Anthony Galla-Rini was the personification of the story of the accordion in the 20th Century. American-born, but of Italian parentage, Galla-Rini played, composed and arranged to the highest standards, and was a worldwide inspiration for longer than any other individual associated with the accordion. Though we mourn his passing, we should also celebrate his all-pervading influence that will continue into the future thanks to his teaching, writing and recordings.
Anthony Galla-Rini (1904 – 2006) was born in Manchester, Connecticut, USA. He played the cornet from the age of four, and the accordion from six. He appeared in Vaudeville theatres from the age of seven, and later studied the theory of music and the art of conducting. As a teenager, Galla-Rini began to teach the accordion and to write music for the instrument. He developed into a serious concert artiste, performing at venues across America, including New York’s Carnegie Hall on many occasions, and also toured Great Britain and Europe.
Galla-Rini composed his first concerto for accordion in 1941, and a second in 1976. He has also arranged many of the great classics by JS Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and others, for accordion.
This great musician worked extensively in Hollywood for many years, and ‘Hans Christian Anderson’, ‘High Noon’ and ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ are just three of the many films where his playing can be heard on the soundtrack.
Anthony Galla-Rini performed, taught, lectured and directed master classes and workshops for longer than anyone else in the accordion world, and his long-term contribution has no equal.
A few hours ago, on the Sunday 30th July 2006, Anthony Galla-Rini had some troubles at the nursing home where he lived. He was taken to hospital where the family quickly gathered to say their goodbyes. His son Ron told me, that Tony Galla-Rini had a massive heart attack and died, at the grand age of 102 years.
Galla-Rini had a huge influence on the development of the accordion over so many decades. He is probably the most published arranger of all time and was famous for his recordings and teaching. His arrangements were always regarded as an epitomy of accuracy and attention to detail.
I have had Tony in my life from the age of 15, so you can see how much his passing means to me. He had a lot of influence on me, personally, and for thousands of other accordionists for such a very long time. He really was a truly great musician to whom every accordionist owes a tremendous gratitude.
This is truly the end of a very historical era of the accordion!
May we all be so blessed to have such a long and productive life.
Joan Sommers
Retired
Professor of Accordion
University of Missouri, Kansas City
A full obituary of the life of Maestro Anthony Galla-Rini is on the Memorials Site along with funeral information, Saturday August 12th, including where you can send personal condolences.
Finnish accordionist Mika
Väyrynen will perform at the famous ‘Pablo Casals Festival’
in Prades, France from August 7th to 11th. Now in its 55th year, the
Pablo Casals Festival is one of the most respected chamber music festivals
in the world, and Mika's performance could mark the first time that
an accordionist has been invited to perform at this event. Festival
organizers consistently attract soloists and larger groups of the
highest quality to perform in the beautiful abbey of Saint-Michel
de Cuxa and other churches in the Prades area, where in addition to
some contemporary music, the program features such chamber music stalwarts
as Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms.
As you might expect from a festival named after a world famous cellist,
many of the 27 concerts focus on the beautiful deep throaty notes
of the cello, however, there are also evenings devoted to organ music,
Mozart's clarinet concertos, orchestral works for children, Czech
music and now the accordion.
Mika's
performances will include appearances on August 7th at the Casino
de Vernet-Les-Bains at 5.30pm, August 9th at Prieuré de Marcevol
at 5.30pm, and August 10th at the Abbaye St Michel de Cuxà
at 9pm. Mika will perform works such as Tangos by Astor Piazzola,
‘In Croce’ for Accordion and Cello by Sofia Goubaidoulina
and Dvorak's 5 Bagatelles Op. 47 for 2 violins, cello and accordion.
Veronika Todorova Present at the Limburger Sommerfest,
Limburgh - Germany
Verinoka Todorova from Elz, Germany, is the winner of the ’Deutschen
Akkordeon - Musikpreises 2006’ and the 5th international competititon
’Premio Citta di Atri’ (Italy) and will be in concert with
her very successfull band ’Veronika Todorova Band’ during
the traditional Festival ’Limburger Sommerfeste’ in the
Serenadenhof in Limburgh (Lahn) on August 12th at 8pm.
The musicians Veronika (accordion), Axel Spreitzer (percussion), and
Detlef Görke (bass), will peform pieces from Astor Piazzolla,
Richard Galliano, Renzo
Ruggieri, Vincenzo Abbracciante, Pietro Frosini and Roman Bazhilin
using their own arrangements.
The nineteen year old artiste has been chosen by the ’Deutsche
Harmonika Verband’ to take part in the ’Coupe Mondiale 2006’
this year in Norway.
The Orquestra
d´Acordions de Sabadell, formed in 1991 under the direction
of Miguel Ángel Maestro, accordion teacher of the Professional
Conservatory of Music of Sabadell, now has its own website.
The orchestra has won several competitions, most recent of which was
the special 2006 Accordions Worldwide Award for the 1st Prize at the
International Competition Città
di Castelfidardo for Orchestras.
Jukka-Pekka Kuusela performed R. Murray Schafer's piece ‘La testa
d'Adriane’ for mezzo-soprano and accordion with Finnish soprano
Mari-Anne Hilander (please see picture). ‘La Testa d'Adriane’
is a theater piece, written by the Canadian composer, R. Murray Schafer
(b. 1933) in 1977. The performance received standing ovations from
an enchanted audience in the beautiful Lentua Concert Hall.
"Kuhmo has always been, and will continue to be a place for championing
beauty and quality and for being open to new challenges", says
the artistic director Vladimir Mendelssohn.
The festival planning has gone without a hitch. "The reality
of a musicians' life is a mixture of concentration, creativity, stress,
control and respect for music. There is no 'easy' way for any of us,
but we are not daunted by the difficulties," is the Artistic
Director's view in a nutshell.
The
10th annual Rocky
Mountain Accordion Celebration takes place next weekend, August
4th to 6th, in Philipsburg, Montana. Guest performers include Lidia
Kaminska, Sammy Thomas, The King Bees of The Bayou, the Smilin’
Scandinavians and the Awesome Polka Babes. Accordion technique workshops
wil be led by Mike and Margie Aman.
The event is described by the organisers as “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.”
Russian accordionist Friedrich
Lips visits several other countries in the second half of 2006.
Lips’ itinerary for the remainder of 2006 includes: -
August 10th – Gubaidulina evening - Dornach, Switzerland
10th to 17th -Tour of Norway
Autumn-tour in the USA:
September 21st - Concert in the UWM, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
22nd and 23rd - Concerts in the Irish Cultural Center, Milwaukee
24th - Concert in the World of Accordions Museum, Superior, Wisconsin
25th - Concert in Elroy, Wisconsin
29th - Concert in Alabama
October 1st - Concert in San Francisco, California
5th - Concert in Seattle, Washington
October 21st - Gubaidulina: ‘Seven Words’ for Bajan, Violoncello
and chamber orchestra in Vilinius, Lithuania
22nd - S. Gubaidulina: ‘Seven Words’ for Bajan, Violoncello
and chamber orchestra, Minsk, Belarus
24th - S. Gubaidulina: ‘Seven Words’ for Bajan, Violoncello
and chamber orchestra in Moscow, Russia
November 3rd - Solo concert and jury chairman in Tscheljabinsk, Russia
10th - E. Podgaits: ‘Ex-Animo’ for Bajan and string quartet,
Moscow
21st – Gubaidulina - festival in Toronto, Canada
December 2nd - Gubaidulina: ‘in croce’ for Bajan and Violoncello,
Moscow
12th - Gubaidulina: ‘Under the sign of the Scorpions’, concert
for Bajan and symphony orchestra, Moscow
13th to 17th - Festival ‘Bajan and Bajanisten’, Moscow
14th - Solo concert in the festival ‘Bajan and Bajanisten’,
Moscow
16th - E. Podgaits: ‘Ex-Animo’ for Bajan and string quartet,
Moscow
Spanish-born, New York-based accordionist Victor Prieto performs at
the following venues:-
August 1st, 7pm – Speranto, New York - Daniela W. Trio
2nd, 8pm - Olea, Brooklyn – Victor Prieto solo performance
5th, 8pm - Cafe Moto, Brooklyn - solo performance
August 13th - PJ Henlys, Brooklyn - Victor Prieto Trio
14th, 7.30pm - Immigrant Sounds Festival II, New York – solo
performance
17th, 8pm - La Lanterna, New York – Trio Iberico (Victor Prieto
- accordion, Brad Shepik – guitar, Alexis Cuadrado – bass)
On August 19th at 7pm, the Viennese Ensemble visiting from Vienna,
Austria, and the Accordion Orchestra of Melbourne share a concert
at the Austrian Club, Sheehan's Rd, Heidelberg. Virtuoso accordionist
Bernadette
Conlon will conduct the Accordion Orchestra of Melbourne, and
will also give a solo performance.
Le parc de la Villette, Paris on August 26th and 27th will be the
scene for two days of continuous accordion music, including all styles
– jazz, musette, contemporary, ethnic, etc. Players already booked
to appear include Daniel Mille, David Venitucci, Lionel Suarez, Didier
Dullieux, Jean-Luc Amestoy, Pascal
Contet, Jean-François Baëz, Man Xin, Yves Weyh and
Zakarya, sheng player Wu Wei, Jean-Luc Bouffard, Ophélie Gaillard,
Marianne Piketty, Bijan Chemirani, Serge Adam, Philippe Botta, Carol
Robinson and Tom Mays.
Pascal
Contet (pictured), the artistic director of this event, is looking for accordionists
from anywhere in the world, of any age, style or experience to participate.
All participants are offered food and beverage and entrance for the
special cabaret evening in Sauvage on August 26th.
The Orquestra
d´Acordions de Sabadell, formed in 1991 under the direction
of Miguel Ángel Maestro, accordion teacher of the Professional
Conservatory of Music of Sabadell, now has its own website.
The orchestra has won several competitions, most recent of which was the special 2006 Accordions Worldwide Award for the 1st Prize at the International Competition Città di Castelfidardo for Orchestras.
A new site selling a CD titled Classique
Senior 1er tour, with sound samples. Music recorded from the La
Coupe Mondiale 2004 by Marianne
Melodie, of France. Purchase online.
A new site selling a CD titled Classique
Senior 2e tour, with sound samples. Music recorded from the La
Coupe Mondiale 2004 by Marianne
Melodie, of France. Purchase online.
A new site selling a CD titled Classique
Senior 3e tour, with sound samples. Music recorded from the La
Coupe Mondiale 2004 by Marianne
Melodie, of France. Purchase online.
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Anthony Galla-Rini (1904 – 2006) was born in Manchester, Connecticut, USA. He played the cornet from the age of four, and the accordion from six. He appeared in Vaudeville theatres from the age of seven, and later studied the theory of music and the art of conducting. As a teenager, Galla-Rini began to teach the accordion and to write music for the instrument. He developed into a serious concert artiste, performing at venues across America, including New York’s Carnegie Hall on many occasions, and also toured Great Britain and Europe.
This is truly the end of a very historical era of the accordion! 
Verinoka Todorova from Elz, Germany, is the winner of the ’Deutschen
Akkordeon - Musikpreises 2006’ and the 5th international competititon
’Premio Citta di Atri’ (Italy) and will be in concert with
her very successfull band ’Veronika Todorova Band’ during
the traditional Festival ’Limburger Sommerfeste’ in the
Serenadenhof in Limburgh (Lahn) on August 12th at 8pm.
The 
Jukka-Pekka Kuusela performed R. Murray Schafer's piece ‘La testa
d'Adriane’ for mezzo-soprano and accordion with Finnish soprano
Mari-Anne Hilander (please see picture). ‘La Testa d'Adriane’
is a theater piece, written by the Canadian composer, R. Murray Schafer
(b. 1933) in 1977. The performance received standing ovations from
an enchanted audience in the beautiful Lentua Concert Hall.
Rocky Mountain Accordion Celebration
The
10th annual 
Friedrich
Lips
Victor Prieto Trio Performances, New York - USA
Accordion Spectacular, Melbourne – Australia
Accordion Event in Le parc de la Villette, Paris
– France