Our German representative Uli Ebner arrived in New Zealand last week. News Manager Christine Adams collected Uli from the airport and transported him straight to the Auckland Town Hall for a concert by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra conducted by well known New Zealand composer Gary Daverne. The orchestra program included Daverne's composition "Caprice", originally commissioned by Harley Jones and performed by the Air New Zealand Accordion Orchestra in Europe. Uli attended the Europe concert and was thrilled to hear "Caprice" played for the first time by a Symphony Orchestra. The following night Uli was treated to an Accordions Worldwide dinner in the America's Cup Village in downtown Auckland. Uli is currently visiting the South Island of New Zealand and will return home to Germany in early February 2000.

Tania Lukic-Marx has now returned from her trip to Yugoslavia and CD reviews resume this week.

Wayne Knights Webmaster

• Spanish Music Festival - Netherlands
• Standing Ovation at Sell Out Concert - Germany
• South American Music Performance - South Africa
• Music Academy Concerts - Poland
• UMKC Orchestra Performs to Sold Out Audience - USA
• Kennett Accordion Orchestra Success - UK
• 11th Annual Concert by Viennese Ensemble - Austria
• Mexican Band Concert - USA
• Traditional English and Celtic Concert - Japan
• Finnish Accordionist at Bayan Festival - Russia
• Nutcracker Suite for the Holidays - USA
• Night of Tango - China
• First International Meeting of Accordionists - Slovakia
• Early Music with the Yorkshire Concertina Club - UK
• Cafe Christmas Performance - USA
• Accordionist takes Melbourne by Storm - Australia
• New Accordion Journal Planned - UK
• Royal Academy Concert - Denmark
• Concert Broadcast on Radio - Canada
• "Christmas Celebration" - USA
• New Sites
• Antique Accordion Information

Contributed by Hillebrand van der Veen

A Spanish music festival "España Viva" will be held on January 30th, 2000 at the theatre De Rietwijker, Amsterdam Noord. Four orchestras from the Amsterdam Accordion Club Forzando will play Spanish music. Most of their repertoire has been arranged specially including "La Danza del Corregidor" (Manual de Falla) and many well known songs such as "Clavelitos", "Las Mañanitas" and "Cielito Lindo".

The orchestra has invited guest performers from one of the Spanish Cultural organizations in Amsterdam to perform and teach the main steps of the "Sevillanas" dance. Many visitors (some of whom have never heard an accordion orchestra before) are expected to attend this event. For further information email: H.J.Veen@net.HCC.nl

Contributed by Winfried Haushalter

The recent annual concert by the First Cologne Accordion Orchestra was a great success with the orchestra receiving a standing ovation. This sell out concert in the Concert Hall of the School of Music included a varied program by the various orchestras. Their program included "Die Diebische Elster" (The Thieving Magpie) by Rossini, "Music of the Night" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" (Arr. M. Hennecke) and a Special-Medley by the American Film Music Composer Morricone.

An arrangement of the balkan-gypsy-like "Concert-Hora" for soloist and orchestra by Hans Boll (arr. A.- H. Kölz) was performed for the first time. Performances were also given by the Children and Youth Orchestra and the First Cologne Barbershop Choir. The evening concluded with a performance of "The Final Countdown" by the First Cologne Accordion Orchestra.

Accordionist Sergio Zampolli (Duo 2000) will perform a repertoire of South American music in two concerts with Rocco de Villiers (piano) in Stellenbosch on December 17th and 18th.

Contributed by Lech Puchnowski

Recent concerts given by Klaudiusz Baran in the Music Academy of Warsaw Concert Hall during November and December have been well received. The first included works by D. Scarlatti, J. S. Bach, A. Repnikov, A. Banszczikov, Ole Schmidt, H. Brehme, Astor Piazzolla (Grand Tango for cello and accordion) and Fr. Poulenc (clarinet and accordion). Over 400 people attended.

On December 8th Klaudiusz performed "Concerto No.3" (A. Repnikov) with the Academy Symphony Orchestra.

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Cathy Sommers, the current United States ATG Solo Accordion Champion, made her conducting debut at the annual American Family Christmas Concert held in Kansas City last weekend.

Filling in for her mother Joan Sommers (recovering from surgery on two broken legs after a fall in Switzerland), the orchestra performed to almost 1300 people during these annual sold out performances, which will celebrate 25 years in December 2000.

The UMKC Accordion Orchestra also accompanied the University Choirs during many of their selections, while under the direction of Eph Ely.

Contributed by David Watson

The Kennet Accordion Orchestra retained their Southern Area title at the National Accordion Festival, held in Wimborne, Dorset recently, playing "American Impressions" (Curt Mahr). This orchestra are currently Southern and Thames Area champions. First place success was also achieved by the preparatory orchestra, with Marilyn Mason & Michele Tarry winning the Intermediate Duet section.

The orchestra also performed recently at The John O'Gaunt School. This concert was organized to raise funds for dinner and entertainment to be provided at a Christmas function for elderly people who live in the area.

Contributed by Dr Herbert Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich Lips Productions

The Viennese Accordion Chamber Ensemble held its 11th annual concert in Perchtoldsdorf (near Vienna). Their program included transcriptions by Mozart, Marcello, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Piazzolla. The ensemble then performed "Irish Suite" (one of its favorites) with M. Seiber. The rest of their program was dedicated to Austria's world-famous "King of Waltzes" (Johann Strauss) and included "Pizzicato-Polka", "Perpetumm moblie", concluding with "Radetzky March".

Contributed by Wayne Carey

Each Thanksgiving (November 25th), Austin celebrates its traditional Mexican Band Concert. Over 3000 people attended this year's event, which included popular performances by Mandingo (which includes accordionist Francisco Javier Scatters), "Los Tigres", "Los Yonics" and "Intenso". Featured group this year was "Los Tigres del Norte" one of Mexico's most well-known groups who performed "rock-solid norteno ballads" to the enthusiastic crowd.

Contributed by Toru Katou

On December11th, "Galopede" (including Eiichi Yoneyama on concertina) will perform traditional English and Celtic tunes at the blue-grass and country pub "Rocky Top". For further information email: pfg01301@nifty.ne.jp

Finnish accordionist Mika Väyrynen will perform at a Bayan Festival held at the Gnessin-Academy in Moscow on December 18th. The artistic chief is Professor Friedrich Lips. Mika will perform new accordion music by Finnish composers like Kaipainen, Nuorvala and Segerstam as well as works by Bruggemann, Constant, Grieg and Mehul. For further information email: mika.vayrynen@pp.inet.fi

Contributed by Kevin Friedrich

Stas Venglevski's recording of the Nutcracker Suite is proving to be a popular holiday treat! Stas felt that because Tchaikovsky's musical language often evokes and employs folk melodies, and that the accordion is often used in Russian folk music, meant it was a natural medium for expressing these ethnic qualities in Tchaikovsky's music. The accordions vast range of sound possibilities allows him to recreate the rich orchestral textures.

Stas feels that Tchaikovsky's harmonies seem so perfectly suited to the bayan that the composer could as easily have written the Nutcracker for the accordion. For an order form and some samples of the Nutcracker Suite CD, please visit: www.accordions.com/stas

Contributed by Li Cong

A South American style concert "Argentina, night of Tango" was held in the Shanghai Concert Hall on November 24th. Director of the Shanghai Accordion Association Cheng Li Ming was invited to play, accompanied by the Shanghai Light Music Orchestra and Argentine pianist Marcela Fioriio. Their program included "Milonga Del Angel", "Sur", "La Cumparsita" and "Blue Sky Tango". The concert was well received by an audience of over 1000 people.

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

The First International Accordionists' Meeting took place from November 17th to 21st in Poprad, at the foot of the Tatra mountains in Slovakia organized by Dr. Viera Grohova, director of the Poprad School. The event included a competition for young accordionists (under 18), three seminars and four evening concerts.

The competition jury consisted of Nicolai Kravtsov (Russia), Paolo Picchio (Italy), Stefan Eperjesi (Slovakia), Klaudiusz Baran (Poland) and Robert Tatar (Slovakia). Winners include: Zuzana Vikarska (Poprad), Ludowika Czyzydlo (Poland) and Dmitri Belechov (Russia).

Seminars were held by Nicolai Kravtsov, who introduced his personal model of accordion featuring lozenge-shaped buttons representing a beehive, and by Paolo Picchio, who discussed the problems of ornamentation in Domenico Scarlatti's Sonatas and the works of Astor Piazzolla.

The opening concert featured the Kosice Accordion Orchestra (conducted by Vladimir Cuchran). The next two days included a performance by the duo Klaudiusz Baran (accordion) & Malvina Banas (cello) and a concert featuring students of the St. Petersburg Academy. The final evening was devoted entirely to the competition winners.

Contributed by Jane Edwards

The Yorkshire Concertina Club will hold their first meeting in the year 2000 on January 16th in West Yorkshire, featuring "Early Music" with Dave Ball. The club will hold regular meetings on the third Sunday of each month during 2000. For further information email: jedwards@wrenbeck.u-net.com

Contributed by Erik Lillestol

The Cafe Accordion Orchestra will perform at a special holiday show at the Baumgartner Auditorium on the University of St. Thomas on December 10th featuring songs from their new CD "Café Christmas". The CD includes "The Christmas Waltz", "Feliz Navidad", "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" (cha-cha) and "Jingle Bells" (performed in paso doble style). In addition, the orchestra will make a special appearance on Minnesota Public Radio's "Morning Show" on December 10th. For further information email: Erik.J.Lillestol@norwest.com

Accordionist Bernadette Conlon recently brought the accordion to the ears of a new audience at a recital for the Theatre Organ Society of Australia. Bernadette appeared with Sydney organist Neil Jansen on the MIDI accordion.

Following the concert Bernadette was asked to perform at the unveiling of the newly restored organ at the Colburg Town Hall. This new millenium concert, organized by the Theatre Organ Society of Australia, will be held on February 20th, 2000.

Contributed by Malcolm Miller

Ethnomusicologists are warmly invited to contribute to a new and exciting journal about the accordion entitled "The Accordion in all its Guises" (a one off issue in 2 volumes with accompanying CD, of the on going journal "Musical Performance" series published by Harwood Academic Publishers). The journal aims to cover both classical and traditional folk uses of the instrument in as diverse a way as possible. Contributors are noted scholars and performers from all over the world.

If you would like to contribute an item on some aspect of accordion performance either traditional, popular or classical please email: malcolm@mbbmiller.freeserve.co.uk

Accordionist Krassimir Sterev performed a debut concert in the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen on December 6th. His program included "Schrift 3" (Bernhard Lang), the premiere performance of "Akkordeon und Rauschen" (Peter Ablinger), "La Testa d`Adriana" (Robert Murray Schafer), Sonata No.2 "Black birds" (Kalevi Aho) and Sonata "Et Exspecto" (Sofia Gubaidulina).

Canadian "Duo Arcana" which includes accordionists Pierre-Paul Provencher & Laurie Rosewarne performed at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa on December 9th. This concert will be broadcast on the Radio-Canada program "La chaine culturelle" on December 12th. Their program included "Fugue in G Major" (Bach), "Cantilene" (Abbott), "Aria" (Bach) and "Presque du Rachmaninov" (Abbott).

Contributed by Bob Kowalski

Accordionist John Jeski & The John Jeski Band performed Christmas music at a free outdoor concert called "Christmas Celebration" in "Little Italy", Hartford, Connecticut on December 3rd. Over 900 people attended the event which included Christmas favorites, Carol singing, polkas, music from Italy and a visit from Santa.

http://www.accordions.com/cantus Information on the Lithuanian accordion quintet "Cantus", winners of the Castelfidardo prize and special Accordions Worldwide prize.

http://www.accordions.com/principe Information on accordionist and conductor Peppino Principe

http://www.accordions.com/coscia Information on professional jazz musician Gianni Coscia

http://www.accordions.com/beltrami Information on accordionist Wolmer Beltrami (1922 - 1999)

http://www.borsini-accordions.com Updated information on the Borsini Accordion Manufacturer

http://music-marche.com Updated information on the Consortium for the protection, the promotion and the development of hand-crafted, quality musical instruments produced in Marche, Italy.

http://www.strasser-harmonikas.com Updated information on Manufacturer Strasser Harmonikas in English and German

Dick Schaff has a Concertone piano accordion made in Germany around 1931 and would like more information about this instrument. Please email: rschaff2@rochester.rr.com

Lesley would like information on a Francini accordion, made in Italy. Please email: Smithles50@aol.com

Rob & Nita Paul would like some information on an accordion made by Marotta Silvio in Italy, believed to be 35 to 40 years old. They have put the instrument in their Church's library and would like to include some history on it. If you can help please email: Rob318@aol.com