19th. Joining Jon for this "Christmas Jail Party" were trio members Larry Schneider (tenor saxophone) and Ronnie Smith (drums). Their program included Christmas songs as well as popular and soul selections such as Roberta Flack's "Where is The Love", Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" and also an original composition of Jon's "Get Back in The Groove".

Last week Jon played four continuous hours of accordion music and Christmas songs to patients in the wards of Laguna Honda Hospital. Jon has also been busy performing at a variety of other Christmas functions.

Accordionist Angel Russo took part with many professional and amateur accordionists in the great annual walk to celebrate Accordion Day in Argentina on November 15th. Then on November 25th the celebrations continued with a big lunch that included dancing and accordion music all day long. Two television channels covered the events. The Argentina Accordion Association would like to thank all those who collaborated to help make this a successful celebration.

A Memorial to honour Robert Davine (1934 to 2001), Professor of accordion and theory at Lamont School of Music, University of Denver since the late 1950's is now online.

Contributed by Rolf E. Wittich

Under the title "Live Music First!" accordionist Hugo Noth and violinist Volker Biesenbender performed in Basel on December 16th. Their program included compositions by Bach, Haydn, Bartok, Cage, Ligeti and others.

Contributed by Li Cong

To celebrate the Chuhan Accordion School's 6th anniversary, a special concert was held on December 2nd in historical Anqing City. Zheng Shenglie set up the school six years ago and during this time over 1,500 students have learnt the accordion from the school with many of them taking part in various accordion competitions. At the 2nd Anhui Province Accordion Competitions in October this year, many winners were from the Chuhan School. Two students were also presented "Accordion Artist" Awards.

The three hour concert included City Government officials. The Director of the City Education Department said that he seldom has the opportunity to hear a concert of this high standard. Performers included students from the Chuhan Accordion School performing accordion examination pieces, accordionists from Shanghai, Chuhan Accordion School award winning students' performance and guest artist Jing Wei (Nanjing City).

Respected senior accordionist Zhang Ziqiang (Beijing) and Li Cong (Director of the Shanghai Accordion Association) specially came to Anqing to attend this celebration.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Beniamino Bugiolacchi's latest book, a history of Castelfidardo in the Twentieth Century narrated through a gallery of 100 postcards, was launched on December 16th in the Congress Hall of Palazzo Mordini by Mirco Soprani, local councillor in charge of cultural activities. The launch was attended by a large crowd. As many as 9 pages of the book are entirely devoted to postcards picturing the accordion, an instrument of great importance in the life of the city.

There are many ways of narrating or discussing the history of a place, an event, a people or a character. You could write weighty books with thousands upon thousands of words, craft ethereal poems or simply talk through pictures. Here then, as we flick through the pages of this collection of postcards from the past century, we find ourselves able to narrate and relive a portion however brief of the history of our beloved Castelfidardo. (Paolo Bugiolacchi)

For further information please contact Beniamino Bugiolacchi at: italcint@tiscali.it

New Year's Eve Balkan Night - USA

Contributed by Joyce Clyde

A New Year's Eve Balkan Night will be held at the Ashkenaz Nonprofit Music and Dance Community Center in Berkeley on December 31st. This event will feature "Anoush", who perform Southern Balkan and Armenian folk dance music. The group includes Dan Ziagos (accordion), Michael Matthews (clarinet), Ken McCormick (violin & vocals), Michele Simon (tupan & vocals) and Ken White (darabuka & defi). For further details email: joycexopo@hotmail.com

The 15th International Jazz Festival was held at the House of Culture in Nevers recently and included a wide range of blues and jazz. Performers included accordionists Jean-Louis Matinier, Farmers Market (accordionist Stan Cartensen), Wil Holshouser, Dommage to Glenn, Trygve Seim Orchestra and Richard Galliano who performed with organist Eddy Louiss at the closing concert.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Accordionist Giorgio Dellarole will perform a solo concert in Castorana on December 28th. His program will include works by Scarlatti, Bach, Chaikin and Pozzoli. The following day he will play with the Trio Klezmer (Massimiliano Limonetti on clarinet and Antonio Sacco on violin) in Turin. Their program will include a variety of Christmas pieces and works by Monteverdi, Bach and Corelli. For details email: giorgio.dellarole@libero.it

Contributed by Amadeo Eduardo Menduiña

Because of the serious economic crisis in Argentina, organisers regret to announce the postponement of the first International Accordion Festival, which will now be held in Buenos Aires in December 2002. Information on new starting dates will be publicised on Accordions Worldwide as soon as possible. For further details email: amadeoedu@infovia.com.ar

Accordionist Dr William Schimmel performed his own composition "Fromage Dangereux" tango on December 2nd at the Middle Collegiate Church in downtown Manhattan. This event was a benefit concert for those directly affected by the September 11th tragedy in New York and for those afflicted with the aids virus. The Fromage Dangereux tango is extracted from a large dance/theatre work of the same title and has become a favorite recital piece for many concert pianists. This was the first public accordion performance of the work (to Dr Schimmel's knowledge), due to the fact that in the past, the tango was always performed on the piano even by Dr Schimmel himself. The work was composed in 1984.

On December 24th, Dr Schimmel and his wife, Micki Goodman, will perform their theatre work "Hail Mary" as part of a Christmas eve concert and service at the West Park Church in Manhattan where Dr Schimmel is Director of music/arts/worship. This controversial theatre piece deals with the nativity in present tense surrounded by present day events and complexities. The work was previously performed at the AAA Master class and concert series (where Dr Schimmel was moderator/curator) and at the Flea Theatre in Tribeca as part of an evening entitled "Strange Narcissism - New Realities on Early Music". This event starred Dr Schimmel, Micki Goodman and Kathleen Goodman.

Contributed by Dr Herbert Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich Lips Productions

Maria Kalaniemi (Finland), pianist Timo Alakotila and guitarist Olli Varis played a wonderful concert in Vienna's "Mozart-Saal" recently. Maria characterizes her playing the following way: "Of course it is terrific to play with much power but there is the quiet sound also. I like to be between these extremes." Her accordion playing has the aura of a quiet intensity, a typically Finnish peculiarity. She doesn't want to play specifically Finnish music, however and says, "Of course the music which I play is Finnish because I am from Finland whose roots cannot be found in any other culture: Kalevala, the Runo - singer and Kantele - player. An idea of these roots slumbers somewhere in me, I bear this quiet, beauty and sentimentality in my heart."

Maria will also perform at Vienna's accordion festival on March 21st, 2002.

Contributed by Toru Katou

On December 23rd, French accordionist Richard Galliano will perform with jazz-violinist Naoko Terai at the Tennouzu Art-sheare in Tokyo. Naoko is currently working on a new album. For further concert details phone: +81 3 5770-2266

www.pigini-accordions.com Updated information on Pigini accordion distributors

www.borsini-accordions.com/contact_usa.htm Updated information on Borsini Accordion USA distributor, Bell Duovox Corporation - dba Solton USA.

www.accordions.com/aata Updated information on the 2002 Australian International Accordion Championships held from May 24th to 26th in Sydney, Australia

www.accordions.com/milonga Updated information on the Milonga Quintet based in Italy

Carla Adams would like information on a brown, beige and light green button accordion with the words "The Pitzchler", "Universal Accordeon" and "Falternscyutz" written on it. She believes the instrument was made in the late 1800's or early 1900's. Email: CAdams@OfficeDepot.com