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First
International Accordion Congress in Basque Country - Spain
 The
First International Accordion Congress will be held in Zarautz (Basque
Country) from the 29th of June to the 3rd of July. The congress is
part of the Basque Accordion Association's 30th Anniversary Celebrations.
The International Accordion Congress will replace the traditional
cultural week which is usually celebrated every year in Zarautz. The
event includes concerts, master classes, lectures, seminaries, exposures
and an accordion trade fair which includes exhibitions to show the
development of the instrument since its invention 175 years ago.
Some of the artists to perform at the First International Accordion
Congress include Angel
Luis Castano, Amaia Iraola, Enrike Zelaia, Miguel Sagastume, Joxan
Goikoetxea, Luciano Biondini, Alain Musichini and Aitor Furundarena.
For further information, email info@hauspoz.org
or contact@ialberdi.com
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Sata-Häme
Soi - Accordion Festival in Finland to offer Daily On-line Coverage
Contributed
by Kevin
Friedrich
 You
are invited to the 2004
Sata-Häme Soi - Accordion Festival at Ikaalinen, Finland
from 29th June to 4th July. This superb annual six-day festival is
a highly diverse midsummer event which provides an opportunity to
enjoy a fine array of accordion music in several charming and beautiful
concert venues. The details and results of the Festival will be available
daily from 29th June at www.accordions.com/finland
Among
the impressive lineup at Sata-Hame
are the Finnish Tango Orchestra-Milonga, Zoltán Orosz Duo from Hungary,
the Veli-Matti Järvenpää TexMex Trio, The Bryac Quartet from the
Ukraine, the Accordion Orchestra from St. Petersburg, and the First and Second
place winners of the 2003 CIA Coupe
Mondiale competition - Nikolai Sivchuk and Aleksei Peresidly from Russia.
In addition there will be ongoing trade shows and outdoor concerts of
accordion folk music and competitions including the highly acclaimed Golden and
Silver Accordion Competitions which is televised live throughout Finland as part
of the Festival.
A highlight of the festival will be a concert by Finland's
own Dr. Mika Väyrynen
when he presents a solo concert featuring the complete Goldberg Variations by
J.S. Bach and other premieres at 8.00pm on 1st July at the Ikaalinen Church.
For
further information, email juhlat@satahamesoi.fi
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A novel The Accordionist
- New Zealand
Graeme
Lay, a novelist is working on a novel in which the main character is an Italian
immigrant named Luigi Berreti who sets out to make a new life in New Zealand bringing
with him an accordion. The novel to be called 'The Accordionist' is set in the
last years of the nineteenth century in the Wellington region of the country.
Luigi
is a skilled accordion player who brings to his new homeland an accordion which
was given to him by his grandfather in Italy, in 1867. His grandfather also taught
him to play the instrument. Much later, in the 1890's in New Zealand Luigi is
finally able to buy the latest model Italian accordion with which he plays to
large audiences in local dance halls. The book is expected to be published prior
to Christmas.
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Kimmo
Pohjonen - Austria
Contributed
by Dr. Herbert Sheibenreif,
Manager of Friedrich
Lips Productions
 Kimmo
Pohjonen, one of the most outstanding and most innovative accordionists
whose unique sounds are produced by the use of electronic effect equipments,
seduced the Viennese public with his new solo program called "Animator".
The
program included new compositions of the Finnish "accordion rebelt"
which, more than ever, were marked by electronic live effects, live loops, samples
as well as a theatrical stage choreography. Marita Liulia, responsible for images
and graphic design, has created computer animations and real time visuals especially
for this program. The surround-sound system and the light concept of the production
changed the Ronacher-concert hall to a place of a sensory experience and thus
increased the ecstatic effect of the phenomenal music of the "astronaut of
the accordion".
For further information, email herbert@accordion-cd.co.at
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Lin Yan Concert -
China
Contributed
by Lian Jones, Accordion
House
Lin
Yan. a student of accordion at Tianjin Music Conservatory staged a free bass accordion
solo concert at the conservatory's music hall last week. Yan started learning
accordion when she was 6 years old from accordion teacher Yuhua Wang. Then she
became a student of Prof Shusheng Wang before entering Tianjin Music Conservatory
in 1997. In 2000, Lin Yan was placed 4th at the 7th International Accordion Competition.
At her concert, she played music from different eras and styles including Baroque,
Classic and several original pieces.
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Irish Band Hits High
Notes in Innsbruck - Austria
An
Armagh accordion band is making sweet music after winning the International Accordion
Festival Innsbruck. Entering the competition for the first time this year, the
St John's Accordion Band, based at Drumcree, Portadown, Ireland beat off competition
from around 460 bands from across the world to walk away with the title.
One
of the pieces played by the St John's Accordion Band Intercity was written by
the German composer Goetz who was there to witness the Armagh band bring his music
to life. The band's Fergal Tennyson said the members were delighted with the win.
"We've picked up almost every award on these islands, but to win this on
our first time entering is a great achievement." Said Fergal. "It was
also an honor to play the piece by Goetz when he was there to watch us."
The cross-community accordion orchestra band is made up of 18 members.
Story
from the Belfast Telegraph, www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
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International Youth
Foundation for the Accordion (IYFFTA) - USA
The success of the
children's competion at last week's Las
Vegas International Convention was so impressive that Karen Gerlovich has
formed a non-profit organization called the International Youth Foundation for
the Accordion (IYFFTA). "This was my vision as I sat and watched these magnificent
children performing in Las Vegas,"
Karen said.
Amongst a list of 13 goals, some of the main objectives of
this foundation are to;
" Organize music camps for children between the
ages of 5 to 18 to study the accordion in Las
Vegas and other spots around the world with well-known accordion masters;
" Seek donations to buy accordions for needy children to rent until they
can afford to buy the accordions off the foundation.
" Give scholarships
to applicants to study accordion at various music camps worldwide with affiliated
accordion teachers.
" Make is possible for child accordionists to travel
to accordion events by approaching airlines for help.
Still in its infant stages,
the IYFFTA needs a board of directors and accordion teachers to be affiliated
to the foundation. The IYFFTA is also looking for volunteer attorneys, CPAS, Marketing
Representatives, Computer programmers and specialists.
For further information,
email GERLOVICH-ABC@WEBTV.NET
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Zero Sette Akordeon
Orkestra Festival - Spain
The
Zero Sette Akordeon Orkestra Festival will be held on 25th, 26th and 27th July
at the Lasarte-Oria's Manuel Lekuona Culture House in Gipuzkoa. The festival program
includes performances by the Oker Folk Group, Unhe, Zero Sette, Rossini &
Zero Sette Akordeon Orkestra.
For further information, email zerosette@euskalnet.net
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Joe Burke St Andrews
in the Square, Glasgow - Scotland
A
veteran star in the Irish traditional pantheon, Galway's Joe Burke has made a
career out of confounding Seàn Ó Riada's lofty dismissal of the
accordion "designed by foreigners for the use of peasants with neither the
time, inclination nor application for a worthier instrument". Specializing
in the two-row button accordion, Burke has been demonstrating its capacity for
artistry ever since his seminal 1966 recording with Felix Dolan and Andy McGann.
Then there was his celebrated pairing with the late Cavan fiddle maestro
Sean Maguire, immortalised in 1971 on the recording Two Champions, as well as
his string of solo albums, leading up to his most recent release, The Morning
Mist, with fiddler Charlie Lennon.
Now 65, Burke appeared recently with
his guitarist wife, Anne Conroy Burke, who supplied an unfailingly sensitive harmonic
foil for his marvellously fluent technical virtuosity and multi-layered richness
of expression.. The primary music of the concert comprised jigs, reels and hornpipes,
each set a scintillating mini showcase for Burke's nimble deployment of ornamental
frills and flourishes and his masterful handling of melodic variations.
Story
by Sue Wilson www.news.scotsman.com
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Last Five Coins Concerts
- Australia
 The
Last Five Coins band based in Perth, plays traditional music from
the villages and cafes of Europe, dance tunes and songs from Brittany
to Istanbul, from the Mediterranean to the Baltic, played with passion,
fire and respect. The accordionist in the band is Mark Bozikovic and
you can see this band at their upcoming concerts in;
" Kulcha, Fremantle, July 10 04. Bookings www.kulcha.com.au
"
Wanneroo Folk Club, Dorchester Community Centre, Warwick, WA, Friday July 09,
8 pm.
For more information, email tdh@nw.com.au
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National Selection
of Coupe Mondiale Accordionists - Italy
Contributed
by Holda Paoletti-Kampl
There
will be a performance of the National Selection Coupe
Mondiale of Accordionists (CIA) on 11th July near the Communal Theatre of
Fuiggi. Registration information is available is available at the A.P.M. music
center of Gianluca Pica on telephone/Fax 0775 746043-339 3905506.
For further
information, email gianluca.pica@tin.it
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North
Staffs Accordion Club Night Features "Larysa Bodell" - UK
 North
Staffs Accordion Club June Club Night, held on June 19th was an exciting
event following a performance by successful young accordionist, Larysa
Bodell. Larysa, the stepdaughter of accomplished accordion performer
and tutor Ray
Bodell has played the piano accordion from the age of seven and
in 1999, changed to button accordion whilst at the Baltic Festival.
Larysa has won numerous championships and has attended master classes
in various countries with well-known artists and teachers.
As well as competing she is becoming well known as a concert accordionist
and has performed in numerous clubs and festivals, even as far away
as Las Vegas at the accordion
festival held there. The North Staffs Accordion Club performances
are usually held at the Newcastle Town Centre.
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The International
Reykjavik Accordion Festival 2004 - Iceland
 The
International Reykjavik Accordion Festival 2004 will be held on 17
- 18th July at Reykjavik City Museum in Árbæjarsafn.
Major highlights of the event include a whole day with Igor Zavadsky
on 17th July. Igor Zavadsky was born in Russia in 1966 and he graduated
from the Chaikovsky Kyiv State Conservatoire, Kiev, in 1991, where
he was a student of Nikolay Davidov.
Igor is popular
not only in Ukraine but also throughout Europe and has given many solo concerts
in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and France.
The International Reykjavik Accordion Festival was designed to provide an opportunity
for accordion enthusiasts to meet their colleagues and present the accordion and
accordion music to the Icelandic public.
For more information, email jonatank@isl.is
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Quote
of the Week
Teaching Quote of the Week Edited by Willoughby
Walshe
"Ireland is home to accordion bands and concertina music. Accordion bands
have been featured since 1945 in the Championship of Ireland Bands Contest held
annually in October at rotating venues. Eigse Mrs. Crotty Festival of Concertina
Music is held in Kilrush, County Clare, in August each year to honor Mrs. Crotty,
the pioneer of the Fleadh Cheoil movement."
Find
out More… The
Art of Bayan Playing or Playing the Accordion Artistically by Friedrich
Lips.
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New & Updated
Sites
www.accordions.com/finland
- check daily for information about the 2004 Sata-Häme Soi - Accordion Festival
at Ikaalinen, Finaland.
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