As a popular portable instrument the accordion was brought to various countries in different periods and each country has its own history of first performers, repairers, orchestras etc.

We have devoted a large section in Accordions Worldwide to the History of the Accordion, which you can find in the "General Information" and we have invited people to write a history of the accordion in their country. Unfortunately, this has not always happened and therefore some countries contain less information than we would like. We therefore invite anyone who can help us, to please send me an email.

Wayne Knights Webmaster

• Christmas Eve Concert - Netherlands
• Jubilee Year for Accordionists - Lithuania
• Accordion featured in Millenium Lottery - Canada
• "Pop Goes the Accordion" - USA
• Duo with Plenty of Spirit - France
• Cowbells at Canterbury Christmas Party - England
• Red Lion Christmas Concert - Japan
• Millenium Concert with Accordion Ensemble SottoVoce - Switzerland
• Belford Guests - England
• Concert Broadcast on TV - Poland
• Accordionist at Opera Christmas Concert - Australia
• Accordion Songwriter Workshop - USA
• Ruggieri on Tour in England and Ireland
• Fermín Gurbindo Perform Christmas Concert - Spain
• Jet Set Zydeco Concert - USA
• Liberte at Christmas Special - Japan
• Sell Out Concert at "Skyttehuset" - Denmark
• Christmas Dancing - France
• Chiltern Concertina Special - UK
• Lively Russian Folk Concert - USA
• Orchestra Performs at Christmas Carol Concert - New Zealand
• Barbara Lucchi and Massimo Venturi Release a New CD - Italy
• New Sites
• New Article
• Antique Accordion Information

Contributed by Hendrik-Jan Teerink

Accordionist Peer van Der Burgh will perform at a Christmas Eve Dinner Party at the Holiday Inn in Leiden, Holland, where the audience will be entertained with accordion music while enjoying their Christmas meal. Peer's program will include French "chansons" and musette-waltzes, Irish ballads, Italian romantic songs, Greek songs and other instrumental pieces from all over the world.

Lithuanian duo Eduardas Gabnys & Gennady Savkov celebrated their 20th Jubilee earlier this year with a concert at the Lithuanian Music Academy. Following this, the duo took part in the "III Kainunn Harmonikkafestivaali" in Kuhmo, Finland giving concerts in Suomisalmi, Kuhmo and Sotkamo.

In November they took part in the second International Accordion music Festival in Cheliabinsk, Russia playing several concerts. Concerts were also given by F. Lips, A. Dmitriev, N. and N. Ishenko Duo and V. Murza.

Contributed by Mario Bruneau

"Loto-Québec", a lottery in Québec, Canada, is using this nicely drawn accordion to illustrate the Millennium version of their Mini Lottery (the Mini being the most affordable draw of Loto-Québec). These accordions can be seen everywhere - in supermarkets and cigar stores. What a refreshing sight!

Contributed by Bob Kowalski

Accordionist John Jeski and the John Jeski band has just released a CD entitled "Pop Goes the Accordion". The CD has 16 tracks of popular music (with a few accordion surprises) including "Wind Beneath My Wings", "Just You & I" and "Memory".

For further information email: sbobkowalski@home.com

Formed on the initiative of the "Jeunesses Musicales de France" (French Musical Youth), a new duo made up of Jérôme Richard and Frédéric Deschamps have performed a well received concert show in Limousin, Fourmies (Pas de Calais), Calais, Merville, Bethune, Dunkerque, Limoges, Brive and Sarlat during November and December.

The duo aims to provide a different experience for primary and intermediate school pupils, so they designed a "comic-educational-musical" program! Jérôme Richard, cast as the "lecturer's assistant", immediately sets the mood of the show with a string of gags and clumsy mistakes. Throughout the show, he never stops systematically annoying the lecturer Frédéric Deschamps (cast as "Maestro Dussoufflet"). With his jazz improvisations in the middle of a Mozart sonata, uncontrolled strains of a chorale by Franck mixed with "Le temps des cathédrales", his refusal to leave the stage, with disguises, puns and jokes, they have all the ingredients to captivate the younger audience.

This successful and innovative show has the special appeal necessary to help children discover a modern and eclectic instrument, and that helps ensure a positive future for the accordion.

On December 7th Sue Bennett played the accordion and "Austrian Cowbells" at the Canterbury Accordion Club's Christmas party. The successful evening included accordion solo performances from local members including Dougie Inkpen, followed by Sue accompanied by accordionist Peter Boorman.

Contributed by Toru Katou

On December19th, Kumiko Suyama will perform the accordion and piano at a "Christmas Afternoon" at the "Red Lion" Restaurant, Yodogawa Ward, Osaka. For further information email: redlion@red.interq.or.jp

Contributed by Philipp Griner

On December 3rd the Accordion Ensemble SottoVoce held its last concert in this millennium at the APH Ergolz in Ormalingen. The audience was treated to both ensemble and solo performances including "Herbst-Elegie" (Hans Brehme), "Präludium und Fuge in a-Moll" and "Irish Suite" (Matyas Seiber). Compositions by Dölf Kessler ("Ländler-Walzer", "Bazar") and Tobias Widmer ("Glory Mountain"), were presented, which were composed especially for the SottoVoce ensemble.

The Carlyle Family were guests of the Belford Accordion and Fiddle Club recently, performing a program of tunes from Shetland, Orkney, Scandinavia and Scotland, which were well received by the audience.

The Family will play at the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew (Scotland) on Hogmanay (December 31st) as part of the hotel's Millennium celebrations. For details email: Matt@mcarlyle.freeserve.co.uk

Contributed by Lech Puchnowski

The December 8th concert by accordionist Klaudiusz Baran at the Music Academy of Warsaw was broadcast on Polish television. Klaudiusz performed Concerto No.3 (A. Repnikov) with the Academy Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Zygmunt Rychert) in the Academy Concert Hall.

This concert was so successful that the audience insisted on two encores plus requests for further concerts. The first of these will be held on January 16th 2000. For further information email: accpuch@chopin.edu.pl

Australian accordionist Bernadette Conlon was the guest performer at the Opera Society's Christmas concert in Melbourne on December 9th. The concert program also included the Australian Boys Choir and soloists from Opera Australia.

Prior to this Bernadette performed seven concerts with a full symphony orchestra in the Melbourne Concert Hall, aimed at introducing pre-school and school aged children to music and instruments of the orchestra.

Accordionist Ponty Bone will hold an "Accordion Songwriter Workshop" from January 21st to 23rd, 2000 in Waring, Texas. Workshops include a focus on the songwriting process and how that process relates to technique and performance. The goal is to create some new songs and to expand awareness of how playing and singing can be improved.

A concert and dance featuring Ponty's band, the "Squeezetones" will be held on the Saturday night. Other fun events such as impromptu performing around the campfire are also planned. For further information phone: + 1 830 995-3552

Renzo Ruggieri recently completed a tour of the United Kingdom, with concerts in Drogheda (Ireland), Darlington (North England) and Caister (East England). The British audiences showed great appreciation for his mix of traditional pieces and excursions into contemporary jazz, as well as swing standards and improvisations. The final concert at the "Caister Accordion Weekend" (attended by over 600 people) was well received, where Renzo played an original program on both acoustic and MIDI accordion. The tour was organized by Fausto Fabi, sales manager of the Orla and Piermaria accordion firms.

Spanish group "Fermín Gurbindo" will perform a Christmas Concert on December 29th in the church of San Bartolomé of Logroño in Larioja, Spain. Their program will include "White Christmas", "Jingle Bells" and "Christmas Fantasy" Fermín Gurbindo members include accordionist Pilar Rubio, Jose María Saez, María Lombillo, Teresa Marrodán and Juan Carlos Gutierrez.

USA group "Jet Set Zydeco" will open the C. J. Chenier concert (son of Clifton Chenier) on December 17th in Austin, Texas. The following evening the group will perform at the 2nd Annual Texas Squeeze Accordion festival in Uhland, Texas. This event will feature a variety of groups playing cajun, Tex-Mex, conjunto and zydeco music.

Contributed by Toru Katou

Accordion duo "Liberte" (Norimichi Nagasaka and Misuzu Minou) will perform at the "Xmas Special Dinner" at the Racconto Italian Restaurant, Rizo Naruohama, Nishinomiya, Hyougo Prefecture on December 23rd. For details email: ongakuya@music.office.ne.jp

Contributed by Arne Morsing

The "Thisted Harmonikaorkester" performed their last concert this century at the "Skyttehuset" Restaurant in Koldby, near Thisted on December 9th. The sell out concert included tunes from their new CD "Thisted Harmonikaorkester spiller ud no.3" and Christmas Carols. Their next concert will take place on January 19th, 2000.

French accordionist Jean-Robert Chappelet will play dance music at "Le Temporel" in Albertville with his trio on December 18th. Following this the band will entertain on Boxing Day (December 26th) at "l'alhambra", Megève. Their program will include gospel, jazz, tangos, swing and tsigane music. For further information email: jr.chappelet@wanadoo.fr

Contributed by Jon McNamara

On December 12th over 30 players from the Chiltern Concertina Group performed a Christmas "Special" concert in Mauldon, Bedfordshire. This was followed by a popular "Carol Concert" at the Taymer Old Age Pensioners Home.

On December 4th, conductor Victor Gorodinsky lead his University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra in a lively concert in Madison, Wisconsin. Guest artists included Jim Vandelly (bayan) who played Yuri Kasakov's arrangement of "Variations on a Ukranian Theme" as well as other Russian folk songs to an appreciative audience. Accordionist Howard Grueneberg of Illinois was a guest in the accordion section of the orchestra.

After the concert, audience members flooded the stage to talk to all the musicians, ask questions about the instruments, and to express their appreciation for what they called a "wonderful concert."

Contributed by Christine Adams

The North Shore Musicale Orchestra performed at a Christmas Carol concert on December 12th in Auckland. Guest conductors led the orchestra in "jazzed up" versions of "Snoopy's Christmas", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Jingle Bells" to an appreciative audience of over 200. Earlier the same day the orchestra performed with three other orchestras, entertaining over 100 people at the bi-annual "Music For All Concerts".

Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Following the success of their previous albums, "Come una favola" and "Luna di miele", Barbara Lucchi and Massimo Venturi recently completed a new CD called "Accordeon Vol. 5" featuring a selection of their own compositions. For further information please contact: ven.luc@mail.asianet.it or SEM

http://www.accordions.com/regina Information on Regina hand made accordions

http://www.accordions.com/mac Information on the Milwaukee Accordion Club

http://www.accordions.com/christian Information on accordionists Kim and Dan Christian

http://www.accordions.com/keithdickson Information on the Keith Dickson Accordion Orchestra, 1999 UK Showband Champions

http://www.accordions.com/index/his/his_pol.shtml A report of the extensive accordion activities in Poland during the last year.

Steve Robinson is trying to trace the manufacturer of his 120 bass piano accordion, which has the name Stradavox. It is a double cassotto instrument, made in Italy and has a U.S. design patent number. It is possible the instrument was made by Busilacchio. If you can help please email: srobinson@talk21.com

Pam Sublette would like some information on an accordion with F. Nardone & Son and a peacock and rhinestones on the grille. It also has Giulio in big letters beside the bellows. Pam believes the instrument was made before 1925. If you can help please email: Pjs5691@aol.com

Richard Russ would like some information on a Bonelli accordion made in Italy, which has been in the family since 1930 which he thinks is a hand made instrument. Please email: bornrich@earthlink.net