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This
Weeks News
Coupe
Mondiale - Competition Results, Pontarlier - FranceMika
Väyrynen to Perform Goldberg Variations, Tampere - FinlandInternational
Accordion Competition, Castelfidardo - ItalyALLAN
WILLIAM JONES MEMORIAL AFTERNOON, Auckland - New ZealandBedouin
Groove at the National University of SingaporeYuri
Medianik Concert Tour - RussiaPeter
Soave's University Concert, Detroit - USAThe
Django Reinhardt NY Festival, New York - USANew
magazine - 'Dance On', Scotland - UKDeirdre
Adamson and Rosemary Wright in Concert, Leicester - UK
The
Accordion Reigns Supreme!, Cranleigh - UKGuy
Klucevsek's new CD and Concerts - USAFrank
Marocco Concert, Houston Area, Texas, USAWedding
Celebrations in Castelfidardo - ItalyQuote
of the Week
CD
Review
New
and Updated Sites
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Coupe
Mondiale - Competition Results, Pontarlier - France
 The
Coupe Mondiale in Pontarlier started
on Tuesday 19th October and finishes on Saturday 23rd October with a late night
Grand Bal Musette. For those unable to attend this event, please check out the
Coupe Mondiale website at www.coupemondiale.org
every day.
There will be a full report of each day's activities along with
photos of delegates, jury and contestants online very late each evening. If you
can't be there, it's the next best thing. The competition results will be posted
on the www.coupemondiale.org site as
soon as they are announced on Saturday.
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Mika
Väyrynen to Perform Goldberg Variations, Tampere - Finland
Contributed
by Kevin Friedrich
 On
Sunday 24th October at 3pm, Finnish Accordionist Mika
Vayrynen will perform the complete Goldberg Variations by J. S. Bach at the
Tampere Concert Hall. The Goldberg Variations opens with an Aria, moves on to
30 variations and concludes some 70 minutes later with the Aria.
A rare
opportunity to hear this complete work in concert, it is anticipated that this
will be Väyrynen's second to last performance of this work, with the final
Golberg Variation concert being held in Sweden in November.Mika has recently recorded
the 70-minute Goldberg Variations on the ALBA label (No. ABCD 191), and it has
been met with excellent reviews.
For more information, please visit www.accordions.com/mika
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ALLAN
WILLIAM JONES MEMORIAL AFTERNOON, Auckland - New Zealand
Contributed
by Harley Jones
 John
Statham, on behalf of the Accordion Examination
Board of New Zealand Inc., welcomed everyone to the 2004 Allan
William Jones Memorial Scholarship Afternoon. This is the 24th Memorial Event
that has been held to support the Scholarships. The Musicale Accordion Orchestra
performed followed by the presentations.
The 2004 Merit Award this year
was presented to Campbell Bettridge. Campbell has been playing the accordion competitively
for almost 20 years, having been the New Zealand Solo Champion three times. Representing
New Zealand at the Coupe Mondiale in 2002, he achieved 3rd placing in the Piano
Accordion class. Campbell has also competed in Australia, North America and Italy
and performed in many other countries as Guest Soloist with the Air New Zealand
Accordion Orchestra on four of their Goodwill International Concert tours through
America and Europe.
He has been quoted in the New York Times as "...the
most astonishing performance of the evening." Campbell has been an active
committee member of the NZ Accordion Association
for many years and has enjoyed fostering the accordion. Congratulations Campbell.
Scholarships
were awarded: Grade 3 & 4, Campbell Thwaites of Hawera; Grades 5 & 6,
Stephanie Panzic of Red Beach; Grades 7 & 8, Gillian McNeil of Matamata. The
Douglas Mews Rosebowl was awarded to Christopher Thwaites, from Hawera. The afternoon
finished with the North Shore Junior Accordion Orchestra and Alex Selman performing.
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Bedouin Groove
at the National University of Singapore
Contributed
by Lian Jones of Accordion
House
Bedouin
Groove is Singapore's first band dedicated to playing Middle Eastern music influenced
by modern pop styles. This four-piece group, who feature accordion, violin, oud
and percussion, recently performed a suite called 'Winds from the Desert' to great
audience acclaim at the National University of Singapore Theater, following on
from a similar concert at the Singapore Heritage Festival in July.
For
further information email Bedouin@offtherails.com
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Yuri Medianik Concert
Tour - Russia
 Bayan
player and violinist Yuri Medianik, a student of Professor Viatcheslav
Semionov at the Moscow Conservatory, is currently part of the way through
a concert tour of his homeland. Most of these concerts are performed with leading
symphony orchestras. The winner of several international accordion competitions,
Yuri Medianik's concert program includes 'The Seasons', by Astor Piazzolla, and
Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' (performed on violin). The remaining concert dates
are:-
October
23rd - Nizhniy-Tagil (with the Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra)
26th
- Izhevsk Opera House (with the Orchestra of the Ministry of Culture)
27th
- Perm' Philharmonic (solo concert)
29th - Tchelyabinsk (with the Chamber Philharmonic
Orchestra)
For
further information email yuri@yuridianik.com
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The
Django Reinhardt NY Festival, New York - USA
 The
Django Reinhardt NY Festival, an event dedicated to the music of the legendary
Belgian-born gypsy guitarist, takes place at Birdland, New York from November
9th to 14th. There are concerts and workshops, with guest artistes from many countries
in attendance, including the American jazz accordionist Gil Goldstein, who performs
on November 13th.
Django Reinhardt, who is considered by many experts to
be the most important jazz musician to emerge from outside America, frequently
performed and recorded with accordionists such as Gus Viseur, Maurice Alexander
and Guérino in the1930s.
The festival organiser is Pat Philips,
email Patmusic2@aol.com
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New magazine - 'Dance
On', Scotland - UK
In
November the publishers of the long established magazine 'Box
& Fiddle' (covering the accordion clubs in Scotland) are to launch a sister
magazine titled 'Dance On'. This new publication will focus on Old Time, Scottish
Country, Step, Ceilidh, regional traditional dances from Orkney and Shetland -
and any other kind of dancing that is likely to be accompanied by accordions.
For further information email editor@danceon.co.uk
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The Accordion
Reigns Supreme!, Cranleigh - UK
Contributed by Terry
Rayfield
 A
capacity audience at the Cranleigh Arts Centre, Surrey, England, enjoyed a full
evening of high quality accordion entertainment. After an opening set by the very
fine Crawley Accordion Orchestra (MD Bill Booth), Harry Hussey took the stage
and played requests from the audience. Harry must be one of few accordionists
in the world who has no set program, preferring to take requests - and he is seldom
caught out!
The
chief guests Jack Emblow and Tony Compton performed their usual classy mixture
of standards and jazz, and unveiled their brand new CD 'Jack and Tony', which
had sold many copies by the end of the evening.The
show also featured a display of instruments presented by Accordions of London,
and the evening was aptly described by reporter Terry Rayfield as "Another
wonderful evening of excellent accordion music".
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Guy
Klucevsek's new CD and Concerts - USA
Contributed
by Harley Jones
 Accordionist
Guy Klucevsek, of whom it has been said "has disproved the notion that serious
music and a sense of humor are incompatible", has released a new CD titled
'The Well-Tampered Accordion'. The music on this recording includes several of
Guy's compositions, set in themes that
reflect many aspects of America's rich ethnic heritage.
The record company's
notes tell us that 'The Well-Tampered Accordion", includes a musical/historical
tour of America's multi-ethnic immigrant communities; an impressionist suite based
on Michael Cunningham's novel 'The Hours', and the album's title track, which
Klucevsek describes as "a summation
of everything I've been doing for the past 20 years".
The album's
title track is a tuneful, stylish, and technically demanding collection of twelve
studies, preludes, dances and the like. Held together by recurring themes and
what Klucevsek calls simply "my love of pure melody and rhythm", "The
Well-Tampered Accordion" romps through musical styles and genres without
sounding like a pastiche.Guy
Klucevsek has a solo concert date at the Reisinger Concert Hall, Sarah Lawrence
College, Bronxville, New York on November 3rd, at 8pm.
For further information
email info@guyklucevsek.com
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Frank Marocco Concert,
Houston Area, Texas, USA
 Frank
Marocco, one of the busiest accordionists in America, is in concert on December
4th at the Sugar Land Community Center, Sugar Land, Texas. Supporting artistes
include Steve Navoyosky, Anatoli Yegorov, Mario Pedone and singer Liberty Palileo.
Dancing will follow the concert. Nick Ballarini, from Dallas, will be present
with an exhibition of Petosa accordions and accessories. Demand for tickets is
expected to be high, and pre-booking is advised. This concert is organised by
Fort Bend Accordion Club.
For further information email jregina@houston.rr.com
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Wayne
State University, Detroit, hold regular concerts each Friday, and one such recent
concert featured the Peter Soave Sextet, performing pieces by Astor Piazzolla
and Carlos Gardel. 
On
Saturday 9th October, the Rothley Centre, near Leicester, England, was the venue
for an unusual combination of accordion artistes for the last concert of the year
under the auspices of Soar Valley Accordion Club. 
Milena
Gbra and Maximiliano Ciucciomei (owner of the company 