International VIP Accordion Competition, Pontarlier - France
Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Riding on the incredible success of the recent Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA) Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships in Pontarlier, the city officials of Pontarlier have organized another international accordion competition to take place from May 20th to 22nd 2005.

The aim of this new 'VIP World Accordion Show and Competition' is to feature the side of the contemporary accordion repertoire that relates to entertainment music. This encompasses multiple facets of the musical landscape of the accordion including dance music, Tango (Piazzolla), New Musette (Galliano) and also the accompaniment of singers and other instrumentalists. The qualities necessary for this 'popular' repertoire include musicality, technique, feeling and also rhythmic sense, stage presence, rapport with the audience, charisma as well as excellent style of arrangements for the pieces chosen.

With the organizational help of the CIA Music Committee Chairperson, Frederic Deschamps, this exciting new competition in Pontarlier will take place in three quite distinct rounds making it possible to highlight all the necessary qualities required of the popular accordionist today. In the first round, the contestant will perform a variety program to be adjudicated by the international jury panel, the second round will broadcast a pre-recorded selection on live national radio where listeners will vote, and the final round will feature the contestants performing backed by the International Orchestra of Jerome Richard at a live concert, where the audience and the jury panel will each contribute 50% of the score.

The city of Pontarlier, which plans to offer this event for the next five years, is subsidising the full expenses including travel, room and board for this competition where 10 contestants will represent Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria, Bellarus, Scotland, Finland, Russia, and France
.

North Shore Accordion Orchestra Concert, Auckland - New Zealand
Contributed by Heather Masefield

On Sunday the 10th April the North Shore Accordion Orchestras, from Auckland, performed at the Auckland Zoo. All 4 of our accordion groups to were to perform at this popular concert venue. This involved 80 people in 2 concerts with solos & duets.

We were told just before our arrival that they wanted to change where we were playing by the coffee shop to the bandstand so as not to upset the giraffes! Just imagine, in the middle of one of the performances an announcement was made over the speaker system not to feed the animals!!! The wind was a problem with not just the music flying away but sometimes the entire music stands would fly off. It was a great day, sunny, and we then had a chance to see the tigers, seals etc.

This was especially fun for all of the children involved in our groups and a wonderful promotion to encourage children to start learning the accordion.
 

'Days of Macedonian Music 2005' Festival, Skopje - Macedonia
Contributed by: Anica Karakutovska

The annual festival 'Days of Macedonian Music 2005', organised by the Composers Association of Macedonia - SOCOM, was held from March 30th to April 8th in Skopje.

In the concert of Young composers held on April 3rd in the 'Museum of Skopje' two young Macedonian composers, Elizabeta Ilievska and Mihajlo Sterjev, presented their new works for accordion. Zoran Kirjakovski, Filip Stamevski and Kosto Todorovski, accordion students of Professor Zorica Karakutovska, performed 'Passacaglia' by Elizabeta Ilievska for accordion trio, and Zoran Kirjakovski performed the composition 'Fission' from Mihajlo Sterjev.

Ilievska and Sterjev are ex-accordion students of Professor Zorica Karakutovska, and this was another successful co-operation between her and these young composers. The compositions for accordion were very well received by the large audience, and the composition 'Passacaglia' received high praise from the music critics, as an excellent new work. The increased presence of accordion in the 'Days of Macedonian Music 2005' is representative of the increased popularity and great reputation of this instrument in Macedonia lately.
 

Yuri Medianik's Tour - Russia
Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Yuri Medianik (violinist and bayan-player) continues his tour of Russian Philharmonic Halls in which he performs in his two capacities in solo concerts, with chamber orchestras and together with the
Piazzola-Quintet. Yuri Medianik's concerts in April are as follows:-

April 16th - Uraj, and April 17th - Nyagan; (both concerts with pianist K. Morozova) - performing works by Saint-Saens, Ysaye, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Tchaikovsky and Semionov April 21st - Ufa - with the National Orchestra of Republic of Bashkortostan (Conductor - T. Kamalov), performing works by Vivaldi and Piazzolla.
 

Rob Thorn in Concert, Wragby - UK
Contributed by Rob Howard

Rob Thorn, the UK Polka Champion, is in concert on April 20th at Wragby Town Hall, Lincolnshire, England. The concert begins at 8pm, and in support will be a trade show, mounted by Geoff Holter Accordions. Rob Thorn has recently released his debut CD, 'Reel 'Em In', which will be available at this concert.
 

Campbell Bettridge Performance, Auckland - New Zealand
Contributed by Lionel Reekie


Past New Zealand and South Pacific Solo Accordion Champion, and 3rd place winner in the Coupe Mondiale Piano Accordion class, Campbell Bettridge was a featured soloist in a Red Cross Benefit concert held Saturday 9th April, in Auckland, NZ. This event, which raised NZ$1,000, was presented by the Music Education Centre at the Kaipatiki Theatre and included some of their top teachers in a program of mainly classical and chamber music.

Presented was the World Premiere of an exciting new work for accordion and string/wind ensemble composed by Campbell Bettridge. 'Peasants of Siberia' was fantastically well received, with the audience demanding an encore performance. The composer performed the accordion part.

It was a highlight of the afternoon's entertainment. Campbell also transcribed a special arrangement of Brahm's Hungarian Dance no 5, for accordion with Violin, Viola, Cello, Flute and Classical guitar, which the audience enjoyed immensely. Campbell is a well-respected accordion teacher, solo performer, and committee member of the New Zealand Accordion Association.
 

Angel Luis Castano and his Students, Madrid - Spain
Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Concert accordionist Jesús Mozo played a concert at the Auditorium El Greco, in Madrid on March 22nd. His program included works by Liszt, Bach, Solotarev, Scarlatti, Olczak and Piazzolla. He will play the same program on April 13th in the Auditorium Tetuan. Mozo is an accordion teacher in Murcia Superior Conservatorium in the south of Spain, and is also a student of Spanish concert accordionist Angel Luis Castaño.



Another of Castaño´s students, Serbian Dragan Vasiljevic, performed on April 6th in Teatro Juan Bravo in Segovia, Spain. He played for an enthusiastic audience a program by Bach, Scarlatti, Vlasov, Kusjakov, Bonakov and Moskowsky. Actually Dragan is having a very interesting career in the accordion world after having won several international competitions and he will finish his academic studies next year in Zaragoza Superior Conservatorium.



To finish this series of concerts, Professor Angel Luis Castaño played a duo concert with his wife, Raquel Ruiz, forming Duo D´accord in Auditorium Conde Duque on April 4th, in Madrid, for an enthusiastic audience of about three hundred persons with a program by Lundquist, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Bach, etc.
 

Poozies' Diary Dates, England and Wales - UK
Contributed by Rob Howard

The all-female folk band The Poozies, featuring Karen Tweed on piano accordion, are to appear at the Chester Folk Festival on May 28th. On June 26th, they are in concert at Grassington Town Hall, and on August 19th they appear at the Pontadawe Folk Festival in Wales. Karen Tweed is organising accordion classes from late April (one to one lessons) in the Derbyshire, Northumberland and London areas.

For further information email karen@karentweed.dk
 

New & Updated Sites

Yehuda Oppenheimer - accordionist, performing artist, composer, arranger and well known teacher. This CD proves the wide range the accordion has to offer in the hands of the master. The playback effect used in some of the pieces, enriches the performance to duo, trio and quartet playing.