The Scotsman Newspaper (UK) featured an article on Jimmy Shand who performed for royalty for the seventh time on June 30th when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh traveled to Letham, Fife, to hear his music played. The Queen was seen to tap her foot and smile as the Letham accordion and fiddle group (led by 62 year old Jimmy Shand jnr), played three songs, including his father's first composition, Lunan Bay. Ninety-one year old Mr Shand said, "It's always a great honour to meet the Queen. I have met her six times before, so she's almost like an old friend now."

Jimmy Shand was admitted to hospital six weeks ago suffering from pneumonia and said he was delighted to be well enough to entertain the Queen. He said, "The Queen knew I had been ill and asked me if I was feeling better". His composition "Bluebell Polka" is said to be one of the Queen Mother's personal favourites.

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Accordion Teachers Guild President Emeritus, Anthony Galla-Rini appeared in concert on July 17th as part of their tribute to him, which was held at the ATG International Competition and Festival in Naperville, Chicago.

Galla-Rini will also conduct the Festival Orchestras which will perform at the Naperville Ampitheatre, on July 18th. For a full list of activities and schedule, please see the Festival pages on the ATG Website.

Contributed by the Intermusik Newspaper

The annual national competition "Jugend musiziert" held recently, was organized by the "Deutsche Musikrat" (German Music Council) in cooperation with many music associations and promoted by the "Federal Ministry of Family, Seniors, Women and Youth", regional and municipal administrations and the savings bank organisation.

Many young accordionists take part in the competition every year. Results of this year's competition:

13 & 14 yrs 1st Stefan Hähnlein, Simon Rössler, Kristina Walser, Stephanie Mauritz
15 & 16 yrs 1st Valentin But, Tina Lemmen
17 & 18 yrs 1st Susanne Stock, Stefan Walser
19 & 20 yrs 1st Nancy Laufer

Contributed by Toru Katou

On August 29th and 30th, the fifth annual "Irish Traditional Music Camp in Takashima" will be held at the Garibah Youth Travel Village, Shikagase 987-1, Takashima, Shiga Prefecture. Many enthusiasts of Irish melodeon and concertina music will gather for a variety of events including concerts, workshops and pub sessions. For further information email Mr Maekawa: CZR14340@niftyserve.ne.jp

Contributed by Dr Herbert Scheibenreif

The Kainuu Accordion Festival will take place from November 5th to 8th in Kainuu (northeast Finland). Guest artists and teachers attending the festival include Friedrich Lips (master-course), The Lithuanian Accordion Quintet (which is celebrating its 20th jubilee this year), Maria Kalaniemi (folk music course), Kalle Välimaa (course) and Jukka-Pekka Kuusela. Concerts will be held in several towns including Kuhmo (main concerts and all courses), Sotkamo and Ristijärvi. For further information please contact the artistic director of the festival, Jukka-Pekka Kuusela phone: + 358 40-5228987

Contributed by Wu Jie

From July 20th to August 10th, the 98' English Summer Camp sponsored by the Chengdu Education Committee will be held in Tang Lake Park, Shuangliu. About 120 children will participate in the event including 7 accordionists aged from 8 to 13 years old from the Chengdu Accordion School. Concerts will be held with a variety of instruments including the accordion. Accordionist/teacher Zhao Jun will attend the camp.

Contributed by Claudio Jacomucci & Anne Landa

From July 4th to 11th, Claudio Jacomucci and Anne Landa held an accordion workshop at the "Conservatorio Superior" in Barcelona for over 40 students and teachers. After the workshop, Claudio and Anne (Acco Land Duo) performed a concert with works by Gubaidulina, Berio, Donatoni, De Pablo and Pagliarani. The head of the accordion department at the Conservatory, Dioni Chico, is a very active performer of contemporary music, especially chamber music written by Catalan composers. The course was given a successful review by enthusiastic critics.

Contributed by Christine Adams

On July 8th, the Salzburger Accordion Orchestra (Austria) performed with the North Shore and West Auckland Accordion Orchestras in Auckland as part of their "Round the World" concert tour. Five New Zealand orchestras and the SCWALT quintet performed a variety program to an audience of over 400. The Saalfelden orchestra then played a popular program which included traditional Austrian folk songs including dancers and an Australian medley.

The day before they performed at the country town of Dargaville, where an enthusiastic audience gave them a standing ovation.

The orchestra has now traveled to Australia to perform a series of concerts in Melbourne, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Perth and Sydney.

Contributed by Paul Rogers

"Those Darn Accordions" are back from their 6th year at "Summerfest", Milwaukee where they performed 22 shows. They played many favourites including "Fire", "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy", "Beer Barrel" "Hamsterman", "Hotsy Totsy", "Baba O'Riley" and a new piece called "Wall of Gum".

They will be performing at the Cotati Accordion Festival on August 29th and then at the Strawberry Music Festival on September 6th.

For further information see Future Events

Contributed by Uli Ebner

At the "DHV Dreiländereck" Accordion Competition (German Harmonica Association, Dreiländereck) in Todtmoos, Germany, on June 27th the newly founded accordion orchestra of the Dreiländereck region made its debut appearance on stage. Orchestra members were musicians from different orchestras (directed by Wilhelm von Dungen). A highlight of their performance was the "Gilbert O'Sullivan Medley".

Contributed by the Intermusik Newspaper

French accordionist Marc Perrone has released a new CD "CinéSuite" which includes pieces written for three films by Jean Renoir ("Tire-au-flanc", "Catherine", and "The little Matchstick Girl"). Perrone recorded his works together with Marie-Odile Chantran (vocals), Isabelle Duthoit (clarinet), Jacques Di Donato (bass clarinet), Bernhard Lubat (piano, drums) and Denis Tuveri (accordion).

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Italian accordionists Cameli Giuliano and Marcosignori Gervasio will tour Australia from July 12th to August 8th. They will be performing concerts in Perth, Adelaide, Woolongong, Newcastle and at the Accordion Society of Australia competitions in Sydney.

For further information phone Sandro Giavannazzi: + 39 412092687

Contributed by Billie Hockett

On October 17th at 8pm Chris Sherburn (concertina) and Denny Bartley (vocals and guitar) will perform a concert at the Regent Theatre, Arlington, Massachusetts as part of their month long tour of the USA.

The duo from England and Ireland was formed in 1994. They perform a variety of Celtic music including "The Choice Wife," "Night Visiting Song," "The Little Beggarman" and "The World Turned Upside Down". In 1995 they released their first CD "Last Night's Fun!"

For further information email: bhockett@music-for-robin.org

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Italian accordionist Renzo Ruggieri recently composed, arranged and performed the music for "The Firesword", a play written by Pablo Neruda and directed by Paolo Perelli. The show is a combination of prose, dance mime and music and the accordion of Renzo Ruggieri, with its extensive use of digital effects, gave it a unique and magical character.

The director said, "In my theatre I try to develop both the intellectual and emotive sides. The accordion allows me to achieve this and to communicate even with foreigners." The show opened on June 3rd and 4th at the "Archimimus" theatre in Viterbo and was subsequently staged in the church of S. Francesco di Sutri (Italy).

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Three consecutive days of seminars, workshops, lectures, discussions and performances with accordionist-composer-author-philosopher Dr William Schimmel, will be held in New York City from July 31st to August 2nd.

Sponsored by the American Accordionists' Association, these events will be held at the Tenri Cultural Institute, (Guggenheim Museum Building). The events will feature an amazing array of guests including The Tango Project, Will Holshouser, Maddalena Belfiore, Faithe Deffner and many others.

For further information phone: + 1 212 876-0827

Contributed by Paolo Picchio

Giuseppe Panini was a great entrepreneur and an accordion enthusiast. His passion for the accordion turned him into an amateur musician and a collector of historical instruments. Today, a few months after his death, his heir has fulfilled his wish of donating these instruments to the International Accordion Museum in Castelfidardo. The collection consists of 89 pieces, including accordions, various bellow instruments, portable harmoniums (ca. 1800) and "musical boxes", also known as "canary organs", dating back to the late eighteenth - early nineteenth century.

The exquisite accordions are of various origins and cover the history of the instrument between 1828 and 1950. The "Panini" collection will be exhibited at the museum until next November. In 1984, Giuseppe Panini became an honorary citizen of Castelfidardo.

Contributed by Wayne Knights

A new video called "The Squeezebox Video" by John Young has just been released. The three-hour video shows how the accordion is constructed, gives an outline of musical theory and notation, and demonstrates how the accordion is played. John Young concentrates mainly on left-hand button techniques, explaining about chords, chord-changes and progressions, left-hand scales, runs, fills, intros and endings.

Contributed by Reuters News Service

As many of you will have seen in the news recently, it is the marching season in Northern Ireland and there have been a large number of marches involving thousands of people. The TV news often shows enthusiastic accordionists taking part in these traditional marches and entertaining crowds of people.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Sylvia Pagni will perform concerts in Italy from July 23rd to August 2nd. On July 23rd she will perform with Peppino Principe and the City Band of Porto San Giorgio in San Giorgio. On July 26th Sylvia will perform in San Ginesio and on August 2nd she will perform a program of classical music and jazz, as well as being part of the jury during the National Diatonic Accordion Competitions in Potenza.

Subject: Thanks for the article

Thank you very much for a fine article about our festival. I called the band "Lang Linken" and told them they were on the news. They were very happy to hear that.

I will email you further information concerning "The Lundeborg Festival" at the end of this month.

Many Greetings
Hans

Hello Hans,

Thanks for keeping in touch with accordionists of the world. It's surely a great way to promote your events at no cost! I look forward to hearing more about the Festival.

Best wishes,