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Highlights |
2017 International Competition and Festival "Accordion Plus", Rostov-on-Don - Russiaby Harley Jones |
Each year the International Festival "Accordion Plus" fills the spring musical palette with new colors of the Don capital. "Accordion Plus" is organised by the International Music Center "Harmony". Program: March 24, 2017 in Rostov College of Arts, starts VII International Competition of bayan and accordion. 16:00 - Concert by Lev Lavrov (Moscow), winner Grand Prix "Accordion Plus - 2014" and Coupe Mondiale 2015. 25 March 18.30 - Concert "Accordion Plus Friends". Part I: People's Artist of Russia Viktor Romanko, famous accordion virtuoso with Gregory Osmanyan, winner of international competitions. Their unique duo SiB-Duo - a combination of brilliant skill, charisma and temperament. Part II: Concert dedicated to the 80th birthday of Victor Petrovich Vlasov, outstanding composer of iconic pieces which became all time favorites, a great friend of the Festival "Accordion Plus". Accompaniment by Russian folk instruments "DON" orchestra with soloists, Honored Artist Vladimir Murza, famous Yuri Shishkin, winners of international competitions Alexander Poeluev, Mikhail Zatsepin, duets, ensembles and soloists. 26 March 18.30 - Concert "Alive Book" It has already become a tradition. Young musicians will perform works included in the collection "Plus Accordion" popular children's music. Event of the evening will be the premiere of the new work "Spleen" composed by Frank Angelis and performed by the winner of international competitions Anna Kryshtaleva. March 27, 19.00 - Concert "Accordion Show" in the Rostov Academic Music Theatre. Do not miss this event! At the scene of one of the best Russian theaters will perform World Champion Alexander Poeluev and jazz quartet New Centropezn where you will hear and see a lot of unusual and interesting, three hours, full of delight and pleasure! 28 March 15.00 Rostov College of Arts. Closing of the VII International Competition "Accordion Plus" with prize giving and concert of winners. |
National Accordion Association (NAA) Convention, Texas – USAby Rob Howard |
The annual National Accordion Association (NAA) Convention takes place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 701 East Campbell Rd, Richardson, Texas, USA, from Wednesday to Saturday March 8th to 11th. President Norman Seaton (picture left) writes: "The NAA Convention offers a wide variety of concerts, workshops, ‘join the band’, jam sessions, dancing, trade show, new instrument presentations, and a ‘swap shop’." Friday, March 9, 2017 will be a meeting that digital accordionists should not miss, with seminars, informal gatherings, and demonstrations for those who play Roland and other makes of Digital, MIDI, electronic accordions. All seminar information at: 2017NAAWorkshops The guest artists include Steve Albini, Nick Ballarini, Rita Barnea, Gary Blair (Scotland), Nick Bratkovich, Michael Bridge (Canada), Dr Ed Casper, Dr Ian Fries, Patrick Harrison, Chuck Henry, Gordon Kohl, Sheila Lee, Bill Palmer, Debra Peters, Sharon Seaton, Hank Thunander, Mary Tokarski, Dale E. Wise, and more. For full information, view the website: National Accordion Association (NAA) Registration Information: 2017NAARegistration Picture below, alphabetical order of performers/workshop providers. |
Accordion-YellowPages.com Free Listing of Accordion Events - Cyberspaceby Harley Jones |
All concert, competition and festival organizers are reminded to list their Future Events for 2017 in the Accordion-YellowPages.com website. Its free to list and you can do it yourself. You can also change and update your listing yourself as further information becomes available. The Accordion-YellowPages.com Future Events calendar displays at the top right hand side of this Weekly News of accordions.com in all 7 languages and also on the USA News, Diatonic News and Russia News. Huge numbers of readers, about 5,000 visitors per day, view also the Future Events calendar display, so all accordion event organizers are reminded to take full advantage of this free service to keep the accordion community informed. Any internet challenged organizers may email their event details: harleyaccordion@yahoo.com |
2017 AAA Festival In Picturesque Princeton, New Jersey - USAby Joan Grauman Morse, AAA Historian |
The American Accordionists' Association (AAA) has chosen a lovely historic area for this year’s annual festival, 12th to 16th July. The Westin Princeton Hotel in Forrestal Village is in walking distance of many fine shops and restaurants and is close to several major attractions. Please mark your calendars for this exciting festival! Join us for interesting and entertaining workshops and terrific performances by well-known greats as well as talented young accordionists. There will also be competitions and opportunities to play in the youth orchestra directed by AAA President, Mary Tokarski, the youth jazz ensemble directed by Mitch Guido, and the festival orchestra (all ages) under the baton of celebrated conductor and accordionist, Dr. William Morse. The registration forms will be online at www.ameraccord.com by March 20. Please see the attached flyer for more information. 2017AAAFlier.pdf See you in Princeton! |
2017 World Accordion Day Plans at Karlssons - Swedenby Sven Karlsson |
You are invited to Karlssons Musik on World Accordion Day (WAD) Saturday May 6th! We will celebrate WAD 2017 with an ”open house” here at Karlssons Musik with artist performances by Hanzhi Wang (China) and Lisa Eriksson Långbacka (Sweden), instrument demonstrations and we also serve coffee and cookies. Hanzhi Wang is truly a world artist who has won several international competitions, concerts in many countries and now for the first time in a little place called Fjärås! Lisa Eriksson Långbacka was voted “Accordionist of the Year” in Sweden 2014 by the members of SDR – Swedish Accordionists Association. She plays very a delicate and poetical style with roots in folk music. This year we also have a Pigini theme on WAD and we proudly announce that a representative from the Pigini factory in Italy will be here in our shop on WAD. Visitors will also have the opportunity to visit our unique accordion museum (picture below), now with over 300 accordion instruments from all over the world, the oldest ones from around the 1850's and we will also present some nice offers on instruments, accessories, books and CD's. Enjoy a very nice WAD Saturday May 6th for accordionists here in the west coast of Sweden! |
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
Video: Alexander Poeluev and Ensemble "Dontsy" - Russiaby Harley Jones |
On February 10th, in the Great Rostov Philharmonic Hall was a concert dedicated to the 50th birthday of Sergey Kochin, laureate of international competitions, famous musician and accordionist of the ensemble "The Don". In this video, Alexander Poeluev joins "The Don" ensemble to perform the Moldavian Rhapsody. |
Boston Symphony Orchestra Premieres New Concertoby Rita Davidson |
Composer Sofia Gubaidulina’s new work “Triple Concerto” for accordion, cello, and violin received its world premiere with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, February 25, 2017 and on February 28, 2017 in New York at Carnegie Hall as part of its ongoing 125 Commissions Project. The concerto was co-commissioned by the BSO and the North German Radio Philharmonic of Hannover. Swiss accordionist Elsbeth Moser, a longtime Gubaidulina collaborator, inspired the composition and is the work’s dedicatee. Picture right: Elsbeth Moser, Sofia Gubaidulina and Rita Barnea. Picture lower, Elsbeth Moser with the score. BSO artistic administrator Anthony Fogg helped to bring the concerto to the Boston Symphony. In addition to the violin, cello and accordion soloist, the score of the Triple Concerto calls for three flutes and piccolo, three oboes, two clarinets and bass clarinet, three bassoons and contrabassoon, six horns, four trumpets (first in D, second through fourth in B-flat), three trombones, tuba and contrabass tuba, four percussion (variously playing triangle, snare drum, tenor drum, five tom-toms, bass drum, three cymbals, and tam-tam), timpani, celesta, and strings. The duration of the piece is about twenty-six minutes, played without pause. Excerpt from the review of the February 25, 2017 concert by Dr. James C.S. Liu in The Boston Musical Intelligencer: "It was a work filled with the kind of sonic atmospherics that you’d expect from a veteran film score composer like Gubaidulina, and between the presence of three soloists, women from different countries and different generations, the exploration of unusual instrument combinations and the extremes of orchestral tessitura made for a fascinating probing of music’s margins. The crowd registered warm approval, and rose to its feet when the 85-year-old composer stepped to the front to take a bow. " As a student in Soviet-era Russia, Gubaidulina was criticized for exploring non-traditional sounds and tunings, but, as the story goes, famed composer Dmitri Shostakovich supported her boundary-pushing work. Like so many Russian artists and musicians she was scrutinized and remained behind the Iron Curtain, largely cut off from the West. In 1979, she was blacklisted by the composer's union as one of the so-called "Khrennikov's Seven" for taking part in Western music festivals. This meant she and the others were banned from radio, television and publishing their scores. “Gubaidulina was one of those figures during the Soviet-era that we knew a little of,” Fogg explained. “There was some recordings of her music, but she was almost a sort of mythical figure regarded as one of the important figures in the next generation after Shostakovich.” The BSO’s relationship with Gubaidulina began in 1988, as her international recognition was rising. She was able to travel to Boston for a festival of Russian music. The orchestra and composer have collaborated many times since then. In 1997 Gubaidulina was a composer-in-residence at Tanglewood.” The 85 year old composer attended rehearsals following the score and making suggestions to the BSO music director Andris Nelsons. Elsbeth Moser who teaches at the University of Music, Theater, and Media in Hanover Switzerland and Gubaidulina have been collaborating together for many years. Their first rehearsal together was in Lockenhaus, Austria prior to the Gubaidulina’s western premiere of “Seven Words.” Elsbeth assisted Sofia in leaving Russia in 1991 and going to Germany where Sofia presently lives. Accordionist and teacher, Elsbeth Moser studied accordion and piano at the Bern Conservatory and at the Academy of Music in Trossingen. In 1983 she was appointed as a professor at the University of Music and Theatre in Hanover. In 1998 she became an honorary professor of the Music Academy Tianjing and is a guest professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and at the University of Pula (Croatia). Top photo: Baiba Skride, Harriet Krijgh, Elsbeth Moser in Gubaidulina "Triple Concerto". (Winslow Townson photo) |
Gary Dahl Releases My Melancholy Baby - USAby Harley Jones |
Gary Dahl has released "something new for solos...an educational lead sheet, Catalog: DH0258 My Melancholy Baby composed by Ernie Burnett". |
Video: Beijing Concert, 5 Year Anniversary of Frank Marocco Passing Awayby Dan Grauman |
Frank Marocco in his final concert in Beijing in 2011. Joan and Dan Grauman who ran the Frank Marocco Camps in the USA have made video of two pieces from this concert to mark the 5th Anniversary of the Passing of Frank Marocco. Video 1: After You've Gone by Hugh Laurie Video 2: So In Love by Cole Porter |
Rosita Hendry and Internet Promotion - Canadaby Harley Jones |
They asked me to use my picture for an advertisement, I said: yeah, yeah yeah! — Rosita Hendry, professional accordionist, circus artist and dancer. Picture above taken by professional photographer Jim Mneymneh. |
Future events |
Temple Symphony Orchestra Concert to Feature Award Winning Accordionist - USAby Harley Jones |
Excerpts from the Temple Daily Telegram News. Accordionist Dr. Mike Middleton will perform Saturday March 4th with the Temple Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tom Fairlie. Middleton, an award-winning musician, will perform two 10-12 minute medleys which were written for the symphony based on music from his albums. The first is a Polka Medley with songs including Lichtensteiner Polka, Happy Wanderer, Julia Polka, Edelweiss & Clarinet Polka. The second Medley will be a Texas Folk Medley, which include The Yellow Rose of Texas, Red River Valley, Waltz Across Texas, Ghostwriters in the Sky, and The San Antonio Rose. Currently, Middleton lives in Central Texas with his wife, Darla, and has three children. Middleton, along with his sons on percussion, and Clayton on tuba together started his band, which they affectionately called “Mike and the Middletones.” The Middletones have been featured at Wurstfest in New Braunfels multiple times, and other festivals. They have performed on The Mollie B Polka Party TV show in 2016 and have performed at The World Accordion Museum in Superior, Wisconsin. Middleton recently has produced and recorded several albums: “Around the World & Back TO Texas,” “Accordion & Tuba Favorites,” and “Accordion to Mike & The Middletones: Back IN Texas,” along with the single, “Amazing Grace Accordion Variations.” Tickets for individual Temple Symphony Orchestra concerts are $25 for adults and $5 for students. Orchestra performances are held at the Mary Alice Marshall Performing Arts Center at Temple College, located at 2600 S. First St. in Temple. CD's available online at: Mike Middleton |
Sharon Shannon Concerts, Massachusetts – USAby Rob Howard |
On Saturday March 4th, 4pm and 7pm, Sharon Shannon performs two concerts at the Burren Ballroom, Somerville, Massachusetts. Tickets are $33, and seating is limited. The Burren Backroom has been a special place for Sharon Shannon and her musicians over the years. Sharon Shannon burst on the scene in Ireland in the early 1990s. Her amazing ability on the accordion combined with an exuberant personality and a constant smile, attracted people immediately to the wonderful music she grew up with. She plays to capacity audiences around the world, and the energy she exudes while staying totally connected to the tradition has made her much admired. Other dates on Sharon’s short US tour are on the poster. For further information email: celtic@wgbh.org |
Jean Caprice Concert, Basel – Switzerlandby Rob Howard |
German-born accordionist Jean Caprice performs in concert on Saturday March 4th, 8.30pm until 11pm, at Milchhusuli, Missionsstrasse 61, 4055 Basel, Switzerland. Jean Caprice has written a short novel, ‘Zuckerbrod & Peytsche’, about the adventures of an accordionist, and has written and recorded a music CD to accompany his book. For further information email: jens@los-octopussytos.com |
Ezequiel Tatich Concert for TV broadcasts, Pablo Nogués – Argentinaby Rob Howard |
On Sunday March 5th, 11pm, the accordion entertainer Ezequiel Tatich, known as ‘El Gringo del Acordeon’, performs at the front of the Town Hall of Pablo Nogués, close to the Hospital de Trauma, north-west of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Entrance is free. The show will be filmed for the TV entertainment channel Satellite Argentinísima, due for broadcast on Monday and Wednesday at midnight and on Sunday at 9pm. |
Cambridge Orchestra Accordion Day, Cambridge – UKby Rob Howard |
This year’s Cambridge Orchestra Accordion Day takes place on Sunday March 5th, 10am until 4.30pm, led by Nigel Pasby and Helen Newton, from the Kennet Accordion Orchestra. At 5pm there will be a free short concert for family and friends featuring the music studied during the day, followed by some duets by Nigel and Helen. Over 50 accordionists are booked in to this popular orchestral event. The venue is the Village Hall, Main St, Stow-cum-Quy, Cambridge CB25 9AB. The event organiser is Susanna Brooking. For further information email: susanna2017@cambridgeaccordionclub.co.uk |
Sunday Dance Dates, Messey-sur-Grosne – Franceby Rob Howard |
On a series of Saturday and Sunday afternoons in March and April there are dances to accordionists, as seen on the poster, at Moulin de la Chapelle, Messey-sur-Grosne, a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. |
Miloš Milivojević performs in 'Hansel and Gretel' – UKby Rob Howard |
Accordionist Miloš Milivojevic is currently performing in the Whistle Stop Opera North production, a new condensed version of Engelbert Humperdinck's magical opera 'Hansel and Gretel'. Whistle Stop Opera have especially created this light-hearted, half-hour version of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, to appeal to people who have yet to experience live opera. Most performances of Whistle Stop Opera: Hansel and Gretel are free of charge, but advance booking is recommended: The dates include: March 6th – Grand Theatre, Leeds March 7th – The Lowry, Salford Quays, Manchester March 14th – Grand Opera House, Belfast March 20th - Hull March 21st – Theatre Royal, Nottingham Serbian born Miloš Milivojevic is a first prize winner at international competitions in Germany, France, Italy and Denmark. In Serbia he studied with Vojin Vasovic, and with Owen Murray at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he graduated and was awarded with Dip RAM. In 2007 he became the first accordionist ever to win the RAM Club Prize at the Academy and in the 2008 was the Winner of the prestigious Derek Butler London Prize at the Wigmore Hall, London. For further information email: milosmusic@hotmail.com |
Paris Moscou Duo Concert, Montreuil-sur-Mer - Franceby Rob Howard |
The Paris Moscou Duo – Domi Emorine and Roman Jbanov - performs in concert on Saturday March 11th, 8pm, at the Theatre de Municipal, Montreuil-Sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, northern France. Admission is 14 Euro. Roman Jbanov and Domi Emorine have been working together since 1998 and have performed in France, Russia, Denmark, Italy, Poland, China, Portugal, Lithuania, Canada, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. The duo have a truly astounding CV: Demi Emorine’s achievements include winning the CIA Coupe Mondiale, CMA Trophée Mondial, Concours International de Klingenthal, and the Prix de la Sacem. Roman Jbanov achievements include Grand Prize Beloborodov in Tula (Russia), Scholarship of the President of the Russian Republic, and the CMA Trophée Mondial. For further information email: duopm@sfr.fr |
Jörgen Sundeqvist and Päivi Mettälä Concert, Bollstabruk – Swedenby Rob Howard |
On Sunday March 12th, 3pm to 5pm, accordionists Jörgen Sundeqvist and Päivi Mettälä perform in a ‘Dragspelscafe’ concert at Bollsta Folkets Hus, Tunsjövägen 4, 873 40 Bollstabruk, Sweden. The admission is 150 krona, which includes refreshments. For further information email: info@bollstafolketshus.se |
Vancouver Squeezebox Circle, British Colombia – Canadaby Rob Howard |
The Vancouver Squeezebox Circle runs on the first Thursday of nearly every month since March of 2007, and can currently be enjoyed from 8-10pm at Spartacus Books, 3378 Findlay Street, Vancouver. The members play, show and discuss their instruments, answer questions people may have of local accordion experts, and play music together. This month there will be two get-togethers, reconvening two weeks later at the same site for a fabulous 10th anniversary concert on March 16th, at Spartacus Books, 7.30pm – 10.30pm, featuring the Squeezebox Circle Orchestra, the Gram Partisans, and “a delightful array of musicians we've crossed paths with over the past decade!”. For further information email: accordionnoirfest@gmail.com |
New and Updated Sites |
2017 Las Vegas International Accordion Convention - USAby Harley Jones |
2017 Las Vegas International Accordion Convention Poster |
Charnwood Music Graded Value Packs (each pack 10 pieces) - UKby Anna Bodell of Charnwood Publications |
Charnwood Music Graded Value Packs are now listed on the home page of Charnwood Publishing. The Charnwood Publishing Graded Music Value Packs (each pack 10 pieces by different composers/arrangers) are available for the following grades: Grade 2 Value Pack 1 Catalog: Mgrade2pac1 Pack 2 Catalog: Mgrade2pac2 Grade 3 Value Pack 1 Catalog: Mgrade3pac1 Pack 2 Catalog: Mgrade3pac2 Pack 3 Catalog: Mgrade3pac3 Grade 4 Value Pack 1 Catalog: Mgrade4pac1 Pack 2 Catalog: Mgrade4pac2 Pack 3 Catalog: Mgrade4pac3 Grade 5 Value Pack 1 Catalog: Mgrade5pac1 Pack 2 Catalog: Mgrade5pac2 |
Updated Site: Franco Cambareri Two New Works Released - Australiaby Franco Cambareri |
Franco Cambareri has released two new compositions: cfranco218 - Calabrian Serenata Calabrian Serenata is a Slow Ballad with a Nostalgic Feeling. cfranco219 - Danza del Grillo Danza del Grillo (Dance of the Cricket) is a Regional Tarantella Dance alla Calabrese. These works are eSheet (pdf file, able to be emailed to you) and can be purchased online with secure server credit card. |
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