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Editors note: This week, the competition schedules of both the Australian International Accordion Championships and the South Pacific Accordion Championships have been put on the internet, to give advance notice to those who have internet access. I believe this is a new first for the accordion. On a personal level, this weekend I am travelling 2 hours south of Auckland to give a concert with both the orchestra I am training and the quartet I play in. There are three orchestras travelling there on a huge 70 seater double decker bus, performing a concert and travelling back later that day. It should be great fun!
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34TH INTERNATIONAL KLINGENTHAL COMPETITION RESULTS Contributed by Dr Herbert Scheibenreif From the 2nd to the 9th of May the 34th International Accordion Competition was held in Klingenthal (Germany). The Jury consisted of famous teachers and performers: Jürgen Ganzer, Jürgen Löchter, Gudrun Wall, Stefan Fraas (Germany), Jeanette Dyremose (Denmark), Anders Groethe (Norway), Friedrich Lips (Russia), Elsbeth Moser (Switzerland), Jacques Mornet (France), Wang Yu Ping (China), Massimiliano Pitocco (Italy), Lech Puchnowski (Poland), Tibor Racz (Slovakia), Ricardas Sviackevicius (Lithuania) and Radomir Tomic (Yugoslavia). On Monday the 5th of May, Jürgen Löchter (accordion), Edwin Buchholz (accordion) and Christina Aschner (alto) performed a very interesting chamber music program with works by David P. Graham, Michael Denhoff, Christian Banasik and Jürgen Löchter. On Wednesday the 7th of May world famous bandoneonist, Juan Jose Mosalini (together with his tango orchestra) delighted his public in the newly constructed "Stadthalle" of Klingenthal. The 35th International Accordion Competition in Klingenthal will be held from the 8th to the 14th of May, 1998. RESULTS
Category II (Soloists up to 15 years old)
Category III (Soloists up to 18 years old)
Category IV (Soloists without age limit)
Category VA
Category VB
Category VI (Virtuosic light music for soloists)
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MYRON FLOREN MAINTAINS ACCORDION PRESENCE ON TV Contributed by Faithe Deffner, President of the American Accordionists' Association Public Broadcasting (PBS) has finalised a long-term contract renewal to continue the popular "Lawrence Welk TV Show" reruns for the pleasure of its viewing audience. Welk's show brought the accordion into 32.5 million American homes, exposing multi-generational listeners to the enjoyment of Myron Floren's accordion music for over 40 years, as a part of the colourful Saturday night variety program of the "Champagne Music Orchestra." Welk's is the longest-running show in TV history, from its 1955 beginning on ABC-TV up to present-day weekly reruns on PBS-TV. The reruns are hosted by accordionist Myron Floren and will feature a wrap-around recapping present-day events within the Lawrence Welk musical family. Bio material will include parts of the American Accordionists' Association's Festival Tribute to Myron Floren, held last July in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Myron conducted a massed accordion orchestra at the Liberty Bell in Independence Park. The event was seen on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" and spots ran for two days on CNN, the TV news channel.
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NATIONAL ACCORDION ORGANISATION ACCORDION CHAMPIONSHIPS IN UK Contributed by David Kemp The 1997 National Accordion Organisation UK Accordion Championships were held from the 2nd to the 4th of May at Scarborough's Spa Complex. This year, using six rooms, the competitions took place all day Saturday, leaving Sunday morning free for a Junior Master class, with Professor Owen Murray and Neil Varley. This was one of the suggestions put forward by the NAO Junior Committee. Each section had two adjudicators, one being an accordionist, the other being a leading musician and adjudicator in their own field of music. Championship sections are restricted to UK Citizens, amateur accordionists, who qualified in the preceding series of NAO area solo championships. There were 34 sections in total, running in six halls simultaneously. The 1997 Merit Award was awarded to Francis Wright, retired Principal of the British College of Accordionists, and Charnwood Music, for his lifetime of work for the Accordion. The results of the championship and top orchestra sections are as follows. Other sections include duets and orchestras of all standards, polka and Scottish traditional, and the entertainment section.
UK Virtuoso Solo Championship RESULTS
UK Advanced Solo Championship
UK Bell Trophy Solo Championship, (17 yrs and under)
UK Junior Solo Championship, (15 yrs and under)
UK Graham Romani Championship, (11 yrs and under)
UK Art Level Orchestra
UK Advanced Orchestra, (Test Piece)
UK Advanced Orchestra, (Own Choice) The next round of qualifying festivals for the 1998 Championships are due to start in September.
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Contributed by Wu Shou Zhi, President of the China Accordion Society From 7 to 8.00pm on the 15th of May, an accordion concert will be given in an auditorium in Duwei Town, Yiuxian (a small city of Fujian province). The concert will include students of Mr Liu Qingseng, a young private accordion teacher and performer. This will be the first time he has held an accordion concert, with 200 people expected to attend. The Duwei Radio Station will relay the entire concert over the radio, because it is the first time an accordion concert will be held in Duwei. Highlights of the program are:
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SOUNDS OF THE ACCORDION HELP NEW JERSEY PRISONERS Contributed by Reuters News Service Accordion music has helped prisoners turn their lives around according to a New Brunswick preacher who has just marked 40 years of playing at his local county jail. Baptist minister and Salvation Army volunteer, Ralph Bailey says the favourite song among inmates is the hymn "Amazing Grace" which is about a lost soul who found redemption. Sgt Joe de Matteo of the Middlesex County jail in New Jersey said prisoners clapped and sang along to Bailey's accordion. "It calms them down...after the sessions they become real pussycats", he told Reuters. Bailey, 78, said the accordion music "seems to reach their souls more quickly than words ever could. The music gives them a measure of serenity they couldn't get any other way". In addition to "Amazing Grace", Bailey plays well-known hymns and more obscure numbers such as "I moved from Crooked Street to Glory Avenue". Bailey said it was written by a circus clown who found God and became an evangelist.
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INSTRUMENTAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS ACCORDION Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl The Second National Competition for Bass, Drums, Modern Singing, Keyboards and Accordion was held in Latina (Italy) from the 2nd to the 4th of May, with the "Città di Latina" prize, this year being awarded to accordionist Mario Pietrodarchi, who also won the overall accordion category. In this second edition the section reserved to the accordion showed a noticeable improvement of level of the competitors, as shown by the high scores given by the Jury (including two soloists with 100%) and by the warmth with which the crowd (the "Grande" theater, where the competition took place, can hold almost 1,000 people) welcomed the performances of accordion and accordion MIDI. The ensemble, "Milonga Quintet" of Maestro Paolo Picchio from Castelfidardo who presented a program of music by Astor Piazzolla, won the First Absolute Award for the Ensemble Category and their performance at the Award Evening won the Special Prize of six journalists from newspapers and musical magazines. All the juries were headed by well-known members of the musical world, with the concert master Cesare Chiacchiaretta (winner of the "Città di Castelfidardo" award in 1993) President of the Jury of the Accordion Category.
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ACCORDION CONCERT IN VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA Contributed by Tatiana Lanchtchikova On the 6th of May an accordion concert called "Evening of Bayan's Miniature" was held in the Concert Hall of the Center Musical School, Vladivostok (Far East), Russia. Viacheslav Semenenko, who has won several national accordion competitions, is a concert artist, has toured in China, Japan and Russia, and is now a professor of music at the Far East Institute of Arts, was a performer at this concert. Miniature works by Russian composers of the 19th and early 20th century were performed.
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AMSTERDAM ACCORDION CLUB 'FORZANDO' ORGANISES ACCORDION DAY. Contributed by Hillebrand van der Veen On the 25th of May at the Buurthuis De Rietwijker, the Forzando accordion club have organised a day filled with accordion music. Usually the concerts by this club are for accordion orchestras only, but this day is for soloists, duos, and small ensembles. The club believes that stage experience is of major importance for its members, therefore beginners as well as experienced accordionists will be taking part. The day starts at 10.00am, and ends about 4.00pm. All participants will receive a written judgement by an accordion teacher. The general public is most welcome to attend! The entrance fee for the whole day is fl.1,-- (about $ 0.75). For further information email: H.J.Veen@net.HCC.nl
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UMKC ACCORDION ORCHESTRA'S 36TH ANNUAL CONCERT Contributed by Faithe Deffner, President of the American Accordionists' Association On the 20th of April, the acclaimed UMKC Accordion Orchestra under the direction of Joan Cochran Sommers presented its 36th Annual Spring Concert to an eager audience of accordion aficionados at the White Recital Hall, Center for the Performing Arts, at the University of Missouri's Kansas City campus. As usual Professor Sommers prepared a challenging program, both entertaining and educational, combining pops and classics to delight the audience. Among the works were Johannes Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture" chosen to commemorate the composer's death on April 3rd, in Vienna. The composition is built upon German university drinking songs and was written as a Thank You for an honorary doctorate which the University of Breslau bestowed upon Brahms. Another selection was 'The Kitchen Percussion March' by Steven Rosenhaus. Originally included for young audiences, it featured three performers attired as chefs who played a series of kitchen utensils in tandem with the musical instruments of the orchestra, to the amusement and delight of young and old in the audience. The concert was hailed by the audience as one of the finest presented by the UMKC Accordion Orchestra.
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Contributed by Hosmith Martinez The 30th Festival Vallenato, was held recently in Valledupar, Colombia. This year was the king of kings competition, as some of the competitors were winners of previous Festival Vallenato competitions over the past 15 years. The winner was 32 year old Gonzalo "cocha" Molina, who has been playing the accordion since he was 4 years old. "Cocha" Molina was invited two years ago by Gloria Estefan to record her most recent album in Spanish, called "Abriendo Puertas", (opening doors) and the album was characterised by the heavy accordion instrumentation. This proves again that accordion music is not just a sub division of any musical genre.
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ACCORDION HARMONY & CHORD APPLICATION TUTORIAL - USA Contributed by Tom Collins A course called Harmony & Chord Applications by Gary Dahl is now available for accordionists. This is a tutorial course that will guide chord memorisation using logical sequences. This is the first chord memorisation course that uses etudes and practice tunes as it introduces each type of chord. This method is believed to be very effective as it does not use endless pages of written out chords. Graduates will enjoy the ability to read a lead sheet, compose their own arrangements and improvise. The average student becomes proficient in 6 to 12 months and will experience a dramatic improvement in their musicianship. The cost for the 31 pages is: US$24.95 + $2.00 postage/handling. Send cheque (US funds) to Gary Dahl, 509 Valley Ave., N.E. #5, Puyallup, WA 98372.
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CONCERT TOUR BY SERGEI GRINCHENKO Contributed by Vladimir Besfamilnov From the 25th of May to the end of June, Sergei Grinchenko will perform concerts in Italy. Sergei is a laureate of the International Accordion Competition "Grand Prix", 1982, in France. He is an "Honoured People Artist of Ukraine" and a performer at the Ukraine National Philharmonic. As a performer, Sergei has attended many concerts in various cities of Russia, Ukraine and Europe. The highlight of his concert program will be works as follows: Fantasy and Fugue in G minor by Bach; Sonata in D Major by Mozart; Campanella by Paganini / Liszt; Finale from the Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky and many others.
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DI PIPPO PLAYS MUSETTE WITH CHANTEUSE AT MAXIM'S - MANHATTAN, USA Contributed by Faithe Deffner, President of the American Accordionists' Association New York's celebrated accordionist-arranger Angelo DiPippo donned his accordion and filled Maxim's, a posh Manhattan supper club, with French melodies in accompaniment to chanteuse Yanna Avis, during the May 9th weekend. (Maxim's is the New York sister of the famous Parisian night club of the same name.) Di Pippo won Keyboard Magazine's Best Accordionist Award following the release of Arthur Street, his hit jazz CD which was for many weeks in the top 30 of the Gavin Chart which lists the most-played recordings. Other CDs featuring the fabulous Di Pippo sound are Accordion de Paris, It's a Polka Party (two CDs) and Accordion Party.
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Contributed by Wu Shou Zhi, President of the China Accordion Society On the 11th of May, Chongzhou's First Accordion Amateur Training Class was opened in the Chongzhou Culture Centre, by Mr. Lin Yulin, a private accordion teacher. Chongzhou is a small city in Sichuan province. The city has a poor economy, so there are very few music students, with nobody having studied the accordion before. To begin with there are six students in the class (all of them are six years old), but Mr. Lin Yulin says "They are good students, and this is a good beginning. I believe that there will be more and more accordion students here, because the people who live here are becoming to realise the importance of music. This is a promising beginning."
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LEAVENWORTH ACCORDION CELEBRATION - USA Contributed by Tom Collins From the 7th to the 10th of August there will be a celebration and accordion competition in Leavenworth, WA. The deadline for competition entries is the 18th of July. For further information contact Anne Koenig, Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 327, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Phone + 1 509-548-5807 or FAX + 1 509-548-1014.
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ART VAN DAMME STORY WITH QUINTET ON VIDEO Contributed by Harley Jones Here is an exciting Video documentary containing the unique music of the Art Van Damme Quintet in its 1951 heyday on the Dave Garroway Show, plus a 1991 section titled "Luncheon with a Legend" when the Quintet performed in Oslo, Norway, followed by Art's retirement performance in 1995 at his 75th birthday celebration. Follow the musical saga of one of world's accordion greats through more than 45 years of jazz at its finest. The video titled the "Art Van Damme Story" is being sold by Ernest Deffner Publications, P.O. Box 608, Mineola, NY 11501 USA. Send cheque or money order for US $24.95 plus $3 domestic S/H or $6 for shipment elsewhere
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ACCORDION SUMMIT MEETING IN WASHINGTON, DC Contributed by Faithe Deffner, President of the American Accordionists' Association The 1997 Accordion Festival sponsored by the American Accordionists' Association from the 9th to the 13th of July, at the Sheraton City Centre Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Ave., NW in Washington, DC (Ph: + 1 202 775-0800) will end with an Accordion Summit Meeting on the Sunday morning July 13th. Participants will discuss the status of the accordion in the music world, the increasing public appreciation for our instrument in all music venues, the new "Launch an Accordion Star" program for the English-speaking accordion community and a host of other pertinent accordion topics. All are welcome to attend the Accordion Summit Meeting which will be preceded by a breakfast which will be attended by a host of accordion dignitaries.
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GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN WILL BE SITE OF ATG FESTIVAL JULY 17th TO 20th Contributed by Faithe Deffner, President of the American Accordionists' Association The Accordion Teachers' Guild International will convene in Grand Rapids, Michigan from the 17th to the 20th of July at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 5700 28th St., S.E. (Ph: + 1 616 957-1770). The event will include competitions, workshops, concerts and festival. ATG President Amy Jo Sawyer has issued an invitation for all accordion enthusiasts to participate in this exciting accordion program which is the organisation's 35th Annual Festival and Competition.
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1997 SHANGHAI CITY ACCORDION EXHIBITION Contributed by Zhou Jing The 1997 Shanghai City Accordion Exhibition, will be held from the 21st of May to the 8th of June and is sponsored by the Shanghai Exclusive Accordion Committee, Shanghai City Youth Accordion Workshop and the Northwest portion of Shanghai Youth Activity Centre. The aim of this exhibition is to show the flourishing trend of the accordion movement in Shanghai City and to associate and improve performing standards. There will be no registration fees or entry fees for performers or spectators. The Lunming Chen Zhong Art Training Centre is among the exhibitors. Their main purpose is to cater for children over 5 years old to early teens, with the philosophy: "strict management, careful teaching, everything for the benefit of the children". Since its inception five years ago, the Training Centre has had over 3,000 students who have benefited from the program. The accordion and electronic organ students have attained a 99% pass rate in examinations from Grade 1 to Grade 8 level.
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NEW RELEASE - "VERY TOGETHER ACCORDIONS" - USA Contributed by Tom Collins A new album by John Bonica of Portland, Oregon and Jim Palovchik of Campo, California, called Very Together Accordions is unique. The blend of accordion styles and techniques on various selections keep it interesting from start to finish. This album is available from John Bonica, 9495 SW Locust Suite "C", Portland, OR 97223. Ph + 1 503-244-2545. Send cheque or money order to John Bonica $10 (USA funds) plus $1.00 shipping for each cassette.
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"THOSE DARN ACCORDIONS" CONCERTS - USA Contributed by Paul Rogers Those Darn Accordions are heading to Los Angeles this weekend for another great show at Jack's Sugar Shack, 1707 N. Vine. in Hollywood on Saturday the 17th of May at 10.30pm. On Friday morning, the day before, (16th) TDA will be live in the studio on the Mark and Brian Show on KLOS from 9am till 10am. To East Coast fans, TDA will be playing at the Harborfest in Norfolk, VA on the 7th and 8th of June, then they're up to New York City to tape a segment for a new MTV show called "Oddville".
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ACCORDION NIGHT AT THE "OWL 'N THISTLE" - USA Contributed by Tom Collins An accordion night at the "Owl 'n Thistle", hosted by Bonnie Birch, 808 Post Ave., Seattle, WA on the 20th of May from 9.30pm to 11.30pm will feature players Gordon Kohl of San Diego, Bonnie Birch and friends Call Accordion Hotline to confirm: + 1 206 622 4991.
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EMAILS (ACCORDION TO THE EDITOR)
Subject: Accordion Yellow Pages
Hi, I am very grateful for the WWW Accordion and read every week, what you
can buy and what is happening. I am also glad that you list accordion
schools. In June I'm going to Switzerland to give accordion lessons and to
buy a chromatic accordion.
Many thanks
Walter,
Thanks for the nice comments about the site. I hope your trip goes well and
you enjoy Switzerland as much as I did when I was there!
Best regards,
Wayne Knights
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Subject: Los 3 Chispitas
I am searching for a recording(s) made by the group "Los 3 Chispitas". I
believe it was recorded on Columbia Record label (33rpm stereo). It was
recorded in Argentina, however the group is from Spain.
Some songs are: Ojos verdes, La Luna Me Enango, Adios a Cataluna, Tres Dias
and others. Any help in locating this music is most appreciated.
Joe Chavez
Hi Joe!
I am not familiar with this recording or the group. What I suggest is that you
look on the Accordion Yellow Pages Database listing of accordionists in Spain,
and email them to see if they can help you:
http://www.accordions.com/index/acc/Accordionists_Spain.htm
I hope this helps!
Wayne Knights
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