Editors Note

This week we have updated our "Readers Comments" Page. This page includes a variety of comments we have received from customers and readers. If you would like to comment on the Accordions Worldwide site please email: news@accordions.com

Wayne Knights Webmaster

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

The second edition of the Organetto d'Oro competition was held on July 17th in Azienda Agrituristica Il Rustico di Lapedona, organized by Excelsior Accordions in collaboration with Il Rustico.

The competition was won by Luca Castiglioni from Penna Sant'Andrea (Te), who was awarded as his prize an Excelsior accordion with three silver plates fixed onto it. The instrument was handed to him by Nello Gabrielloni, Excelsior Accordions' CEO.

Many guest musicians played during the evening show that followed, among them Roberto Lucanero and Armindo Luciani. The evening was closed by the famous musician and world champion Giuliano Cameli. He was also awarded, together with RAI (Italian Public Broadcasting) journalist Maurizio Blasi, the Rustico d'Oro 2003 prize, by Peppino Principe and Balduino Basili, owner of Il Rustico.

The 2nd Escaldes-Engordany Accordion Competition was held in Escaldes-Engordany this month organized by Roser Palamero, President of the competition. Two evening concerts were held during the event with performances by members of the internationals jury. On July 15th the Duo "Paris-Moscou" (Domi Emorine & Roman Jbanov) entertained. The next evening Vladimir Zubitzky performed his compositions & arrangements accompanied by his wife Tatiana Zubitzkaya (piano). In addition, performances were given by competition winners.

Results:

Variete category: 1st - Guy Giuliano (France)
Junior classical category: 1st - Rade Mijatovic (Serbia)
Senior classical category: 1st - David Gordo (Spain)

The 3rd competition will take place from September 23rd to 26th, 2004 in Escaldes-Engordany (Andorra) and will be divided into 4 categories: Children's category (up to 15 years) with prizes of 1250€, Junior category (up to 18 years) with prizes of 1900€, Senior category (up to 30 years) with prizes of 2900€ and Variety category (up to 30 years) with prizes of 1700€. For further details email: harmonia-music@andorra.ad

Contributed by Florencia Herrera

The first National Accordion Festival will be held in San Jorge, Province of Santa Fe from August 22nd to 24th organized by the Marchegiana Association. The event will include a competition and accordion soloists interested in taking part submitted a demonstration tape of four pieces to the Secretary of Culture of the Municipality of San Jorge before July 15th to enter the preselections.

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Should your travels take you to Montana from July 31st to August 3rd 2003, a cultural surprise will await you in Philipsburg, Montana. From its beginning in August of 1997, the Rocky Mountain Accordion Celebration has been a rousing weekend of dancing and listening to music, steak barbeques and outdoor pancake breakfasts, concerts in the 1892 Opera House and a parade of homemade pies.

Among the performers this year are popular family act - Christian Family Accordions featuring Kim and Dan Christian and their daughters Camille and Cerissa. The festival will also feature Radoslav Lorkovic, Sammy Thomas, Al Aman, the Montana Alphorns, the Continental Divide Tuba Society, the Five Valley Accordion Association and more. For further details email: sapphire@sapphire-gallery.com

Lips Accordion Workshops - Austria

Contributed by Dr Herbert Scheibenreif, Manager of Friedrich Lips Productions

The period from July 7th to 18th was dedicated to a series of workshops for musicians, clowns and artists in Imst (near Innsbruck), Tyrol. The workshops, which were open to the public covered jazz (piano, bass, drums, violin), Austrian march music (all instruments) and classical music (violin, piano and accordion). Accordionists Friedrich Lips (from the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow, Russia) and Roman Pechmann (Conservatory of Klagenfurt, Austria) gave solo lessons and taught chamber music. The whole event was so successful that it will continue in 2004 at about the same time period. For further information email: info@imst.at

Popular group "Swap" (which includes accordionist Karen Tweed) recently completed a tour of Japan, playing concerts in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. The group played a variety of pieces including "Creme Fraiche", "Dalpilen" and "Fiskmas".

Each year the "Musical meetings of Mont-Dore" association organizes a variety of master classes for different instruments. This year is the 2nd time that the accordion will be represented within a total of 15 master classes and 27 concerts. The course will be tutored by the Roman Jbanov & Domi Emorine - "Paris-Moscou" Duo (teachers at the international accordion center CNIMA) laureats of many international competitions.

So far participants include students from China, Switzerland and different regions of France. The accordion master class will be held from July 28th to August 2nd in the tourist and thermal town La Bourboule in the French region of Auvergne.

Each student will study new techniques of musical detail, musical secrets of interpretation, different touches, use of the bellows and musical balance.

The "Paris-Moscou" Duo will also perform a concert in the Casino Concert Hall in Bourboule on the first evening of the master class. On the final day a concert will be held by the course participants in the town theater of Bourboule. For further details phone: +33 6 10 56 31 81

Accordionist Jon Hammond played at a Jazz Brunch on July 19th and 22nd at Roth's Westside Steakhouse in New York City. Jon played with Bill Wurtzel (guitar) and Rudy Lawless (drums).

On July 20th Jon appeared on Joe Franklin's "Memory Lane" show with vocalists Margaret Whiting and Anita O'Day on the radio station WOR710.

Dutch Culture Festival - Russia

The "Days of Dutch Culture in St. Petersburg" Festival was held recently in St. Petersburg, organized by the Gaudeamus Foundation of New Music (Netherlands), the Pro Arte Institute (St. Petersburg) and the General Consulate of the Netherlands. The event featured performances by the "Schoenberg Ensemble" (Netherlands) and "eNsemble" (St. Petersburg). Accordionist Sergej Tchirkov performed the accordion part in a work composed by Iannis Kiriakides (Netherlands), entitled "Tinkling".

Contributed by Ron Bennett

Guest artist George Syrett was on top form at the Uxbridge Accordion Club concert held at the Anglers Retreat, West Drayton in Middlesex on July 14th. The newly refurbished hall and bar area were packed as usual with regular club members plus a number of new faces, some having traveled many hundreds of miles to pay homage to "The Master of Stand-Up Accordion Entertainment".

The evening was crammed full with entertainment, commencing with David Lukins leading an "audience accordion ensemble" joined by Angie Lukins with solo guest appearances from Adrienne Griffiths, Peter Boorman and a debut from 7 year old Andrew Lukins.

George Syrett made two appearances during the evening and provided a cleverly balanced and varied accordion program accommodating most musical tastes. He played a wide variety of music from light classical & jazzy sounds to German, Russian, Italian & French styles many accompanied by his own vocal talents amidst lashings of wonderful northern humor and sing-along audience participation throughout.

His performance culminated in his trademark finale of Frank Sinatra's "New York - New York".

George was extremely well received by the audience who I am sure will want to see him back at the club again very soon!

International Seminar at Accademia Musicale Chigiana - Italy

Accordionist Teodoro Anzellotti will tutor at two seminars held at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. The first began on July 10th and will run until the 27th. The second will be held from August 4th to 9th. Anzellotti has a vast repertoire ranging from Frescobaldi to contemporary composers (Berio, Globokar, Kagel, Sciarrino and Stockhausen who have dedicated compositions to him). He has taught since 1987 at the Bern Hochschule für Musik and since 1992 at the Darmstadt Corsi. In addition, he has held concerts throughout Europe, the U.S.A., Canada and Asia, appearing as a soloist with important orchestras and collaborating with numerous chamber music groups as a guest at international festivals. For further details email: attivitaartistiche@chigiana.it

The Guy Klucevsek/Phillip Johnston Duo (Guy Klucevsek - accordion and compositions, Phillip Johnston - saxophones and compositions) played to an enthusiastic crowd estimated to be at 6,000 people on July 17th at the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York. The duo played selections from their upcoming CD release "Tales From the Cryptic" (Winter & Winter) due for release in September.

Bernadette Conlon will perform two concerts at the Daylesford Town Hall in Daylesford on July 26th. Her program will include a variety of folk pieces. For booking details phone: +61 3 53 481 723

The Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble will celebrate the release of their new CD "Raisins and Almonds" with a concert at Copperfield's Books in Petaluma on August 1st. The ensemble features Sonia Tubridy (accordion), Paul Alexander (clarinet), Phil Lawrence (mandolin) and Mark Peabody (bass).

The CD includes tracks such as "Der Nayer Sher", "Terk in Amerika" and Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen (Raisins and Almonds). For further information email: jubileeklezmer@comcast.net

A new CD by Mika Wolkan entitled "Folie Musette" is now available. The CD was recorded on acoustic accordion accompanied by drums and keyboard. Tracks include "Folie Musette", "Fiesta Espanola" and "Spanish Fly". For CD information email: michael.van.den.bossche@easynet.be

www.accordions.com/rmac Updated information on the 7th Annual Rocky Mountain Accordion Celebration in Philipsburg, Montana from July 31st to August 3rd including schedule and guest information.

Jimmy Garcia would like information on the 120 bass Rondini piano accordion (pictured). Email: jdgarcia2001@comcast.net