Editors Note
This week we have included news items about a number of accordion orchestra or club performances. It is great to see accordion clubs so actively involved in hosting visiting accordionists and organizing concerts. Details of future concerts are available in the Future Events section of our Yellow Pages.

Wayne Knights Webmaster

Contributed by Alexander Sevastian

The 8th Russian Accordion Competition and Festival was held in Moscow from March 24th to 31st, supported by the Moscow Cultural Committee and sponsored by the Accordion Method Cabinet (under the guidance of Andrei Ledenyov) and accordion manufacturer "ACCO" (from Voronezh).

The event included three excellent concerts by young Russian performers such as the Dranga-quartet, Latvia Accordion Trio (Limbazi), Maria Vlasova (class of Professor Friedrich Lips), Stanislav Malyshev & Yury Medyanik (both from class of Professor Viatcheslav Semionov) and Andrei Statsenko. Each concert was attended by an audience of 400 people, who enjoyed and evaluated the talent of the artists.

The contest included 7 categories of button and piano accordion classes. Members of the jury were Viatcheslav Semionov (Chairman), Andrei Ledenyov (Artistic director), Miron Boula, Alexander Dmitriev, Valentina Bobysheva and Andrei Statsenko.

Results:

Piano accordion:
Category 8-10 years - 1st: Marina Akuletskaya (Bryansk)
Category 11-13 years - 1st: Victoria Shyrobokova (St Petersburg)
Category 14-16 years - 1st: Nastya Moskaleva (Volgodonsk)
Category 17-20 years - 1st: Nadezhda Guseva (St Petersburg)

Bayan (Button-accordion):
Category 11-13 years - 1st equal: Pavel Zyabko (Moscow) and Vitaly Pugachev (St Petersburg) Category 14-16 years - 1st: Iosif Purits (Moscow)
Category 17-20 years - 1st: Andrei Shelyganov (Moscow)

Light music category (piano and button accordions) - 1st: Sergei Osokin

The 9th Russian Accordion Competition will be held in March, 2005. For details, please phone A. Ledenyov at: +7 95 289-2432

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Maestro Anthony Galla-Rini is recovering comfortably at the Palomar Rehabilitation Care Center after breaking his hip during a recent fall. He will remain at the Center for about five weeks and doctors have told him he should recover fully. Mr Galla-Rini has already had to get out of bed and stand up and, while he says it hurt tremendously, he also reports he is extremely glad that nursing staff made him do it. The doctors are also treating him for a touch of emphysema while he remains at the Care Center.

Mr Galla-Rini is in good spirits and (as is usual for him) is more worried about his musical activities, and so informs everyone that the arrangements for his July Music Camp are already completed. Fantastic! Well wishes may be sent to: Mr. Anthony Galla-Rini, Redwood Town Court, #203, 500 E. Valley Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92025-3006.

We wish the Maestro a speedy recovery!

Contributed by Claudine Aucher

The 14th European Accordion Festival will be held at the Centre Ville et Rues in Chartres from May 31st to June 2nd. The event will include a variety of performances by Victor Novikov (Russia), Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi (Italy), Aude Giuliano (France), Alain Chatry (France), Claude Ribouillault (France), Matapat (Canada), Raynald Ouellet and Bruno Gendron (Canada), Corinne Rousselet Orchestra, Andre Verchuren, Bruno De Smet "Zinzin" Orchestra, N. Boucheix, M. Dadier, Ana Sofia Campeã (Portugal) and Alejandro Barcelona (Spain). In addition there will also be music displays, trade stands and an accordion exhibition. For further details email: aucher.claudine@wanadoo.fr

Contributed by Richard J Smith and Nigel Waterhouse

The Craven School of Music has organized a concert with guest accordionists Yao Yi & Li Nan (China) at the Glusburn Institute on April 21st. The concert will be held in association with The Royal Academy of Music in London. Local artists will also entertain at this event. For concert details email: richard@smith.name

Following this concert, the Chinese duo (both students of Owen Murray at the Royal Academy of Music in London) will then perform at the Chetham School of Music in Manchester on April 23rd. Their program will include works by Bach, Scarlatti and contemporary composers. For details on this concert email: waterhousenigel@hotmail.com

Contributed by Francisco José Dávila Dorta

On April 11th two accordion concerts were held in "Teatro Chico", Santa Cruz, Palm Island in the Canary Islands. The first included a performance by the CajaCanarias Accordion Orchestra, which is made up of 25 students from the School of Musical Instruments in that locality.

The event also included the presentation of the book "Canary Islands: The accordion and its Culture" written by Francisco Jose Dávila Dorta who is a great fan of the accordion. Francisco also gave a short talk on the research work he has performed, as well as presenting virtuoso accordionist Don Felipe Gadea Beltrán with a copy. Don Felipe then entertained with a variety of melodies from his repertoire ranging from classical to folk pieces from the North of Europe and the Canary Islands. Don Felipe is one of the best known accordionists in the Canary Islands, and has been acknowledged in Europe for the purity and deep sentiment expressed in his performances.

Accordionist Rita Davidson will perform the "Manhattan Concerto" (by Eugene Ettore) with the Westmount Philharmonia Accordion Orchestra under the direction of Stan Darrow. This concert will take place at the "Saint Teresa of Avila" in Bridgeton, New Jersey on May 19th.

Rita is a member of the governing board of the AAA and is also on the executive board of the Accordion Teachers Association of New Jersey. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BS in Music Education and has been teaching for many years in West Orange (NJ) public schools, using the accordion in all classes on a daily basis. Rita has also performed with symphony orchestras, most recently "Concert Waltz for Accordion and Orchestra" by Gary Daverne. For further concert information email: Ritabelll@aol.com

Contributed by Teotônio Barbosa de Santana

The "Forró" season begins this week in Salvador, Brazil with a performance by "Paraiba do Acordeon" at "Forro da AABB" on April 12th. Each week two Forró bands will perform at "Forró da AABB". For further details email: teotonio@sefaz.ba.gov.br

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

A new music school with multi instruments including the accordion will open in May in Bellshill (near Motherwell, Scotland) conducted by Robert Rolston and George Lambie of Rolston Accordions. A new complex with many facilities for the accordion as well as other instruments will be offered with further details and information coming up soon.

Contributed by Toru Katou

On April 19th, accordionist Tetsuya Kuwayama and his band will perform with Chinese musician Jia Pengfang, who plays the "erhu" (Chinese traditional violin). The concert will take place at "Graffiti" in Akasaka, Tokyo. For further details email: eire@musa.ne.jp

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Accordionist Claudio Jacomucci premiered the "Xballu" of Sardinian composer Lucio Garau on April 2nd at the "Spazio Oberdan" in Milan. The concert, entitled "Tradizione e Modernità" (Tradition and Modernity) featured other well-known musicians, including the extraordinary Luigi Lai, on the traditional Sardinian instrument "launeddas", Corrado Lepore (violin) and Emiliano Minervino (percussion). After introducing a few melodies of the traditional repertoire, Garau illustrated his own compositional style, inspired by Sardinian folk music. The main characteristic of the premiered piece was to feature a continuous sound (like that produced by the launeddas) interspersed by the pulse created by the gentle shaking of the performer's leg while playing very rapid modular passages.

Traditional Orchestra Concert - Netherlands

Contributed by Hillebrand van der Veen

The Amsterdam Accordion Club Forzando held a "traditional" accordion orchestra concert at the Buurtcentrum De Rietwijker in Amsterdam on April 7th. All club orchestras performed at this event, from the beginners to the more experienced groups plus the Forzando quintet. Their program included works by several Dutch composers plus a variety of other popular works such as Charleston Time (Renato Bui), tunes from Modern Pop Styles (W. Kahl) and Rikudim (Israeli folkdances by a Dutch arranger). The Quintet entertained with the Prelude from the Te Deum (M.A. Charpentier), Praeludium und Fuge in A-Moll (M. Seiber) plus 2 parts from the Concerto in A-Moll (A. Scarlatti). The quintet believes that the Scarlatti work has never been played by an accordion quintet or orchestra before.

Guests, the Orchestra "Esmeralda" (from Haarlem) played a varied program, which included Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) and Lord of the Dance (R.P. Hardiman).

The concert finale included all orchestras joining together (including Esmeralda) to play a piece written by Piet Verijde (Chief Director of Forzando) especially for this occasion. This piece entitled "Play In" has four simple parts and five more difficult ones, to make it possible for accordionists of all levels to join in this "modern pop style" piece. The result: an orchestra of about 50 accordionists, happily playing together.

The whole event captivated the enthusiastic audience to such an extent, that during the performance "a needle falling could be heard"!

Dr. William Schimmel will perform solo on the soundtrack of a new episode of the HBO (Home box office) show "Sex and the City". The airing, which will take place in June, will be the opening show in a series of new episodes. Dr. Schimmel has performed on a number of previous "Sex and the City" episodes as a soloist, as well as with the group he co-founded "The Tango Project".

Dr. Schimmel also will do a number of solo performances in the upcoming Paramount film "One Last Kiss" starring Marissa Tomei. The film will be released sometime in June. For details email: GWILLIAMANDMICKI@aol.com

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Classical accordionist Daniele Venturi will hold a concert on April 14th in the "Hall of the Five-Hundred" at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The event will coincide with the national day of organ donations and transplants, and is organised by ATTO (the Tuscan association for organ transplants) and the Florence City Council.

Venturi will open the concert, playing music by W. Byrd, G. Frescobaldi and S. di Gesualdo. His performance will be followed by the Italian Brass Ensemble, a group featuring musicians from some of the major Italian orchestras. Their program will include pieces by Gabrieli, Copland and Gershwin.

The concert will be held in front of senior members of the local council and of the army, and entry will be free of charge. For details email: jd@ftbcc.it

The 2002 Bay of Islands Arts Festival was held from March 22nd to April 7th. Festival organizers made a special effort to provide "Something for Everyone" and in the growing diversity of this Far North community this really does mean the full range of performing arts, from classical to modern music, serious drama to stand up comedy and lots in between. Events were staged in Kerikeri, Kaikohe, Hokianga, Kawakawa, Moerewa, Russell and Waitangi.

Accordions Worldwide Office Manager Tatiana Lanchtchikova played at this festival with the group "Bravura" which includes Miranda Adams (violin), Nigel Gavin (guitar), Peter Scott (bass) and Jonathan Besser (piano). They gave two performances in Kerikeri and the Omapere Resort to packed crowds.

A critic wrote: "Bravura delivers an experience as unique in soundscape, as it is life affirming and spontaneous in performance. A walk on the wild side of improvisation and Jonathan Besser's composition. A daring, exhilarating celebration of the art of making music live".

Contributed by Rainer Szech

The annual concert by the Akkordeon Big-Band Druckluft will be held at the ASG-Aula in Castrop-Rauxel on April 13th. Guest accordionist Konstantin Ischenko will entertain at this event, which will include a variety of original music. For further details email: prasi@ac88.de

The Paris Moscou Duo (Roman Jbanov and Domi Emorine) performed a successful concert in Lanester, Brittany on March 29th organised by the Lanester Town Hall authorities. The people of Brittany are more familiar with the diatonic accordion, so the duo helped them to discover the concert chromatic accordion in all its aspects. The audience enjoyed their performance, which featured the versatility of this instrument. Guest Jean Vilar also played at this concert. The duo hope to organize future concerts with the Lanester Accordion Club which was present at the event.

The Duo will hold a workshop training course in Knutange (small city in the east of France) from April 16th to 18th organized by Mr Amadéo, professor of the accordion. The course will cover technical expression of the bellows and different touches. The course will end with a concert by participants on April 18th. For details email: roman.jbanov@libertysurf.fr

Accordionist Jon Hammond entertained patients recently at the secure psychiatric wards of Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco. During April Jon will return to entertain psychiatric patients on April 13th plus other patients on April 25th. The hospital is situated in the lower part of "Twin Peaks", a very serene setting surrounded by native redwood trees and nature. Bing Crosby was a regular performer there in former times and the hospital has a theatre dedicated to him.

Accordionist David Farmer recently took part in a chamber music recital in London's famous Wigmore Hall. The first half of the concert featured two quartets for accordion, piano, clarinet & Double bass. This was followed by the world premiere of "La Hora Cero" by the young British composer Joe Cutler. The second half of the recital saw accordion, clarinet & doublebass joined by vocalist Andrew Watts for the British premiere of Heinz Holliger's song-cycle "Beiseit". The whole programme was directed under the baton of Gregory Rose.

Contributed by Carlo Fortunato

The FisAlMuseo event currently in progress in Alessandria will feature an evening showcasing the accordion in different genres on April 17th. The concert will take place at the Palafiera erected at the great Fair of San Giorgio, and will star jazz accordionist Emilio Cervetto, the Argentinean tango duo formed by Athos Bassissi (accordion and bandoneon) and Stefano Calzolari (piano), classical accordionist Gianluca Campi and folk and variety accordionist Marco Valenti. The great success of FisAlMuseo encouraged the Alessandria local and provincial councils to include a stand dedicated to this event at the Fair, which will be held from April 12th to 21st, featuring live concerts and multimedia installations.

During the month of May the series will continue with an evening on the history of the accordion in Piedmont directed by Carlo Fortunato and with a concert by Tiziano Chiappelli.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Lydie Auvray has inspired people for over 20 yeas with her music that has been influenced by a variety of styles from all over the world: musette, tango, cajun, South Seas rhythms, pop, rock, blues. Lydie and her group the Auvrettes completed a successful tour of Germany in March where they performed in sold-out venues and introduced their new CD "Triangle". The CD includes tracks such as "Kay Toucan", "Le Paradis" and "Oh ma Cannellou".

Guy Denys would like to know if Silvia Amond and Silvia Zobek are the same person. Silvia Amond represented Austria in the 1960 Coupe Mondiale competition organized by the CIA. Email: guydenys@free.fr

Carlene would like information on the history of the Adano Accordian # 6731. Email: dcvc@charter.net