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"On Everyone's Lips" History of
Harmonica Instruments Exhibition - Austria
  Contributed
by Curator Peter Donhauser
A temporary exhibition entitled "On Everyone's
Lips" is currently open until March 30th, 2003 at the Technical
Museum in Vienna and tells the story of the development of harmonica
instruments. Visitors will see instruments of the harmonica family
such as the mouth organ, accordion, harmonica and the harmonium.
They all have one common principle: vibrating metal reeds for sound
generation.
 The
exhibition consists of two parts: one from the Harmonica Museum
in Trossingen, Germany telling the story of the manufacture of instruments
by the German company Hohner
and another from the Vienna Museum of Technology showing the main
contributions of Vienna to the development of harmonica instruments,
especially accordions of the early 19th century.
 There
are about 40 accordions, 4 harmoniums, 2 fisarmonicas, 8 melodicas
and 150 mouth organs on display. Many sound samples and films complete
the exhibition.
Visitors can also hear accordion music from
all over the world at the 4th International Accordion Festival,
which takes place at the same time as the exhibition, beginning
on February 22nd. For further information email: peter.donhauser@tmw.at
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Correction to our News item: Pigini "Sirius"
Celebrations - Italy
Contributed by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
In our January
31st Weekly News we included an item on the Pigini
Sirius Festival that will take place on June 20th and 21st. We have
been advised that the event will be held in Senigalia, Italy
(not Castelfidardo as was previously reported).
All Sirius owners are encouraged to submit their
contact information and the Serial Number of their instrument to
be included in the master catalogue of Sirius owners. To register
your instrument or for those interested in registering for this
event in Italy please send an email with your name, address, e-mail
and Sirius Serial Number to: pigini@tin.it
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Kokkola Winter Accordion Festival Underway - Finland
 Contributed
by Raimo Vertainen
The Kokkola Winter Accordion Festival is currently
underway and will run until February 16th in
Kokkola. The event will include 12 concerts by performers such as
the famous Osthrobothnian Chamber Orchestra who play works by Piazzolla
with Veli Kujala (winner of the 2001 Lasse Pihlajamaa Competition
in Finland). This concert will be broadcast live on radio by the
Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE).
 Pasi
Hirvonen play a church concert with soprano Marianne Tunkkari and
cellist Esa Laasanen. Their program will include arias by Bach and
Vivaldi. The Sytkyt Puppet Theatre will provide a children's version
of Richard Wagner's opera "Lohengrin". Other performers
include Maria Kalaniemi and Timo Alakotila (duo concert), Trio Fratres,
and concerts of Brazilian music.
An event highlight will be a silent-movie Le
Chien Andalou (Luis Bunuel) with original music by two orchestras
(35 musicians) screened for the first time in Finland. For further
details email: raimo.vertainen@pp.inet.fi
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Accordionist Performs to Over 5,000 - New Zealand
 Auckland
accordionist Maurice
Jones performed to over 5,000 people at the 7th annual "Opera
in the Pa" in Rotorua recently. The event was held at the famous
Whakarewarewa Thermal Village in front of the Traditional Maori
Meeting House as included a prestigious showcase of New Zealand's
premiere singers and rising starts of opera.
Seven soloists combined for the finale "Viva
Italia" (that featured the solo accordion) of three famous
songs "Arrivederci Roma", "Volare" and "Funiculi
Funicula". This received a wonderful response from the audience,
which included Ambassadors from many countries and local dignitaries.
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Ibla Grand Prize - Italy
 Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
The Italian-American Ibla Foundation asked Francesco
Palazzo to develop an accordion section for the next Ibla Grand
Prize, an event which is held annually at Ibla-Ragusa (Sicily) from
the end of June to early July.
The Grand Prize began ten years ago mainly as
a piano event, and slowly grew to include more and more categories.
It takes the form of auditions in front of an international jury
of a very high level, which selects a series of prize-winners. The
number of prize-winners is not fixed and includes top winners, most
distinguished performers, special mentions and many more denominations.
There is no monetary prize. Instead, the Foundation
organizes and finances performances in very prestigious locations
(such as the New York University, the Lincoln Center, the Tokyo
Concert Hall and other venues in Russia, France, England and the
rest of the world), paying, depending on
the type of prize, all or part of the expenses, thus providing an
important platform for the artists.
Applications are pre-selected by a jury on the
basis of curriculum, program and artistic criteria. Francesco Palazzo
will oversee the applications sent in by accordionists and will
be the "technical juror" for the performances. For further
information phone +39 080 - 521 6401
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February Accordion Workshop - Italy
 Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
On February 22nd and 23rd a workshop will be
held at the Convitto Nazionale "Regina Margherita" in
Anagni (province of Frosinone) organized by the A.P.M.
Music Center. Held by Gianluca
Pica, the workshop is aimed at the preparation of exams and
important international competitions such as the Coupe
Mondiale, the World
Trophy, Klingenthal,
Castelfidardo,
Arrasate and others. This is one of a series of workshops held between
November 2002 and May 2003.
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Argentinean Group Tours Europe
 Tango
quartet "Milongueros viejos" will tour Europe from February
16th to March 16th performing at the Tangomania Festival in Zurich
(February 22nd) and in Regensburg, Munich, Pforzheim & Kiel
(Germany) and Torino, Bologna and Rome (Italy).
 The
group, which includes Norberto Vogel (bandoneon and piano), Juan
Roque Alsina (violin), Patricio Cotella (double bass) and Guillermo
Salgado (piano) play a variety of traditional Argentinean tango
music such as "Adios Nonino" (Astor Piazzolla), "El
Choclo" (Villoldo), "La Cumparsita" (G. M. Rodriguez)
and "Mi Buenos Aires Querido" (Gardel).
For further tour details email: info@milonguerosviejos.com.ar
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Accordionist Performs Premiere with Slovenian Philharmonic
Orchestra - Slovenia
Accordionist Borut Zagoranski performed with
the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Marko Letonja)
at the Grand Hall of the Slovenian Philharmony recently. Zagoranski
is a well known Slovenian accordionist and graduated from the instrumental
department at the Faculty of Arts in Pula (Croatia) in 2002 in the
class of Doc. Slavko Magdic.
This concert included the world premiere performance
of a concerto titled "Eshaton" by Croatian composer Davor
Bobic. This work is the first concerto for bayan and orchestra composed
by a Croatian.
The concerto is carefully composed to not "drown
out" the solo bayan part. It is a three-part work, with extensive
development in the middle section, designed to show to the maximum,
the capabilities of the concert accordion.
The name "Eshaton" originates in biblical
teachings of the 'last times' described in the last of the 66 books
which the Bible consists of. The theme of the concerto is John's
"Revelation" therefore the work is considered to be a
program piece.
Composer Davor Bobic graduated in composition,
music theory and the accordion with the State Conservatoire "P.I.
Tchaikowsky" in Kiev (Ukraine). He has written over 100 musical
works for different instruments and has received numerous prizes.
This performance of the concerto is very significant
in Croatia and especially in Slovenia where the accordion still
does not have its own department in music academies.
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Extramural Jazz Accordion Course - Italy
 Jazz
accordionist Renzo
Ruggieri, director of the "Voglia d'Arte" Music Academy,
has set up a correspondence (mail and internet) jazz accordion course
in Italian. The course is structured in 3 levels (basic, intermediate
& advanced) lasting 30 lessons, and includes the correction
of homework sent in by the students. The course is already attended
by several musicians. Here are some of their comments:
"This is a fantastic course, well-structured,
ideal for those who don't have music schools in their area or, especially
for those who work. There is all the material one needs, including
multimedia aids and the essential discography. The teacher is at
hand (although not in the physical sense)
and this is very reassuring... I had been looking for a course like
this for years."
Mirko Fazzi (concert performer)
"The course is very functional and allows
the student to interact with the tutor whenever needed giving you
the chance to take part in the lessons also in person."
Roberto Palermo (concert performer)
"A few months after having embarked
in this adventure I can modestly say that I am beginning to see
tangible results. Although Renzo and I don't meet, I am always very
satisfied of his thorough corrections, his very valuable advice,
his patient answers and comments to my questions; one
never feels abandoned to himself and the constant email contact
makes it possible to solve one's doubts, even more than in a traditional
class, where the student receives in the course of an hour a very
significant amount of information."
Luca Casadei (concert performer, actor)
For further information email: info@renzoruggieri.it
Editor: This is an exciting initiative combining
internet and accordion education. I hope to see further such initiatives
utilizing the internet for educational purposes.
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Berlin Euphonia Accordion Orchestra in China
 Contributed
by Li
Cong
The Berlin Euphonia Accordion Orchestra performed
at the Beijing Yifu Theatre on February 7th.
The orchestra was founded in 1985 by Sojan Merz, who is a music
educator. This orchestra has traveled throughout Germany and other
European countries. As this was their first trip to China, the orchestra
was invited to perform by the Beijing Accordion Association and
Shanghai Accordion Association.
Their concert program included "Prelude
and Fugue in E minor" (Bach) and "Novitango" (Piazzolla)
to an enthusiastic audience of over 500 people.
The following day the orchestra visited Shanghai,
where they took part in a welcoming party and concert.
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"The
Accordion Master" Festival and competition was held recently
in Opolanica, Poland. 
Canadian
Accordionist Tours England
Contributed
by Dr 
Dirk
van den Heuvel would like information on the 120 bass Universal
chromatic accordion (pictured) believed to be a 1985 model. Email: