Coupe Mondiale International Piano Accordion Competition - USA
Contributed by 2007 Coupe Mondiale Coordinator, Faithe Deffner
The Coupe Mondiale International Piano Accordion Competition winner will receive a $5000 cash prize as a result of additional financing from the Carmen Carrozza (picture left) Scholarship Fund of the American Accordionists' Association.
Additionally, a concert tour to New Zealand and Australia sponsored by CIA Member, the New Zealand Accordion Association (NZAA), has been arranged for the winner of the Coupe Mondiale International Piano Accordion Competition. He or she will perform as a guest artist at the 2008 South Pacific Accordion Championships and Festival in Auckland and at the 14th Australian International Accordion Championships and Festival in Sydney.
The International Piano Accordion Competition winner and the five other Coupe Mondiale first-place winners have been invited to perform in a concert at Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in Washington DC, on Saturday, August 18th 2007. This performance will be simultaneously broadcast.
The 2007 Coupe Mondiale will take place at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, Virginia from August 13th to 18th. Rooms at this hotel are completely sold out. Accommodations at the same $99 Coupe Mondiale rate are now available at the Radisson Hotel, only 2-1/2 blocks away with shuttle service between hotels.
Rules, prizes and general information for all the Coupe Mondiale categories is online at www.coupemondiale.org For further information, contact 2007 Coupe Mondiale Coordinator Faithe Deffner: FDeffner@aol.com
Zero Sette Accordion Orchestra’s 20th Anniversary Year Celebrations, Lasarte-Oria – Spain
The Zero Sette Akordeoi Orkestra, from Lasarte-Oria in the Basque region of Northern Spain, celebrate their 20th anniversary year with a series of events. These events include:
In January there was an exhibition of photographs, trophies and other memorabilia belonging to the Zero Sette Akordeoi Orkestra in the Arts Center Manuel Lekuona in Lasarte-Oria. This included the publication of a book: ’20 Years of the Zero Sette Akordeoi Orkestra, written by Javier Zatarain.
On April 21st, at 7.30pm, the Zero Sette Akordeoi Orkestra will perform a concert Arts Center Manuel Lekuona.
The accordionist Gorka Hermosa will perform on May 4th, 8pm, at the Arts Center Manuel Lekuona.
On September 29th, at 7.30pm, there will be a concert in the Arts Center featuring Zelaia Nathalie Boucheix – France, Elsene Accordion Orchestra – Holland, and the Zero Sette Akordeoi Orkestra.
An anniversary supper takes place on November 24th for members, ex-members and friends of the Zero Sette Akordeoi Orkestra.
The Management Board of Matth Hohner AG has appointed Mr. Arthur Chuang, aged 40, and Mr. Klaus Stetter, aged 44, as additional Managing Directors of its subsidiary Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG, effective on February 1st 2007. After several years of stabilizing and improving the operation of the Company, this new management team under the leadership of Dr Bräuning, is to take the next steps for the future in international development of the Company for continuously long-term profitable growth.
With the strong consumer goods business experience of Mr Stetter and Mr Chuang’s long experience in the music industry internationally, including six years within the Hohner Company, in addition to the senior Managing Director Dr. Bräuning, Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is further equipped for taking up further challenges for long-term development of the Company.
Recently Friedrich Lips had two major performances in Moscow. The first one was dedicated to famous Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, to celebrate her 75th birthday. The Great Hall of Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory saw performances of the composer’s ‘De Profundis’ and in ‘In Croce’ (together with cellist Vladimir Toncha).
On February, 10th Lips had the pleasure to perform a Piazzolla-program - ‘Aconcagua’, ‘Four Seasons’, and other tangos) together with the Russian Philharmonic at the full-packed House of Music to an overwhelmed Moscovite audience.
The 2007 National Accordion Convention will be held from March 7th to 11th at the Richardson Hotel in Richardson, Texas. This popular annual festival will this year feature 'Accordion Diversity' and offer fun, workshops, jam sessions, accordion orchestras, the Swap Shop, Polka Festival and concerts. Billed as a ‘hands-on convention’, all participants are invited to bring their accordions.
The Convention Coordinators for this year include: Dick Albreski - Orchestra Librarian, Sharon Seaton - Traditional Workshops, and Ron Pivovar - Buttons and Polka Dance. There will be piano accordion workshops led by Dee Langley, Dale Wise and Jessica Faltot; Tex-Mex accordion taught by Joel Guzman, and accordion orchestras directed by Alice Aman and Daniel Orza. Dr. Daniel Kott will lead folk dance and polka dance sessions.
The 2007 Convention celebrates the 20th year of the National Accordion Association. Performers include Dee Langley and Trio Bez Ime, Marge Ford, Patti Gersich, Fred Ziwich, Don Lipovac, and the Pivovar Trio. The trade show includes Accordion-O-Rama, Ballarini/Petosa, Castle Accordions, Kohl Music Company, Monarch Accordions, and Mr. E's Music Company Swap Shop.
The 9th Kokkola Winter Accordion Festival takes place from February 18th to 25th, and includes a wide variety of music - classic to folk music, harmonicas to Tex-Mex, from today's modern pieces to evergreens and from church music to hard rock. Concerts, dances and open-air events form a part of the festival.
This year’s festival includes Fratres - hard rock and heavy rock concert, Osthrobothnian Chamber Orchestra with Mikko Luoma - live broadcast on Finnish Radio1, Maria Kalaniemi, Best Wishes, Sväng - a harmonica quartet, the Guardia Nueva orchestra, and the Gotan Project.
The NAO North Central Area Festival takes place at the Victoria Hall, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, on February 24th. This event is a qualifier for the NAO UK Championships in Scarborough (4th - 6th May) and also incorporates the Yorkshire Accordion & Music Festival, which includes additional sections for accordion, guitar, keyboard and piano.
The festival also features a trade show and an evening ceilidh, from 8pm, with music by accordionist Gary Blair. The adjudicators are Raymond Bodell (NAO Chairperson), Gary Blair and Karolyn Broiadhead and in attendance as the NAO Executive representative is Gina Brannelli (past NAO Chairperson). The event organiser is NAO Executive officer Harry Hinchcliffe.
Marco Lo Russo has been involved as actor, accordionist and composer in some tango scenes of the popular Italian television soap ‘Centovetrine’ that will be shown between March and April 2007.
On December 31st was contacted by the great film composer Ennio Morricone with compliments for his last CD ‘Mediterranean Accordion’, published and produced by Rai Trade.
He will take in the premiere of the first Italian performance of the opera ‘Maria Gallant’, by Kurt Weill, from February 20th to 25th at the National Theatre in Rome. For performing in this special production the Bugari Armando company of Castelfidardo has supplied a special instrument.
The Improvisation Ensemble is a non-profit making ensemble – duo, trio or quartet – that performs classical music by popular composers such as Mozart, JS Bach, Strauss, Brahms, Rossini and Bizet. The members include: Eric Blin – accordion and piano, Maryse Richard - clarinet, Damien Loiseau – clarinet, Yannick Orain - saxophone, Olga Hunzinger-Popova – violin, Nathalie Jouenne – flute, and Natalia Ermakova-Blin – cello. They have recorded two CDs, and will soon be releasing a third.
The Improvisation Ensemble’s concert dates include:
February 18th, 8.30pm – Church of Pre en Pail
24th, 8.30pm – Church of Chambray-les-Tours
25th, 4pm – Church of St Nicolas de Chateaubriant
March 4th, 4pm - Church of St Patrice de Bayeax
9th, 8.30pm - Church of Notre Dame de Vitre
10th, 8.30pm - Church of St Sulpice de Fougeres
11th, 4pm - Church of St Front de Domfront
17th, 8.30pm - Church of St -Denis d’Amboise
18th, 4pm - Church of Notre Dame de La Coutere du Mans
25th, 4pm - Church of Tremont
31st, 8.30pm - Church of Chateauneuf
April 14th, 8.30pm - Church of St Lazard de Leves
15th, 4pm - Church of St Pierre de St Georges des Sept Vaux
20th, 8.30pm - Church of d’Evrecy
21st, 8.30pm - Church of Pontlevoy
22nd, 4pm – Chapelle de L’Oratoire, Passais
28th, 8.30pm - Church of St Martin d’Argentan
29th, 4pm - Church of St Anne de Buais
Accordionist Julie Best is in concert at the Audley Theatre, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, on February 23rd, at 7.30pm. The North Staffs Accordion Band will also be performing.
Accordionist James Crabb and cellist Arto Noras, with the English Chamber Orchestra, perform ‘Seven Words', by Sofia Gubaidulina, on March 28th at the Cadogan Hall, London, UK. The concert begins at 7.30pm.
The second Printemps Tout Tango, a competitive music festival, takes place on April 7th and 8th. The closing date for entries is February 25th.
This year 2 entire days are dedicated to the world of Tango: Saturday 7th of April at the Grand Palais des Sport and Culture and Sunday 8th of April at the Casino ‘Flamingo’, featuring orchestras, dancers and music until early morning.
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The 2007 Coupe Mondiale will take place at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, Virginia from August 13th to 18th. Rooms at this hotel are completely sold out. Accommodations at the same $99 Coupe Mondiale rate are now available at the Radisson Hotel, only 2-1/2 blocks away with shuttle service between hotels.
The Zero Sette Akordeoi Orkestra, from Lasarte-Oria in the Basque region of Northern Spain, celebrate their 20th anniversary year with a series of events. These events include:
The Management Board of Matth Hohner AG has appointed Mr. Arthur Chuang, aged 40, and Mr. Klaus Stetter, aged 44, as additional Managing Directors of its subsidiary 
Recently 
The 9th Kokkola Winter Accordion Festival takes place from February 18th to 25th, and includes a wide variety of music - classic to folk music, harmonicas to Tex-Mex, from today's modern pieces to evergreens and from church music to hard rock. Concerts, dances and open-air events form a part of the festival.
The NAO North Central Area Festival takes place at the Victoria Hall, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, on February 24th. This event is a qualifier for the 
The festival also features a trade show and an evening ceilidh, from 8pm, with music by accordionist Gary Blair. The adjudicators are 
Marco Lo Russo
The Improvisation Ensemble is a non-profit making ensemble – duo, trio or quartet – that performs classical music by popular composers such as Mozart, JS Bach, Strauss, Brahms, Rossini and Bizet. The members include: Eric Blin – accordion and piano, Maryse Richard - clarinet, Damien Loiseau – clarinet, Yannick Orain - saxophone, Olga Hunzinger-Popova – violin, Nathalie Jouenne – flute, and Natalia Ermakova-Blin – cello. They have recorded two CDs, and will soon be releasing a third.
Accordionist Julie Best is in concert at the Audley Theatre, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, on February 23rd, at 7.30pm. The North Staffs Accordion Band will also be performing.
Accordionist James Crabb and cellist Arto Noras, with the English Chamber Orchestra, perform ‘Seven Words', by Sofia Gubaidulina, on March 28th at the Cadogan Hall, London, UK. The concert begins at 7.30pm.
The second Printemps Tout Tango, a competitive music festival, takes place on April 7th and 8th. The closing date for entries is February 25th.
