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International
Accordion Championships and Festival - New Zealand
Contributed by Christine
Adams
 The
New Zealand
International Accordion Championships and Festival and the South
Pacific Accordion Championships were held in Auckland from May 31st
to June 2nd organized by the New
Zealand Accordion Association.
 The
event included a variety of classes for soloists, duos, trios, ensembles
and orchestras. A Gala Concert featuring guest artists and prize
winners was held at the conclusion of the competition. Performers
included Branko Dzinovic (winner of the 2001 Coupe
Mondiale Piano Accordion Category), the North Shore Accordion
Orchestra, Musicale Accordion Orchestra, Adam Thorpe, Jessica Chen,
Ann-Elise Koerntjes, Kathryn Fletcher and three NZAA members who
competed at the 2001 Coupe Mondiale in London - Campbell Bettridge,
Paula Harris
and Rebekah Grieg.
Results:
 South
Pacific Piano Accordion Solo Championship: 1st Adam Thorpe (New
Zealand)
New Zealand Solo Championship: 1st Adam Thorpe
South Pacific Piano Accordion Solo 15 &
Under Championship: 1st Anne-Elise Koerntjes (Australia)
New Zealand Solo 15 & Under Championship: 1st: Roseanne Rosario
 South
Pacific Piano Accordion Solo 12 & Under Championship: 1st Jessica
Chen (New Zealand)
New Zealand Solo 12 & Under Championship: 1st Jessica Chen
New Zealand Accordion Orchestra Championship:
1st North Shore Accordion Orchestra (conducted by Lionel
Reekie)
For a full list of results see the NZAA
site.
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Zubitsky Accordion Seminar - Andorra
  The
4th International Master Class of music and dance will be held in
Escaldes-Engordany from July 1st to 13th, tutored by Vladimir
Zubitsky. The course will unite many students from different
countries including pianists, violinists, organists, guitarists,
accordionists, classical & contemporary dancers and percussionists.
Participants will get the opportunity to partake in a variety of
different musical activities such as ensemble playing, collective
improvisations, concerts, discussions and entertainment. In addition,
excursions will be held to the beautiful lake in the mountains,
a traditional Spanish picnic, and a visit to the nearby jazz festival.
For further details email: harmonia-music@andorra.ad
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Accordion Tuition Base Appraisal
Program in Shanghai - China
Contributed by Li
Cong
In order to encourage some base units in Accordion
Art Education and Developing Shanghai Accordion Education, the Shanghai
Music Society Accordion Association has selected 22 "Shanghai Accordion
Tuition Base" venues and issued certificates and bronze plaques.
These "Bases" include schools, Teenagers Centers and Cultural Centers,
which have been of major support for Shanghai accordion activities.
As Shanghai Accordion Tuition Bases, they will
work even closer with the Shanghai Accordion Association to improve
the accordion environment in Shanghai. From June, these 22 bases
will continuously hold concerts, run area competitions and give
tuition reports.
Last year the Shanghai Accordion Association
focused on a committee members tuition exchange programme, which
was very successful.
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Successful Accordion Master Class
- Bulgaria
Contributed by Diana Stancheva, Accordion
Magic
A six day accordion master class, directed
by Yugoslavian teacher, performer and composer Zoran Bojanic took
place recently in the magnificent hall of the hotel complex "Kamenitza"
in Plovdiv, organized by the Bulgarian Organization of Accordionists.
Over 25 accordionists and teachers from seven
Bulgarian towns participated in the event. Being an excellent professional,
and with his modesty, tact and generosity, Zoran Bojanic won the
love of everybody and gave all of them knowledge and aesthetic pleasure.
Due to an error the original venue was double booked for the final
two days of the seminar, so the hotel complex generously offered
the President's apartment of the hotel and the master class continued
there. It is believed that this is the first time in the world that
an accordion master class has been held in a President's apartment!
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National Liberation Day - Netherlands
 Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
Accordionist Anne
Landa performed at a concert entitled "Songs of Freedom" which
was held in conjunction with the recent National Liberation Day
at the "Nicolaikerk" in Utrecht. This concert was the first in a
series, in which different composers will be invited to write compositions
on a certain theme. The goal of "Songs of Freedom" is to open the
doors to modern contemporary music for a large audience. In this
way composer and player can start a dialogue.
At this concert, Anne performed with three singers,
percussion and guitar. Included in their program was the premiere
of new pieces (for the ensemble) by Olthuis, Nukina, von Tilzer,
De los Angeles Esteves, Van Dijk and Stark. On June 2nd they repeated
their program at a concert in Zwolle.
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Concertina Workshop - USA
Contributed by Daniel Hersh
A concertina workshop will be held at the 2002 San
Francisco Free Folk Festival at Roosevelt Middle School in San Francisco
on June 15th. The workshop will be led by local English and Anglo concertina
player Ricky Rackin, who will be joined by well-known Alabama concertina
builder Bob Tedrow. This is a good opportunity to meet other local players
and enthusiasts, to learn more about the instrument, and to hear tunes
and songs played in a number of different styles. For further details
email: hrshsand@earthlink.net
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Promotional Tour by Baltic International
Accordion Quintet - Lithuania
Contributed by Vladimir Ushakov
 A
promotional concert tour of Lithuania was given recently by a new
ensemble "Baltic International Accordion Quintet", formed by musicians
of three Baltic states: Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. From Latvia
there is well known accordionist Svetlana Stavitskaya, from Lithuania
members of the Lithuanian accordion duo Eduardas Gabnis and Gennady
Savkov, and from Russia, soloists of the St. Petersburg Musette
Ensemble Vladimir Ushakov and Sergei Likhachov. The quintet performed
in a variety of musical schools and colleges in Radvilishkis, Panevezhis,
Shiauliaj, Ignalina, Vissaginas, Ukmerge, Mariampol and Vilnius.
Their popular program included classical compositions
and modern music such as "Bach Goes to Town" (Templeton), Aria from
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Villa-Lobos), "Five Tango Sensations
Cycle" (Piazzolla), "Le Clown Perdu" (Galliano) and "The Shadow
of Your Smile" (Mandel) etc. In addition Vladimir Ushakov (piano)
and Svetlana Stavitskaya (accordion) played several compositions
such as "Tanti Anni Prima" & "Meditango" (Piazzolla).
The quintet has recorded a CD in St. Petersburg
(Russia) which will be released in the near future. The quintet
has also released a video tape as well as three volumes of music
books from their repertoire. All of this products were represented
during the tour.
The tour was so successful that the Quintet
has already been invited to perform in several musical events in
Lithuania in the near future such as the Seminar and Festival for
Accordionists in Palanga, the Vilnius International Summer Festival,
the Vilnius International Accordion festival in Autumn and the Accordion
Festival in Klajpeda. For future concert details email: v-ushakov@infopro.spb.su
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National
Botanical Gardens Concert - South Africa
Duo
2000, the MIDI accordion and harp duo consisting of Sergio Zampolli
and Amarillie Ackermann will perform a concert at the National Botanical
Gardens in Pretoria on June 23rd. Their program will include pieces
from their new repertoire such as "Guitarrero" (Drdla), "Anitra's
Dance" (from Peer Gynt Suite I - Grieg) and "Moonlight Sonata" (Beethoven
).
In May, the duo was nominated (for a second
time), for their 2nd CD entitled "Song for Anna", in the South African
Music Awards 2002. The CD was very well received and created excellent
sales. Their first nomination in 1998 was for their 1st CD, "Song
to the Evening Star". For concert details email: duo2000@global.co.za
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1st "Premio Bione Franchini" National
Music Competition - Italy
The 1st "Premio Bione Franchini" National Music Competition
will be held in Carpineti (province of Reggio Emilia) from July 5th to
7th, organized by the L. Valcavi Music School in collaboration with the
CDMI (Italian Music Teaching Centre), the Carpineti City Council, the
local tourism board and the Reggio Emilia Provincial Council. The competition
will include classes for classical, variety and folk accordion, with Jury
President Paolo
Picchio and Artistic director Lorenzo Munari. Artists who will take
part in the event include Tiziano Chiappelli, Giuliano Leoni & Patrizia
Merciari.
For further information email: fisa.armonica@libero.it
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Australian Accordionist in Chinese
Television Documentary
 Visually
impaired Australian accordionist, Bernadette
Conlon has been honoured to have a film for Chinese Television
made about her life around the accordion. Bernadette, who studied
in Ukraine with blind Professor, the late Ivan
Jashkewich, uses the accordion for concert performances, teaching,
and even as a professional busker in Melbourne, was spotted busking
by a television crew from the Peoples' Republic of China.
After watching her for some time they approached
her and enquired if they might be able to spend a day at her house
recording everything from her methods of learning music, teaching,
to preparing food. Following this, the crew spent an entire day
and evening filming Bernadette teaching accordion plus a variety
of other activities. The crew were fascinated by her independence
despite her visual handicap.
The resulting film will be televised on National
Television in China next month, and is also expected to be aired
on Australian SBS television.
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New CD Single - USA
American concert accordionist Henry Doktorski
has released a new compact disc single entitled "Suite on Four Polish
Carols", a new and revised version of Doktorski's charming composition
for free-bass accordion and string orchestra, which originally appeared
on his popular "Classical Christmas" CD. To increase the beauty
and balance of the suite, Doktorski has added new and substantial
accordion parts to "Lulajze Jezuniu" and "Dzisiaj w Betlejem" with
string players from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Music critic George Exoo wrote, "These lucid
pieces evoke images of romantic nineteenth-century Warsaw: cobblestone
streets, horses and wagons, candlelight, and "siedem potraw" - the
traditional Polish Christmas eve dinner - as well as the simple
joys of family Christmases in rural homes. Doktorski wrote this
suite in tribute to his Polish heritage and as a Christmas gift
to his father and mother, who, he admitted sometimes had to use
firm measures to make him practice the accordion when he was a little
boy".
For further CD details email: henry@henrydoktorski.com
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Contributed
by 
Contributed
by 