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Highlights |
Special Feature - Viatcheslav Semionov 65th Birthday Celebration - Russia
Mika Väyrynen Presents Master Classes, Upcoming Recordings - Spain, Finland
‘The World Accordion to Phil’ on the BBC TV HD Channel on May 6th! – UK, Northern Ireland
Musical April in Paris for Pasco Italia and E. Soprani – France
Auditions for Accordion Licenciature, Castelo Branco – Portugal
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
‘Midnight Tango’ – UK Tour
Frank Marocco Honored, Hollywood – USA
Vincent Lhermet’s Contest Success, Amsterdam - Netherlands
Frederic Deshamps Seminars, Grayson Masefield Concert in Spokane - USA
‘14 Years Ago’ – The Accordion on Broadway - USA
Future events |
World Accordion Day ‘Accordion Awareness Program’ Concert, Pune – India
Dervish on Tour – UK, France, Ireland, USA
Mazaika Concert, London – UK
Tejano Conjunto Festival, Texas - USA
Vivant! and Don Lipovac in Concert, Missouri - USA
Bruno Maurice Master Class, Concerts and Hiking, Les Arcs - France
New and Updated Sites |
Dražan Kosoric releasing his first 3 new music
Sebastiano Cali releasing 1 of his new music
Charnwood Publications releases 4 new pieces
Franco Cambareri releases 3 new compositions
Mario Tacca release 1 new piece
Updated CD's by Mika Väyrynen from the Finnish Accordeon Institute - Finland
CD Reviews |
Help Desk, Information needed, Readers CommentsSubmit Your Question, CommentSUBMIT NOW |
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Highlights |
Scandalli and Paolo Soprani No Longer Under One Roof, Castelfidardo - Italyby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
 The two famous Italian brands Scandalli and Paolo Soprani had, for many years, been manufactured and marketed by the same company - firstly with Menghini srl and then Suoni srl. It was something of a surprise therefore at the recent Frankfurt Musikmesse to see Scandalli presented under its own corporate stand and Paolo Soprani on the Pasco Italia booth. Fausto Fabi (pictures below), busy working at both booths at the show, has been retained by both companies in a sales and marketing capacity. He writes: “This move is in fact a natural one – for a few years up to and after the merger of Menghini and SEM into Suoni srl, it seemed possible that one entity could produce the complete range of accordions from diatonic to chromatic to piano to electronic and to free bass. It was an impossible dream. A few years ago the SEM brand was shelved and some of those models were incorporated into the Scandalli and Paolo Soprani lines. Even this rationalization however proved to be difficult to manage from a logistical and marketing view - especially considering the success of the Scandalli Conservatorio models and the Paolo Soprani diatonics – two products at opposite ends of the accordion spectrum. Therefore Scandalli srl has been formed to concentrate on the classical and professional markets only. The emphasis will be on high quality products and this can been seen in the new brochure that was issued at the show. It will stay in the present facility but has changed the name to Scandalli srl and the email: info@scandalli.com. All other details remain the same. Paolo Soprani has transferred to Pasco Italia where there is a great determination to re-vitalize the foundation brand of the Italian accordion industry. In fact, in 2 years time, Paolo Soprani will celebrate its 150th anniversary so there will be a great deal of activity leading up to this historic moment. Existing models will be refreshed and new models will be introduced to reflect youth, fun and above all – the Italian accordion heritage. Pasco Italia has moved into a new facility in Castelfidardo at Via Aldo Moro with a new email: paolosoprani@pascoita.com “ |
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Special Feature - Viatcheslav Semionov 65th Birthday Celebration - Russiaby Harley Jones |
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| Click to view the Special Feature - Viatcheslav Semionov 65th Birthday Celebration in Moscow - Russia |
Mika Väyrynen Presents Master Classes, Upcoming Recordings - Spain, Finlandby Kevin Friedrich |
 After recently celebrating his marriage on March 18th to Vilja Rydman, Mika Väyrynen has resumed his busy concert schedule. Mika presented a series of Master Classes in northern Spain. On April 9th he conducted a Master Class at Conservatory of Santander and on the 10th at the Conservatory Superior of Oviedo. This week Mika Väyrynen will make a series of recordings with YLE (Finnish National Broadcasting Company) with cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson where he will record works by Scriabin, Melartin, Sibelius, Tschaikovsky and Piazzolla. He will continue recording for YLE later in May when he records a program of Bach and French Baroque music. For more information, please visit the Mika Väyrynen website. CD's by Mika Väyrynen from the Finnish Accordeon Institute |
‘The World Accordion to Phil’ on the BBC TV HD Channel on May 6th! – UK, Northern Irelandby Rob Howard |
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 On World Accordion Day, 6th May, the BBC are going to run the recently made, unique 4-part TV documentary ‘The World Accordion to Phil’, presented by accordionist Phil Cunningham. This documentary shown weekly on BBC 2 Scotland in March, will now be shown in sequence on the BBC HD Channel, from 11.05pm on May 6th - World Accordion Day! The BBC HD Channel is a digital channel, broadcast to all UK & Northern Ireland. The programs look at the accordion and its origins in an international context by visiting China, Austria, Italy Spain, Ireland, France, Rumania, Russia, the Czech Republic, USA, Brazil, and Argentina – exploring local accordion traditions. Phil Cunningham meets Robert Rolston, Count Robert Deiro, Marcel Azzola, Viatcheslav Semionov, Sharon Shannon, Joe Burke, Flaco Jimenez, Marc Savoy, and various others during his travels. He also gets to join in with some of the players he meets, and the shows present a variety of accordion styles from around the world. Thank you to the BBC for their support of World Accordion Day and creating this excellent 4 part TV documentary about the accordion. For further information email: helen.straine@bbc.co.uk |
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Musical April in Paris for Pasco Italia and E. Soprani – Franceby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
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| Pasco Italia and E. Soprani in particular is receiving some great publicity this month in Paris, France. The Lafayette shopping gallery, the largest in the capital, has chosen an E. Soprani accordion to feature prominently with famous French model Ines de la Fressange in a poster campaign for April that will be seen by millions in and around the French capital. The accordion community says thank you to La Fayette, Thierry Paillet (Pasco Italia French distributor) and M. Denis Salmon, owner of the shop that loaned out the instrument. |
Auditions for Accordion Licenciature, Castelo Branco – Portugalby Paulo Jorge Ferreira |
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 The admission selection process for the Accordion Licenciature at the Arts Superior Music School in Castelo Branco, Portugal, take place next month. Tutor will be Paulo Jorge Ferreira (picture left). The auditions will be on May 21st. All the program should be original for accordion. The program includes: -1 cyclic work -1 virtuose work -1 lyric work and -1 reading on ‘prima vista’ For further information email: pjorgef@hotmail.com |
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
British College of Accordionists Examinations Held - Maltaby Raymond Bodell, Charnwood Publications |
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 The British College of Accordionists (1936-2011), which this year is celebrating its 75th anniversary of holding accordion Grade and Diploma examinations – is currently holding its Spring Examination Tour on the Mediterranean island of Malta. This is being undertaken by BCA Principal and CIA President Raymond Bodell.The local teacher in Attard, Marthese Busuttil Cassar LBCA. has now been conducting her accordion ensemble for more than 25 years and is pictured here with some of her successful examination candidates for 2011 - Cleve Zammit, Simone Scicluna, and Joseph Grima, together with local BCA Representative, Mrs Rita Psaila. For further information email: bcaexams@btinternet.com |
‘Midnight Tango’ – UK Tourby Rob Howard |
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 ‘Midnight Tango’, starring dancers Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace of BBC TV's ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fame, recently began a UK tour. I was fortunate to see a performance at The Lowry Theatre in Salford, Lancashire, on April 18th. The company of ten dancers and the on stage quartet ‘Tango Siempre’, featuring bandoneonist Julian Rowlands, put on a show of dazzling virtuosity. The set is a café in Buenos Aires, and the dancers performed a beautifully choreographed and athletic series of tangos, accompanied by music that was a balanced mix of classic tangos such as ‘La Cumparsita, ‘El Choclo’, ‘A Media Luz’, and ‘Jealousy’, alongside tango nuevo compositions, including Piazzolla’s ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Libertango’, and similar contemporary pieces. The show tells a story, with action rather than dialogue, the atmosphere created is convincing, and the music and dancing are electrifying, passionate and beguiling throughout. The tour dates (some theatres include matinees) are: April 26th to 30th, 7.30pm - Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, West Yorkshire May 3rd to 7th – Lyceum, Sheffield May 10th to 14th, 8pm - New Victoria, Woking, Surrey May 17th to 21st, 7.30pm - Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham May 23rd to 28th, 7.30pm – Birmingham Hippodrome May 31st to June 4th, 7.30pm - Plymouth Pavilions June 7th to 11th, 7.30pm - Sunderland Empire June 14th to 18th - Milton Keynes Theatre June 20th and 21st, 7.30pm – Brighton Centre June 23rd to 25th, 7.30pm - Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Wales June 28th to July 2nd, 7.30pm - Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland July 5th to 9th – Norwich Theatre Royal July 12th to 16th, 7.30pm – Bristol Hippodrome July 19th to 23rd – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend July 26th to 30th, 7.30pm King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland |
Frank Marocco Honored, Hollywood – USAby Rob Howard |
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 The American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers presented a Luncheon with Special Guest Frank Marocco on April 20th at Catalinas in Hollywood. Frank Marocco spoke about his career, answering many questions.Frank Marocco is one of the most recorded accordionists in America (and, possibly, the world), having played on a vast number of movie soundtracks, television scores, commercial jingles and record albums, in the studios of Hollywood and beyond. He has recorded for and/or worked with artists ranging from Brian Wilson, Pink Floyd and Madonna to Luciano Pavarotti, conductor Maxim Shostakovich and composer John Williams. He was nominated eight years in a row for the Most Valuable Player Award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S) and received that award twice. Frank is also a consummate jazz artist and a gifted composer with several of his own albums to his credit. He has played his music for audiences all over the world. |
Vincent Lhermet’s Contest Success, Amsterdam - Netherlandsby Harley Jones |
 On Sunday April 17th, French accordionist Vincent Lhermet won 4th prize at the Gaudeamus International Competition of Amsterdam, one of the most prestigious international contests for contemporary music, open to all instruments. He was the youngest performer and the only accordionist among the five finalists at the Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam. The 38th edition of the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition took place in Amsterdam from April 10th to 17th and was organized by Music Center the Netherlands. There were 83 participants from thirty-one countries in the first round, of which 15 successfully reached the second round. Vincent Lhermet is currently finishing his Master studies at the Sibelius Academy of Helsinki, Finland, in the class of Professor Matti Rantanen. He is laureate 1st prize of Arrasate-Hiria International Competition (2006) and performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician in many festivals throughout the world. For further information email: lhermet.vincent@gmail.com |
Frederic Deshamps Seminars, Grayson Masefield Concert in Spokane - USAby Harley Jones |
 A review of the recent concert by Grayson Masefield in Spokane has been written by Pamela Beckstrom plus a review of the master classes by Robynne Snow.Grayson and his teacher Frederic Deschamps at the invitation of Spokane accordion teacher Patricia Bartell and assisted by Hohner, were in Spokane conducting master classes for the week. This is the second time in two years that they have been invited to make masterclasses in Spokane and a concert by Grayson Masefield. 2011 Spokane Concert Review |
‘14 Years Ago’ – The Accordion on Broadway - USAby Rob Howard |
 The stage musical ‘Victor Victoria’, based on the 1982 movie, both starring Julie Andrews, has a score for accordion, written by Henry Mancini. The news for the week ending April 25th 1997 reminds us of this fact, also mentioning that the American accordionist Guy Kluscevsek has played in the orchestra pit for this show. Guy Kluscevsek is still very much active in the accordion world, and often sends us news. ‘VICTOR VICTORIA’ USES BOTH ACCORDION AND BASS ACCORDION - USA Contributed by Faithe Deffner, President of the American Accordionists' Association The hit Broadway musical ‘Victor Victoria’, starring the fabulous Julie Andrews, is quite accordion friendly. Composer-accordionist Guy Kluscevsek, who sometimes fills in as a pit musician at this show, relates that the "Henry Mancini score as arranged by Billy Byers, has a chair for synth/accordion/bass accordion". Guy says "Byers was a genius at filing away arcana like bass accordions for use in special situations." Hence, he often uses it in ‘Victor Victoria’ to beef up the bowed double bass, creating the illusion of a whole bass section while using only two players. Kluscevsek's newest solo album is a CD scheduled for release on Evva later this year. |
Future events |
World Accordion Day ‘Accordion Awareness Program’ Concert, Pune – Indiaby Rob Howard |
 Accordionist Amit Vaidya performs in concert at Sudarshan Kala Manch, Pune, India, on May 7th, 7pm. This World Accordion Day event is aimed to spread awareness about the accordion in this part of the world. In India the accordion was introduced through films by the noted film maker Raj Kapoor. There were number of accordionists active from 1950 - 1970 in India as the film industry was booming and there was a great demand. Indian films have songs at their heart and a lot of these songs had accordion played in the back ground. However since the advent of synthesizer this art has dwindled in India There is a tradition of playing the songs from these old movies on this instrument. Amit Vaidya will be reviving this tradition also by giving the history of the accordion through a presentation. The topics include: - accordion history, how the name was coined and the birth - story of Paolo Soprani - accordion factories - types of accordions - accordion mechanism (how it works!) - journey of this instrument in India For further information email: amit_vaidya_1@yahoo.com |
Dervish on Tour – UK, France, Ireland, USAby Rob Howard |
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| The popular Irish traditional band Dervish, from Sligo, Republic of Ireland, have embarked on an international tour, with dates as follows: Based in Sligo, Dervish feature Shane Mitchell on accordion. Fronted as ever by vocalist Cathy Jordan, Dervish’s line up also includes bouzouki, mandola, flute, bodhran and fiddle. April 24th - Gosport & Fareham Easter Festival, Hampshire, England April 27th – Abergavenny, Wales April 28th - Galeri Caernarfon, Caernarfon April 29th – Guildhall, Lichfield, England April 30th - Bristol Folk Festival May 1st - The Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes May 4th - Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham May 5th - Maidment Theatre, Shrewsbury May 6th, 7.45pm - Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, near Manchester May 7th - Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury May 26th - Festival Violon et Chant du Monde, Calais, France May 28th - Festival de Perouges June 17th – Monroes, Galway, Rebublic of Ireland June 30th - Tall Ships Festival, Waterford July 9th – Ely Festival, Cambridge, England July 29th to 31st - Lowell Folk Festival, Massachusetts, USA |
Mazaika Concert, London – UKby Rob Howard |
 The duo Mazaika, Igor Outkine (vocals, accordion) and Sarah Harrison (violin, vocals) perform in concert at Green Note, 106 Parkway, London, on Friday May 6th, 9pm - 11pm. Mazaika’s repertoire includes Russian Gypsy songs, Balkan music, Tango, Hotclub Jazz, and original works. For further information email: igor.outkine@ntlworld.com |
Tejano Conjunto Festival, Texas - USAby Rob Howard |
 The 30th annual Tejano Conjunto Festival will be held from May 10th to 15th at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and Rosedale Park, San Antonio, Texas.The guest artistes include Mingo Saldivar, Eva Ybarra, Oscar Hernandez, Los Dos Gilbertos, Joel Guzmán, Los Monarcas de Pete, Mario Díaz, Gilberto Pérez, and many more. The festival includes concerts, dancing and jam sessions. On May 12th, 6pm, the Conjunto Hall of Fame Dinner will take place in the Guadalupe Theater, San Antonio. The festival’s special features include a free workshop on the Roland FR-18 Diatonic V-Accordion, which will cover the history of the genre and demonstrate the fusion of traditional Conjunto with modern technology. There will also be an ‘Accordion Tuning, Maintenance & Repair Workshop’, led by Tim Schofield, Hohner Accordion Repair and Parts Supervisor, who will demonstrate how to tune the reeds of an accordion and maintain it in tip-top playing shape. Accordion tuning kits will be available for purchase. |
Vivant! and Don Lipovac in Concert, Missouri - USAby Rob Howard |
 The ensemble Vivant! will be appearing in concert with accordion entertainer Don Lipovac on Saturday May 14th, 7pm, at the Bragg Auditorium, All Souls Unitarian Church, 5401 Walnut St, Kansas City, Missouri. Doors open at 6.30pm. The concert is sponsored by the Fremar Foundation for Accordion Arts. Vivant! will be performing a preview of their upcoming concert tour show and also premiering a new work, ‘Night at the Pla-Mor’, by Karen Fremar. Vivant! (MD Karen Fremar) includes Dee Sligar (bass, keyboard), Gail Overly (accordion), Julie Silfverberg (accordion, keyboard), Karen Fremar (accordion, keyboard), Sarah Cantrell (percussion, mallets, keyboard) and Janne Silfverberg (trombone, percussion). Don Lipovac, of Slovenian heritage, attended the Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and in 1958 won first place in the American Accordionists' Association (AAA) National Championship. He has entertained with his orchestra for several decades, has appeared on the Lawrence Welk TV show, as a soloist with the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame, awarded at Ironworld, USA, in Chisholm, Minnesota. For further information email: vivant@vivantsound.com |
Bruno Maurice Master Class, Concerts and Hiking, Les Arcs - Franceby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
 Bruno Maurice’s summer Master Class? takes place from August 19th to 24th at the Académie Internationale de Musique des Arcs, Les Arcs, near Bourg St Maurice 2-3 hours south of Geneva.For further information email: brunomaurice@neuf.fr |
New and Updated Sites |
Renzo Ruggieri releasing his first new musicby Renzo Ruggieri |
 Renzo Ruggieri - accordionist, composer releasing his first new composition for accordion available for purchase online:'Song For S.B', catalog:rrenzo501. Sample of this music are available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card. |
Dražan Kosoric releasing his first 3 new musicby Drazan Kosoric |
 Dražan Kosoric - accordionist, composer, professor releasing his first 3 new compositions for accordion available for purchase online:'Prelude And Basso Ostinato' catalog:dkosoric101 'Suite' catalog:dkosoric102 Toccata' catalog:dkosoric103. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card. |
Sebastiano Cali releasing 1 of his new musicby Sebastiano Cali |
 Sebastiano Cali - accordionist, performer, maintenance, releasing 1 new music for accordion available for purchase online: 'Nocturne in Eb major - Op. 9 No. 2', catalog:scali050. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card. |
Charnwood Publications releases 4 new piecesby Charnwood Publishing |
 Charnwood Publications releases 4 new pieces by composer Parnell Frederick titled:'Mazurka Capricco', catalog:M650 'Pony Trot', catalog:M651 'Ragamuffin', catalog:M652 'Rondo Alla Zingarese', catalog:M653. Samples of the music are available online. Purchase with credit card. |
Franco Cambareri releases 3 new compositionsby Franco Cambareri |
 Franco Cambareri - accordionist, composer, producer, releases 3 new compositions for accordion available for purchase online:'Let's Jive', catalog:cfranco136 'Ojos De Agua', catalog:cfranco137 'Ombra Latina', catalog:cfranco138 Samples of this music are available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card. |
Mario Tacca release 1 new pieceby Mario Tacca |
 Mario Tacca release a new piece, 'Cirque du Monde', catalog:mtacca212. Sample of the music is available online. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card. |
Updated CD's by Mika Väyrynen from the Finnish Accordeon Institute - Finlandby Mika Väyrynen |
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| Updated site for CD's by Mika Väyrynen from the Finnish Accordeon Institute in Finland advertising his three CD's from the Finnish Accordeon Institute. Catalog Numbers: Face faicd13 Adventure faicd15 Misterium faicd23 |
CD Reviews |
Accordeon Classique CD by Camille Privatby Alessandro Mugnoz |
 CD Reviews Index for the Review of “Accordeon Classique" CD, reviewed by Alessandro Mugnoz. Performer is Camille Privat. |
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