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3rd European Festival of Accordion Orchestras
- Czech Republic
Contributed by Pavel Svarc
The 3rd European Festival of Accordion Orchestras
will be held at the Vinohrady National House and other representative
city halls in Prague from April 7th to 11th, 2004 organized by the
Czech Accordion Association and the Concert and Travel Agency CTA
Prague as part of the third European Accordion Festival in Prague.
Accordion orchestras and friends from all over the world are invited
to this great international music show.
Festival categories include Junior Accordion
Orchestras (for orchestras of 12 or more musicians - at least 70%
of members must be under the age 16 years), Classical music (orchestras
of 12 or more musicians - no age limit), and Light music (orchestras
of 12 or more members with no age limit, consisting mainly of accordions
and other instruments).
For further details on the 2004 event email:
cta@iol.cz
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First International Award "Fisa…armonie"
- Italy
Contributed by Rina Anna Rusconi
Auditions for the First International Award
"Fisa…armonie" Competition are currently underway
in Trieste for soloists, concert players and chamber accordion groups
and will run until April 30th, 2003. Competition finals will take
place in Trieste from May 16th to 18th. The event is organized by
the Altamarea, Associazione Musicale Cluster, Associazione Musica
Libera della Glasbena Matica of Trieste and Gruppo Artistico Triestino
with the collaboration of the Regional Tourist Board and supported
by the Trieste Tourist Information Office, Municipality of Trieste
and Trieste Councilor's Office for Culture.
Age group categories are included for soloists
10 years and under, 11 to 13 years, 14 to 17 years, 18 years and
under, open solo and Chamber music groups. Prizes will include trophies
and prize money totaling € 2.900
The jury includes Ivano
Battiston (Chairman), Vladimir
Zubitzky, Ivano Paterno and Aleksander Ipavec. Applications
close March 31st, 2003. For further details email: gruppoartisticotriestino@virgilio.it
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4th Annual Scandinavian Squeeze-In - Sweden
Contributed by Jim Lucas
 The
4th Annual Scandinavian Squeeze-In will be held in Torna Hällestad
(southernmost Sweden) from April 25th to 27th. Concertina players
from near and far will gather for a weekend of making music, sharing
knowledge and skills, and general enjoyment. The aim of the event
is an informal and relaxed weekend where both experienced and new
concertina players can exchange tunes and techniques. There are
no designated instructors. Instead, when everyone gathers on Friday
evening they will compose a workshop schedule depending on what
the participants want to learn and who has expertise to share. Example
themes could include duet concertina styles, song accompaniment,
Swedish folk music, baroque, jazz, Irish on the English, or anything
else that interests participants.
Registrations must be received by April 1st,
2003. For further details email: jel@danbbs.dk
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South Amsterdam Entertainment - Netherlands
Contributed by Hillebrand van der Veen
The Amsterdam Accordion Club Forzando Light
Orchestra will entertain at the home for the elderly in the little
village of Bovenkerk, situated South of Amsterdam on February 23rd.
Among the many popular Dutch tunes and songs in their program, they
will play "Wien bleibt Wien", songs from Im Weissen Rossl
am Wolfgangsee, and a Bolivian folksong. For details email: H.J.Veen@net.HCC.nl
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Lips Performs in Belgorod - Russia
 Contributed
by Dr Herbert
Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich
Lips Productions
After the successful world premiere of "Lips
Concerto" (Efrem Podgaits) last year in Markneukirchen (Germany)
during the opening concert of the annual Klingenthal
Accordion Competition, Lips
began performing this piece in a series of concerts in his home
country, Russia.
On February 12th, he performed this work (for
bayan solo and symphony orchestra) in Belgorod. Podgaits uses different
rhythms based on the initials of Friedrich Lips (F & L), the
theme of J.S. Bach's "Invention in F" (fa-la), his telephone
number (315-28-24) and an "ellipse" which contains the
name of the artist (Lips).
His first work for bayan was "Fantasy in
Memoriam of A. Schnittke" (available on Lips CD 014 Miserere
due to be released this year). Then in 2000 he wrote the test-piece
for bayan solo and chamber orchestra for the Bayan Competition in
Moscow.
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6th Grand Prix National "Young Talent"
Competition - France
Contributed by Gerard Chassagneux
The 6th Grand Prix National "Young Talent"
Competition will be held on March 22nd and 23rd in the "Auditorium"
in Montrond Les Bains, Loire. The competition includes classes for
accordionists and pianists aged from 15 to 19 years. For further
information phone: +33 4.77.54.51.21
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Burwell Summer School "Burwell Bash"
- England
Contributed by Richard Moon
The Burwell Summer School "Burwell Bash"
will be held at Clifton Lodge in Kentford, Suffolk from August 5th
to 9th organized by Stephen Bardwell. The piano accordion class
will be tutored by Sam Pirt (BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Winner).
The Burwell Bash is a residential folk music
summer school which takes place annually and offers both instrumental
and band tuition courses for young people and adults. The course
has previously been known as the "Shetland Fiddle, Accordion,
Flute and Whistle Course", and also the "Musical Madness"
summer school. This year the course starts just one day after the
Cambridge Folk Festival and will include a Folk Club night (play,
sing, dance, juggle), a "One Night Stand Competition",
a DIY Ceilidh, open, informal sessions, Tutor's concert, music-related
quiz and musical Charades. For further details email: info@burwellbash.info
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Bellows and Brass Performs in USA & Canada
Bellows and Brass, which includes Canadian accordionist
Joseph
Petric, Guy Few (trumpet & piano) and Alain Trudel (trombone)
began a tour of the USA and Canada on February 20th with concerts
in Montreal, Toronto (Canada), and Santa Barbara, Los Angeles &
California (USA) until February 27th.
The group will present a new program of newly
commissioned works by Linda Bouchard and Peter Hatch. For details
email: jpetric@interlog.com
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16th Annual A.A.M.S Accordion Festival - USA
  Contributed
by Joanna Arnold
Darrow
The 16th Annual American Accordion Musicological Society
(A.A.M.S) Accordion Festival will be held at the Holiday Inn in King of
Prussia, Pennsylvania from March 7th to 9th. The event will include competitions,
workshops, exhibits, massed band performance, a variety of concerts plus
a dinner with Guest of Honor Carmelo Pino (MD). Accordion artists include
The "K" Trio,
Mort Herold (VA), Carmen Carrozza (NY), Joe
Cerritto (RI), Bobby
Raye (PA), Dee
Langley (MN), Ron Onda, Rita Davidson, Dr. Robert McMahon, James Vandelly,
Vitaly Pirog and Frank Hodnicki. For details phone: +1 856 854-6628
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Accordionists Perform at Burn's Supper - Scotland
 Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
The Scotbox Ceilidh band which includes accordionists
Robert Baird and Paul
Chamberlain played for the Edinburgh University Law Society
Burn's Supper on January 25th at the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh.
The group will also perform a Dinner/Cabaret
dance along with comedian Eddie Rose on February 22nd at Minstead,
near Bournemouth. The band features special guest Russel Hunter
(piano) for this event.
Paul performed pieces by Zolatariev, Scarlatti,
Rossini and Angelis as well as a mixture of light and Scottish music
at the Blackpool International Accordion Festival this week. The
festival, which is organized by Tom Duncan, featured many performers
including Roman Jbanov & Domi Emorine (Duo
Paris-Moscou), Harry Hussey and Nikolai Ryskov.
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China Accordion Association Executive Meeting -
China
Contributed by Li
Cong
 The
committee of newly elected members of the China Accordion Association
held their first executive meeting at the Beijing Dongchen District
Children's Palace on February 8th. Zhang Ziqiang, Wang Xiaoping,
Yang Guoli, Wang Shusheng, Li
Cong, Du Ning, Yang Yi, Chen Jun and Guo Yu Guang attended the
event.
The meeting focused on the current state of
the Chinese accordion development and discussions on the set up
of the working principle and frame. This included Accordion Music
Composition, Accordion Theory Study, Accordion Professional and
Casual learning/teaching study, Accordion Teaching Manual Exchange,
Management of Association Members, Developing Accordion Garden magazine,
Accordion Paper and Accordion Online.
Attendees also discussed the development of
the accordion in China, its healthy condition, possible new problems
and challenges plus the aim to get association members and accordion
enthusiasts working together for a better future.
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New CD Commemorates 2002 Vienna Accordion Festival
- Austria
 Contributed
by Dr Herbert
Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich
Lips Productions
A new CD entitled "The World of the Accordion"
which commemorates the 2002 Vienna Accordion Festival was released
recently. The festival of 32 concerts at 18 different places with
over 120 musicians from all over the world, changed the town to
one of the capitals of our instrument. The CD was presented to a
large crowd and includes many highlights of all musical styles such
as typical Viennese songs, Klezmer, zydeco, blues, chanson, musette,
modern-music and jazz.
This year's festival will be held from February
22nd to March 23rd. For further CD or festival information email:
herbert@accordion-cd.co.at
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Contributed
by 
Jiang
Jie (President of the Beijing Accordion Association) welcomed the
guests and wished everyone a happy Chinese New Year. The annual
meeting was held in a fun atmosphere! The event highlight was a
performance by the trio of Jiang Jie, Chen Weiliang and Mr Soklov
(Russian accordion teacher, working at the Jiangjie Culture Centre).
Accordionist
Receives Star Award - Russia
Norwegian
accordionist Frode Haltli took part in a promotional tour for his
debut solo CD "Looking on Darkness" (released in November
2002) from February 17th to 19th in Europe. Beginning in Munich,
Germany Frode performed on a radio program. The following day he
performed at the Teatro Franco Parenti in Milan, Italy. His final
performance was at "Sphères" in Zurich, Switzerland
on February 19th.
A
new CD by the Jon Hammond Trio was released recently in San Francisco.
The trio comprises of