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2002
National Accordion Convention - USA
Contributed by Norman Seaton
The Texas
Accordion Association will hold their very popular 2002 National
Accordion Convention from March 7th to 10th at the Holiday Inn Convention
Center in Plano, Texas. The event will include guests Tim Alexander
(5-time Grammy Award Winner) and Santiago Jiminez plus concerts
with accordion orchestras, workshops, trade shows and lots of fun!
For details email: nns5522@dcccd.edu
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Prestigious Appointment for Renzo
Ruggieri - Italy
 Accordionist
Renzo
Ruggieri was appointed "Chief Arranger" by the prestigious Opera
Theatre in Rome for the arrangement, orchestration and direction
of the music of "The Legend of the Flax Flower", a the children's
show staged at the Teatro Nazionale recently. The work was written
by Rosa Stipo and directed and adapted for the theatre by David
Haughton, well known for his long standing work with mime/dancer
Lindsay Kemp. The music was written by Adriana Del Giudice, while
the stage design and costumes were created by Michele Della Cioppa
and Anna Biagiotti respectively.
The recordings took place at the "Musicomania
Digital Studio" in Bellante (province of Teramo) and featured the
"Piccola Orchestra Moderna", Ruggieri's ensemble of choice when
it comes to theatrical productions. The soundtrack required the
work of 34 musicians, including a string section, brass section,
rhythm section and a choir, and made use of an electronic sampler
in order to record and play sounds such as the rustling of the wind
through the trees, the singing of birds and the noises of everyday
life in the city.
Here's an excerpt of a newspaper review: "...
the orchestral adaptation by Renzo Ruggieri is praiseworthy. This
journey into nature was enriched by the beautiful sounds captured
and arranged by Renzo Ruggieri. Ruggieri's masterful use of the
sampler harnessed the howling of the wind during a storm and turned
it into a musical piece, a cosmic voice which descended upon us
like something ancient and familiar." (Paola Pariset, Il Tempo,
Oct. 17, 2001). To listen to this work email: renrug@libero.it
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Accordion and Saxophone Concert
- USA
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Photo of Guy Klucevsek (foreground) by Cliff Furnald and photo
of Phillip Johnston (background) by Viki Rutsch.
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On February 16th the Guy Klucevsek/Phillip Johnston
Duo will present a concert at the Veteran's Hall, Snug Harbor Cultural
Center, Staten Island, New York. The duo, which consists of Guy
(accordion and compositions) and Phillip (saxophone and compositions)
will perform a variety of original tunes covering contemporary classical
music, world music, jazz and blues. The result: Polka-Bop? Trance-Tango?
Avant-Baroque?
Also appearing at this concert is the Brazilian
jazz group "Ben Sher and Tudobem" which features accordionist Joe
Barbato. For concert details phone: +1 718 815-SNUG
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Valentine's Concert - USA
Accordionist Jon
Hammond (with saxophonist Marc Baum & drummer Ronnie Smith)
performed a special Valentine's Day concert on February 14th for
patients at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco. The trio played
in the Clarendon Building of the Hospital and in the locked wards
of the main building.
Their program included "My Funny Valentine",
"My One and Only Love" and "There Will Never Be Another You". The
hospital has over 3,000 patients and the trio attempted to perform
to as many as possible by performing in the two locations.
On February 17th Jon will return to the hospital
for two further concerts. For details email: laterent@webtv.net
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Jiaozi Art Center Concert - China
 Contributed
by Li Cong
Chinese accordionist Xia Gang held a solo concert
at the Jiaozi Art Center in Chengdu recently. Gang began learning the
accordion at the age of 4 and was admitted to the Affiliated College of
Sichuan Music Conservatory in 1993. In 1997, he enrolled at the St. Petersburg
Music Conservatory to learn bayan. While there he won the adult section
of the St. Petersburg International Accordion Competition in 1999. He
was also given a Bayan Performing Artist award at the 16th St. Petersburg
International Accordion Festival in 2000.
Over 1000 people attended his Chengdu concert which
included a program of works such as "Ave Maria" and pieces by Piazzolla.
After the concert, Professor Huang Wanfu (Head of
the Sichuan Music Conservatory) said "Xia Gang's performance was very
detailed and he had wonderful expression of the music. This concert will
help to develop bayan tuition and performance at the Sichuan Music Conservatory
and the province of Sichuan".
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New Fisorchestra Liberina Plays
in Rome - Italy
 Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
After a brief winter break (spent polishing
and practicing its new repertoire), the New
Fisorchestra Liberina resumed its performances at the San Leone
Magno Auditorium in Rome under the baton of Pasquale
De Marco, Artistic Director and head of the Music Workshop at
the "Giordani" Technical Institute in Caserta. This concert, the
orchestra's first in 2002, was organised by the A.R.M.O.N.I. Association.
The accordion was the absolute centre of this
magical performance, and it served both as a metaphor of rural life
and as a symbolic object firmly rooted in the past. The program
covered a variety of genres, and included religious (Schubert's
"Ave Maria"), classical ("Fantasia in A", "Flight of the Bumblebee"
& "Barber of Seville"), ethnic (Piazzolla's "Primavera Portena",
"Chitarra Romana" & "La Paloma"), dance ("Fior di Campo", "Sale
e Pepe e Frutto di Mare", "Eternamente" & "Espana Cani") and traditional
pieces ("Comme facette mammeta", "'O surdato 'nnammurato" & "Nannì").
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Welsh Traditional Music Group Tours
USA
Welsh traditional music group "Crasdant" will
tour USA from February 14th to March 10th. The group includes Stephen
Rees (accordion, violin & pibgorn), Robin Huw Bowen (triple harp)
Andy McLaughlin (flute, whistles & pibgorn) and Huw Williams (guitar
and clogger). Concerts will be held in Lexington (MA), Athens (GA),
Roanoke (VA), Chocowinity (NC), Jacksonville (FL), Phoenix (AZ),
Prescott (AZ), Kansas City (MO), Utica (NY), Poultney (VT), Altamont
(NY), Harrisburg (PA), with a final concert at Longwood Gardens,
Kennett Square (PA).
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New Bulgarian Accordion Music Book
Contributed by Sandie Merrill
A new book and CD of original Bulgarian accordion
music entitled "Bright Stage" by Milen Slavov is now available through
the MS Music Agency. The book, which features solo piano accordion
pieces is ideal for anyone who loves to listen to Bulgarian music
and contains uniquely and thoroughly detailed notation of the ornaments.
Timothy Rice, Chair of the UCLA Department of
Ethnomusicology says: "Milen Slavov's compositions for accordion
are a wonderful combination of references to the oldest part of
the rich heritage of Bulgarian folk music and new ideas that are
fresh and original".
For further details email: agency@msaccordion.com
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The
innovative new duo "Muta" which includes 
Contributed
by Carlo Fortunato
Contributed
by 
Accordionist