Accordions Worldwide
involves the time and effort of many people each week, not least of
whom are the translators who do such sterling service on behalf of
us all. Claudia Bonacquisti-Lerch and Monika Hodler are the two most
recent recruits to the Accordions Worldwide team, and we welcome them
to the team (see below).
The
Shanghai Spring, International Accordion Festival will be held from
May 2nd to 6th. The festival includes:-
1) A competition involving more than 400 competitors and over 200
teachers. Event
organiser Prof.
Li Cong (pictured) of Shanghai says that this event will be
the largest accordion festival to yet be held in China. To date,
there are over 15 overseas competitors participating. The International
jurors are: Viacheslav
Semionov (pictured with Li Cong), Alexander
Dmitriev, Vojin Vasovic, Vladimir Solov¡yev, Semenenko
Viatcheslav, Nizovskiy Gennady (Russia), Luu Quang Minh (Vietnam),
Frederic
Deschamps (France), Owen
Murray (Scotland), Jon Faukstad (Norway), Joan
Cochran Sommers and Mady Soave (USA). Kevin
Friedrich (CIA
President) will be present as VIP guest and international observer.
2) During the festival, there will be six concerts, featuring different
styles. The concerts will be given by: Peter
Soave, Pavel Feniuk, Jean-Louis
Noton, Jerome
Richard, Cyril Blanchard, and Antonio Mancini (Antonio is the
2005 Coupe Mondiale Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Champion).
3) An International Accordion Forum will be held, focusing on the
present and future development of the accordion in a worldwide context.
The Forum is likely to include a lecture by an internationally renowned
authority.
'Divertimento,'
a new composition by Viatcheslav
Semionov of Moscow has been released by Ernest
Deffner Publications of New York. This exciting work is written
in three movements, (1) 'Legend' (2) 'Nostalgia' (3) 'Journey',
is for instruments with both stradella and free bass. It is playable
on either piano accordion (minimum 41 key) or chromatic accordion.
The piece is available for US$29 plus shipping and handling from
the publisher. See
Music Sample of Each Movement (265kb)
This
composition is a skilfully written work adaptable to different systems.
Semionov's broad knowledge of systems is apparent because he has
distinguished himself as the teacher of prize-winning accordionists
performing on either chromatic and piano accordions. The composer
encourages accordionists to perform this work on various accordion
systems. Stock
No. ED306 $29.00
As
one of Russia's foremost accordionists and composers, Viatcheslav
Semionov is widely considered to be 'the founder of the modern performance
school of bayan'. He was awarded the Silver Disk at the 1994 International
Festival of Bayan and Bayanists and in 1995, he received Russia's
highest performance distinction, "People's Artist of Russia",
as decreed by President Boris Yeltsin.
The foreword of Semionov's new work is a dedication which reads:
"Written for my colleague Faithe
Deffner in commemoration of her service to the accordion community
as President of The American Accordionists' Association: 1985-1986,
1995-1996, 1997-1998 and 1999-2000".
2006
CIA Test Piece 'Fractals' by Wolfgang Plagge available Free Online
- Norway
Contributed
by Kevin
Friedrich
The
Confédération
International des Accordéonistes (CIA) announces that
the 2006 Test Piece for the 59th Coupe Mondiale entitled 'Fractals,
Op. 142' by Wolfgang Plagge is now available online at the Coupe
Mondiale website as a complimentary .pdf file download. Hosted
by the CIA member, the Norske Trekkspilleres Landsforbund (NTL)
the 59th Coupe Mondiale International Competition for Accordionists
will take place in Asker, Norway, from October 18th to 22nd 2006.
Wolfgang Plagge was born in Oslo, and at a very early age he showed
a genuine interest of classical music. He started playing the piano
as well as writing his first compositions aged four. In 1972 he
made a sensational recital debut in Oslo - with HM King Olav V present
in the auditorium. He went on to win several national and international
prizes in the years to follow, among them the Forsberg Legate in
1979 and the Levin Prize in 1987. He pursues an active career as
an international pianist, and is much in demand as a chamber musician.
Wolfgang Plagge had his first work published at aged twelve and
since then his music has been performed by musicians, ensembles
and orchestras all over the. In 1996 he was created 'Composer of
the Year' with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. He received the
American ASCAP Award for 2001 and won the Vocal Nord composers'
contest 2003. A member of the Norwegian Society of Composers, a
number of works is recorded on CD. His scores can be obtained through
2L e-scores, Musikk-Husets Forlag AS Oslo, or the Norwegian Music
Information Center.
In addition to the 2006 Test Piece, the Coupe
Mondiale website also contains information and guidelines for
all six categories of competition as well as information about Norway
and the 59th Coupe Mondiale in general.
Australian International Accordion Championships and Festival, Sydney
- Australia
Contributed
by Tania
Lukic-Marx
The
annual Australian International Accordion Championships and Festival
organized by the Australian
Accordion Teachers Association (AATA) will be held on May 27th
and 28th at the Ninevah Sports and Community Club, Edensor Park
Sydney.
One of traditionally the most popular features of the event is the
Accordion Gala Concert which will be held at the Italian Club 'Fogolar
Furlan -Veneto' in Lansvale on May 28th at 2pm. At the Gala Concert
some of the finest Australian accordionists and Ensembles as well
as International Guest Artistes will perform. These include World
Piano Accordion Champion Alexander
Shirunov (Russia), the ASA Youth Accordion Orchestra, The Accordion
Concert Ensemble, and Enzo Giribaldi.
For the
on-line Prospectus and more information about the event please visit:
www.accordions.com/aata
Closing date for the competition entry forms is the 15th of April
15th.
Welcoming
Two New Translators, Castelfidardo - Italy Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
Accordions
Worldwide wishes to welcome two new translators Claudia
Bonacquisti-Lerch of Austria works with husband Günther
Lerch who is the general distributor of FISMEN
Accordions. Claudia also has her own translating business and
she will be translating the Italian Weekly News.
Monika Hodler
is the daughter of the owner of Pro
Harmonika, Baden-Wurttemberg, who are the distributors for Germany
of Totter Midi, Lazinger Accordions and Puschtra Accordions.
We thank them both very much for their valued assistance.
American
Accordion Musicological Society Festival, Pennsylvania - USA
Contributed by Mike Dellapenna
My
wife and I attended the AAMS Festival this past weekend hosted by
Stan and Joanna Darrow,
at which we participated in -- my wife ran the registration desk and
I gave a workshop playing Italian and Europeon favorites, which seemed
to be greatly appreciated. I was asked for a lot of my playing arrangements,
and I also judged some of the competitions.
Lenny Feldman was the Master of Ceremonies throughout the weekend
and did a fantastic job! Also, his workshop on the music of Frank
Marocco was great. The Saturday night show was one of the best ever;
the memorable highlights being Henry Doktorski playing music of the
Diero brothers, Lydia Kaminskia from Europe, and especially Mary Tokarski
(of The K Trio)
who brought down the house.
The wrap-up
on Sunday was also very enjoyable which included a massed accordion
band playing the Swan Lake Overture under the direction of Stan Darrow
(at least 50 accordionists of all different levels and ages) done
very, very well. Jim Vandelly also performed a few numbers, which
were fantastic. The highlight of Sunday was our very own AFF'er, Bobby
Raye, who also did a superb job and brought the house down. Also
in attendance for the weekend were Carmen Carrozza and Danny Desidario.
Friedrich
Lips had an interesting masterclass last week at the Royal Academy
of Music in London. He was invited by Professor Owen
Murray to teach his class not only in modern accordion techniques
but also concerning new literature for accordion and chamber music.
As Lips is constantly working with different instrumentalists, he
has experience in many aspects of contemporary music.
Joe
Burke in 'A Tribute to Andy McGann', Chicago - USA
Contributed by Rob
Howard
Irish
music history will be made at the Irish American Heritage Center,
Chicago, on April 1st, at 8pm. New York fiddle player Brian Conway
joins accordionist Joe Burke
and pianist Felix Dolan in 'A Tribute to Andy McGann', and a new
CD will be recorded live at the Heritage Center that night. Galway-based
Joe Burke, All Ireland Accordion Champion in 1959 and 1960, lived
in the USA for many years, and makes a special return for this event.
Joe Burke and fiddle
player Andy McGann were both influenced musically by the legendary
Sligo fiddle player Michael Coleman (1891-1945). In 1961 - at the
heart of a golden era in Irish music in America - Andy McGann and
Joe Burke met and began a life-long friendship, lasting until Andy's
death in 2004. Together, they showed their respect for the music
of Coleman in the acclaimed 1965 recording 'A Tribute to Michael
Coleman', with the inimitable piano accompaniment of New York-born
Felix Dolan. That album is one of the classics in Irish music today.
Just as Coleman inspired the young McGann, so did McGann inspire
many other musicians during his own lifetime, including Bronx-born
Brian Conway. Today, Brian is regarded as Andy's protégé,
although Andy was not his formal teacher. The Irish American Heritage
Center is proud to present this unique live recording concert, and
the event is described as being "History in the making. Don't
miss this night. Like all good moments in history, it will only
happen once!"
Rimini
Disma Music Fair, Rimini - Italy Contributed
by Harley
Jones
A large crowd attended the Rimini Music Fair on Sunday 12 March.
This music fair is primarily guitar, keyboard and drums with
some accordion companies displaying - Roland,
MusicTech,
Ketron, Brandoni and Cooperfisa.
Pictured
are:
1. Roland Italy
Marketing Manager Seiji Kameda (left), President Bruno Barbini (right)
Accordions Worldwide Europe Manager Holda
Paoletti-Kampl (center) in front of the Roland display and sound
proof booth behind them.
2. Also attending was Francesca
Pigini, pictured with Holda
and myself, photo by Pigini Switzerland
distributor Martin Frey.
3. Musictech
Manager Claudio Sabbatini (right) and Musictech demonstrator Guiliano
Cameli.
Last
weekend was the National
Accordion Association Convention in Dallas, Texas. This year the
emphasis was on button accordions. About 300 registered for the convention,
and another 50 or more came for the evening concerts. The opening
event on Friday night was a 4-hour long Polka Dance.
Artistes appearing on stage for performance were: Denis Novato, originally
from Slovenia, with a 3-row button accordion; Ron Pivovar, from Philadelphia,
with a 4-row; Joel Guzman (Tex-Mex Grammy award winner); Alex Meixner,
from Philadelphia, playing a custom built 4-row; Fred Ziwich, from
Cleveland, Ohio, playing both 3-row button box and piano accordion,
and several members of the Alaska Polka Chips, from Anchorage, Alaska.
There were about 20 to 25 other button accordion players in attendance
as well. Ron
Pivovar, Fred Ziwich, Joel Guzman, Denis Novato and Alex Meixner also
all gave workshops. The festival also included lots of jamming together,
too!
Styles of music were varied, covering everything from classical to
pop tunes to jazz and blues.
Piazzolla
Birthday Celebration, Michigan - USA Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
Celebrating
Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla's birthday, The Phoenix Ensemble
returns to Kerrytown Concert House, 415 North Fourth Ave, Ann Arbor,
on March 17th and 18th for their annual Oblivion Project. The performances
begin at 7.30pm and 9.30pm each evening.
The Oblivion Project is named for one of Piazzolla's signature pieces.It
focuses on the 'Nuevo Tango' of Astor Piazzolla, the famous and
controversial Argentine composer, and spotlights Peter
Soave and Julien Labro on bandoneons. Soave's mastery of the
music of Piazzolla, along with his virtuosic skill, and Labro's
creative talent promise a powerful combination. Other Phoenix Ensemble
members are Gabriel Bolkosky(violin), Derek Snyder (cello), Tad
Weed (piano), John Holkeboer (bass),and Alex Trajano (percussion).
The
Phoenix Ensemble has been called "a tight band of musical adventurers"
and their Oblivion Project described as "a broad palette of
moods and styles: straight-to-Hell tangos of tremendous hypnotic
force, floating jazz-fusion-like space walks, and even tender major-key
romance." (Lawrence Cosentino in the Lansing City Pulse, Sept.
21st 2005).
Walter
Perrie in Concert, Stockport - UK
Contributed by Rob
Howard
Former
All-Scotland Champion Walter Perrie is the guest at Stockport Accordion
Club on March 28th. Stockport AC meets at the St John Ambulance Brigade
HQ, Edgeley Road, Cheadle Heath, Stockport, and the concert begins
at 8pm.
On
April 7th and 8th, Renzo
Ruggieri will give a seminar at the Conservatory of Castelfranco
Veneto. The artistic director of the event is Ivano Paterno. On April
8th, at 9pm Renzo Ruggieri will perform a recital involving solo accordion
+ electronics and video titled 'Storie di Fisarmonica Vissut.' Ruggieri
will repeat the concert in the Musical Academy of Vallo di Diano,
Teggiano on April 21st and the following day will hold a seminar on
jazz in the same center.
Wyre
International Accordion Festival, Lancashire - UK Contributed
by Gina Brannelli
The Wyre International
Accordion Festival takes place on April 16th, Easter Sunday, at
The Marine Hall, The Esplanade, Fleetwood. Competitions include
47 Sections in total, from Beginner to Advanced, 10 sections included
for the Late Starter, Polka, Musette, Scottish, Duet and Group,
and 5 Entertainment categories. This Festival also includes the
CMA Junior and Senior Classical, and Junior and Senior Variety Qualifiers
for the CMA
Trophée Mondial.
Fismen
- a new accordion company producing accordions and harmonicas in Castelfidardo/Italy
Musicforaccordion.com
is publishing four new eSheet music, 'Jumping
Jack Polka', 'Jenny's
Waltz', 'Minuet'
'Granada'.
Samples of the music is available on the site. The music is in eSheet
format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit
card.
James O' Brien
- composer, arranger and performer, releases another 6 new works for
accordion available for purchase online. 'Die
Musica'(traditional), 'Muss
I Denn' (traditional), 'On
the Bridge of Avignon' (traditional), 'Samiotissa'
(traditional), 'Schwesterlein'
(traditional), 'Vive
la compagnie' (traditional). Samples of this music are available
on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to
your computer. Purchase with credit card.
The
Shanghai Spring, International Accordion Festival will be held from
May 2nd to 6th. The festival includes:-
Event
organiser 
'
As
one of Russia's foremost accordionists and composers, Viatcheslav
Semionov is widely considered to be 'the founder of the modern performance
school of bayan'. He was awarded the Silver Disk at the 1994 International
Festival of Bayan and Bayanists and in 1995, he received Russia's
highest performance distinction, "People's Artist of Russia",
as decreed by President Boris Yeltsin.
The
My
wife and I attended the AAMS Festival this past weekend hosted by
Stan and 
Irish
music history will be made at the Irish American Heritage Center,
Chicago, on April 1st, at 8pm. New York fiddle player Brian Conway
joins accordionist 
Rimini
Disma Music Fair, Rimini - Italy
Pictured
are: 
Celebrating
Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla's birthday, The Phoenix Ensemble
returns to Kerrytown Concert House, 415 North Fourth Ave, Ann Arbor,
on March 17th and 18th for their annual Oblivion Project. The performances
begin at 7.30pm and 9.30pm each evening.
The
Phoenix Ensemble has been called "a tight band of musical adventurers"
and their Oblivion Project described as "a broad palette of
moods and styles: straight-to-Hell tangos of tremendous hypnotic
force, floating jazz-fusion-like space walks, and even tender major-key
romance." (Lawrence Cosentino in the Lansing City Pulse, Sept.
21st 2005).
On
April 7th and 8th, 
