Contributed by Harley Jones, CIA Public Relations Manager
The winner of the 2007 CIA Coupe Mondiale in Alexandria, VA is Alexander
Sevastian of Canada. Born in Belarus, and a student of Friedrich Lips in
Moscow, Alexander has resided in Canada since 2001 where he became a
Canadian citizen.
Alexander won $5,000.00 in cash, donated by the co-host ATG in honor of
the late Anthony Galla-Rini and he will also receive a concert tour to
Portugal compliments of the CIA member, the Conservatorio Regional de
Castelo Branco, and also a trip to Las Vegas as a guest of the Las Vegas
International Accordion Convention in October, 2008. Other prize winners
include:
Coupe Mondiale
1st: Alexander SEVASTIAN - CANADA
2nd: Li LONG - CHINA ($1500 - Cash Award)
3rd: Linar DAVLETBAEV - RUSSIA ($500 - Cash Award)
International Competition for Piano Accordion
1st: Stanislav JUSUFOVIC - SERBIA ($5000 - Cash Award from the AAA Carmen
Carozza Fund and a 2008 Concert Tour to New Zealand and Australia hosted by
CIA Member the New Zealand Accordion Association)
2nd: Goran STEVANOVIC - BOSNIA, ($1500 - Cash Award)
3rd: Grayson MASEFIELD ($500 - Cash Award), NEW ZEALAND
Junior Coupe Mondiale
1st: Ruslan OSIPOV - RUSSIA ($1500 - Cash Award)
2nd: Barbara SLAVINSKA - POLAND ($800 - Cash Award)
3rd: Robi SIMONELLI - CROATIA ($500 - Cash Award)
International Competition for Ensemble Music
1st: Art of Accordion Quintet - GERMANY ($1000 - Cash Award)
Alexander CARGNELLI, Clemens TSCHALLEIER, Sarah STAIGER,
Michaela HEPP and Ralf BRENDLE
2nd: International Duo - POLAND ($500 - Cash Award)
Lidia KAMINSKA (accordion) and Doug O'CONNOR (saxophone - USA)
3rd: Accordion Quintet Hof - GERMANY ($350 - Cash Award)
Florian WEICHERT, Delia ZEILINGER, Sarah SMITH, Nicole RAUH and Silvia
THUROFF
International Competition for Virtuoso Entertainment Music
Jeremie BUIRETTE - FRANCE ($1500 - Cash Award)
Felicien BRUT - FRANCE ($800 - Cash Award)
Benoit CHABOD - FRANCE ($500 - Cash Award)
Junior International Competition for Virtuoso Entertainment Music
Eric ALLARD-JACQUIN - FRANCE ($1000 - Cash Award)
Sarah VONAU - FRANCE ($500 - Cash Award)
Pierre LAVAL - FRANCE ($350 - Cash Award)
The Coupe Mondiale was attended by delegates and contestants representing more than 25 countries as they gathered at the first Coupe Mondiale in the USA in more than 25 years. Each of the concerts and competitions attracted standing room only audiences as guests enjoyed a diverse variety of musical styles.
Performances took place throughout Washington including nightly concerts at
the famed Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, an outdoor appearance on
the Washington Mall with the backdrop of the US Capitol Building, outdoor
performances in front of City Hall in historical Alexandria as well as
numerous daily concerts at the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza Hotels in
Alexandria.
The event concluded with the World Accordion Orchestra spectacular under
the direction of Joan C. Sommers. The 166 strong accordion orchestra
performed 3 works, including the World Premiere of Lest We Forget by Lenny
Stack, well known Los Angeles based composer.
For more information, full results and Daily Reports, please visit
www.coupemondiale.org
A New Chamber Opera Premiere Featuring Accordion, Helsinki – Finland
The Finnish composer Seppo Pohjola has written a chamber opera called ‘Rakkaimpani’. It is scored for soprano, baritone and a quintet (accordion, clarinet, violin, viola and cello), accordion being the binding factor in the ensemble.
The premiere was on the August 18th in Turku, Finland. There will be further two performances during the Helsinki Festival at the old opera house in Helsinki on August 25th and 26th at 7.30pm (both days). The composer, Seppo Pohjola, provides the following note for the piece:
“The impulse for my opera ‘Rakkaimpani’ (‘My Dearest’) came from a commission from baritone Pekka Haahti. As the basis for the text I proposed the wartime correspondence between my maternal grandparents, Lyyli and Urho Leppihalme, of 1941-1944. I had been given the letters to read a few years earlier and had been impressed by their precise picture of the times and their powerful emotional undercurrent.
Then when I began editing the letters for the opera libretto I noticed to my delight that there was no need for me to invent the dialogue myself. All I had to do was select. I composed ‘Rakkaimpani’ in the latter half of 2005. In my music I sought to emulate the noble, simple style of the letters. The special feature of the score is the major role played in the ensemble by an accordion.
On the one hand this instrument is naturally associated with Finland´s past, and the war years in particular. On the other hand it can be used to generate a predominantly melancholy elegiac mood”.
The movie ‘La Vie En Rose’, released worldwide in June 2007, tells the story of the legendary French singer Edith Piaf (1915-63), played by Marion Cotillard. Piaf’s recordings and performances often featured accordion accompaniment, and the accordionist featured in the film is Eric Dahan. A soundtrack CD, featuring music from the film, includes ‘La Vie En Rose’, ‘Milord’, ‘Je Ne Regrette, Rien’, ‘L'Hymne à l'Amour’, ‘Les Mômes de La Cloche’, and incidental music.
‘La Vie En Rose’ (released in France as La Môme) has received excellent reviews in many countries, and also serves as a good advertisement for the accordion. One of the reviews says: “a provocative and loving biopic featuring a commanding performance from Marion Cotillard as the famous performer. Her journey from reluctant street singer to international star is littered with personal problems that make her most famous song, ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’ (‘No Regrets’), ring out as a cry of defiance in the face of adversity”.
The international Roland V-Accordion Festival series has begun! The Italian national final took place on August 19th in Aosta, within the ‘Fisa Fest 2007’ event.
4 accordionists participated in the competition:
Saro Calandi (from Sesto Sangiovanni (Mi), 32 years old, played FR-7b)
Sasà Mendoza (from Napoli, 47 years old, played FR-3)
Gianfranco Vecchione (from Taranto, played FR-7) Pavel Runov (from Milano, 31 years old, played FR-7b - picture right)
Each player performed with Roland V-Accordion models in front of an audience of approximately 800 people. Their performances were adjudicated by a jury consisting of representatives of the accordion world - Sergio Scappini, a well-known accordionist, winner of CMA and master teacher at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan, Giorgio Dellarole - teacher at the Aosta Conservatory, Arrigo Agujaro - accordion dealer at Musica Più in Rivoli, Turin, and Seiji Kameda - Marketing Manager at Roland, Italy.
All the contestants were evaluated on the basis of their playing skill, musicality, creativity, capabilities of drawing the unique characteristics and potential of the V-Accordion models. The jury proclaimed Pavel Runov winner of the Italian final and finalist in the International Final.
Pavel Runov played Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’ from the ‘Four Seasons’, Franz Liszt’s ‘La Campanella’, and Khachaturyan’s ‘Sabre Dance’, with Roland FR-7b, and he was awarded by the chief of the jury, Sergio Scappini, with the Roland FR-7.
The Roland V-Accordion Festival series continues, and next will be the turn of Brazil. The national final will take place September 1st, at the Elis Regina Theatre in São Paulo.
Lydie Auvray Celebrates 30 Years as a Performer – Germany
Accordionist Lydie Auvray celebrates 30 years as a professional accordionist and 25 years leading the Auvrettes on Saturday November 3rd in a concert, with other artistes, at the Kulturkirche, Merheimer street, Cologne.
Accordionist Salvatore Cauteruccio leads a Jazz Tango Quartet in a concert on August 29th, 10pm, at the Buonvicino Arts Festival. Salvatore Cauteruccio is also the Artistic Director of the Buonvicino Arts Festival, which runs from August 27th to 29th.
Accordionist and vocalist Steve Roxton performs every nigfht of the week throughout the summer season at venues in Jersey. His schedule is as follows:
Sunday - Mayfair Hotel, St Helier, 8-30pm
Monday - West View Hotel, St. Mary, 8-30pm
Tuesday - Hotel Metropole, St. Helier, 6-30pm
Wednesday - Fort D'Auvergne Hotel, Havre-des-Pas
Thursday - Mayfair Hotel & Bar 27, Royal Hotel, St Helier, 8-30pm
Friday - Monterey Hotel, St. Helier, 8-30pm
Saturday - Norfolk Lodge Hotel, St. Helier, 8-30pm
Also, Steve Roxton organises the accordion club ‘Les Amis de l'Accordeon de Jersey’ on the first Tuesday of the month at the Priory, Devil's Hole, St Mary, 8pm. Concerts feature Steve Roxton, The Jersey Accordion Band, and individual players.
In July Domi Emorine and Roman Jbanov held a master-class in the city of La Bourboule which played host to the CMA Trophee Mondiale 2 years ago. The date for next year’s master classes, for all styles and levels, will be August 9th to 14th 2008.
Also in July, the duo, played three concerts of French and Russian music, organised by the General Council of the Maritime Alps, at Valdeblore, La Roquette, and at Gréolières.
Those Darn Accordions, from California, perform as follows:
August 26th - Cotati Accordion Festival, California
September 8th - Widmer Oktoberfest, Portland, Oregon
10th to 13th - Puyallup Fair, Washington
28th and 29th - Columbia County Oktoberfest, St. Helens, Oregon
On September 18th, Those Darn Accordions release a new CD ‘Squeeze Machine’. TDA’s publicity says: “We squeezed 15 songs onto the CD, some of which you'll recognize if you've seen our recent live shows: ‘Tandem Bike’, ‘Heads and Horns’, and a cover of AC/DC's ‘Back in Black’. Paul sings a polka duet with America's funnyman Drew Carey (‘Glass of Beer Polka’), obviously a highlight. Long time fans will likely remember ‘Bob and the Office People’, which we finally managed to capture for posterity, and there will be plenty of other musical surprises as well. We think it was worth the wait.”
Derwentside Accordion Club, based at the Castleside Woking Men’s Club, Consett, County Durham, was founded in 1977 and is one of England’s longest established accordion clubs. Derwentside AC’s monthly concert guest artistes, 7.45pm, include:
August 27th – Willie McFarlane
September 27th – Bon Accords
October 25th – Colin Bradford
November 29th – Brian Griffin
English
Deutsch
Français
Italiano 
Español
Chinese 
Russian 
Alexander won $5,000.00 in cash, donated by the co-host 
The Finnish composer Seppo Pohjola has written a chamber opera called ‘Rakkaimpani’. It is scored for soprano, baritone and a quintet (accordion, clarinet, violin, viola and cello), accordion being the binding factor in the ensemble.
The international 
4 accordionists participated in the competition:
Pavel Runov (from Milano, 31 years old, played FR-7b - picture right)
Pavel Runov played Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’ from the ‘Four Seasons’, Franz Liszt’s ‘La Campanella’, and Khachaturyan’s ‘Sabre Dance’, with Roland FR-7b, and he was awarded by the chief of the jury, Sergio Scappini, with the Roland FR-7.
Lydie Auvray
Buonvicino Arts Festival, Buonvicino – Italy
Lorenzo Munari Concert, Poviglio – Italy
Accordionist and vocalist Steve Roxton performs every nigfht of the week throughout the summer season at venues in Jersey. His schedule is as follows:
In July 
The next appearances of the 
Those Darn Accordions, from California, perform as follows:
