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Highlights |
Two World Accordion Day Festival Celebrations, Superior – USA
World Accordion Day & 2019 Shanghai Spring International Accordion Festival - China
2019 Carmen Carrozza Memorial Award Competition, AAA Festival - USA
XII International Accordion Composition Competition “Francisco Escudero” - Spain
10th Waldbronner Musikpreis 2019 - Germany
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
National Accordion Day Concert - Finland
WOMAD World Festival – New Zealand
World Premier Prelude and Fugue for Accordion - Germany
Video: Cody McSherry St Patricks Day Performance with Rizzetta’s Tones - USA
“Leahys Luck” at Milwaukee Accordion Club – USA
Future events |
CNIMA Training Workshops - France
Perth Strathspey and Reel Society Ceilidh - Scotland
“Manran” Scottish Band Tours Australia
All Ireland Accordion Festival – Ireland
Sell-Out Fundraising Ceilidh – Scotland
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Highlights |
Frankfurt Musikmesse 2019 – Germanyby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
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| The Musikmesse in Frankfurt is the international trade fair for musical instruments, sheet music, music production and marketing. This year’s event will be held from April 2nd to 5th and will be open daily for Trade and Private visitors. Accordion factories exhibiting include: Beltuna Accordions S.r.l. Bugari Armando and Bugari Evo Cagnoni Srl Dino Baffetti di Baffetti G. & C. snc Dallape in visit Excelsior Fismen Harmonikas s.r.o. Italcinte in visit Mengascini in visit mengascini@tiscalinet.it MusicTech di Sabbatini Claudio & C. snc Orla Srl Pasco Italia Srl E Soprani Moreschi Pigini Srl Scandalli Accordions Srl Zero Sette Special features of this year’s event include: In addition, the Musikmesse is combining with Prolight & Sound to bring you two trade fairs concurrently. Events include an Ultimate Jam, Sample Music Festival Area with top brands, workshops and showcases, more concerts, a new competition entitled “New Therapy Instruments Competition” (with a 6 person jury), a Networking Area, “Vintage Concert Audio Show”, pop up markets and much more. A full report of the 2019 Frankfurt Musikmesse with photos will be available after the opening at: Frankfurt2019 |
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Two World Accordion Day Festival Celebrations, Superior – USAby Christine Johnstone |
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 Two major musical events drawing national and international attention are being held in Superior. Mayor Jim Paine has recognized their importance by dedicatory proclamations he will read to open the first festival. Both of these events will take place at the Harrington Arts Centre hosted by A World of Accordions Museum.Firstly the Museum will host World Accordion Day (WAD) on May 4th with a slate of concert performances that will be featured in international video broadcast under the auspices of Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) Finland. The event will feature Kevin Friedrich as Ambassador for the CIA and as MC. The (UMKC) Community Accordion Chamber Ensemble (picture below) is headliner attraction, under direction of Prof. Joan Cochran Sommers. That concert will be preceded by well known accordionists Mary Tokarski, Murl Allen Sanders, Betty Jo Simon, Henry Doktorski and Joan Sommers in duet with Stas Venglevski. The 2nd event is the 7th annual Dr. Willard Palmer Festival held on May 5th which will honour the genius of this preeminent leader in pedagogy and keyboard performance practice through his nearly 800 published books. His methodology and meticulous scholarship have been lauded by teachers, artists and students worldwide. Palmer’s work will be introduced by his son Willard A Palmer, III, and followed by performances by Dance Attic—Suzi and Jimi, Mike Middleton, Jane Christison, Stas Venglevski and Aydar Salahov. Electronic Accordions—Evolution and Future (panel discussion with demonstrations), Willard A. Palmer, III (Master of Magic, Mirth and Music, from Texas), and Accordion Concertina Music Orchestra: World Accordion Music (30+ instrumentalists conducted by Tracey Gibbens under direction of Helmi Strahl Harrington, Ph.D, from Minnesota). The headliner concert offered by Stas Venglevski (picture above right) will conclude the festival in a varied program sure to please all. For tickets phone: 218 393-0245 or email: aworldofaccordions@gmail.com |
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World Accordion Day & 2019 Shanghai Spring International Accordion Festival - Chinaby Harley Jones |
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 2019 Shanghai Spring International Accordion Festival "Dedicate to World Accordion Day" will include video of concerts by high profile international and Chinese accordionists to be published on the World Accordion Day, May 6th. The concerts video is additional to the internet report that will be online after the 2019 Shanghai Spring International Accordion Festival being held from 13th - 14th April in Shanghai as part of the internationally known 36th "Shanghai Spring" International Music Festival. Download printable poster: 2019PosterShanghai.pdf In order to promote the diversified, national and international development of the accordion art in the "Yangtze River Delta" region, the 2019 Shanghai Spring International Accordion Festival features 'Belt and Road' Initiative Accordion Concerts being held 15th - 20th April, to the Changzhou, Ma'anshan and Ningbo regions. Detailed information in Chinese about the participants and timetable at: 2019cnShanghai.pdf The first Shanghai Spring International Accordion Festival was held in 2006 and there has been a proud history of accordion festivals in the Shanghai region. You can read about past events at: 2006 Shanghai | 2008 Shanghai | 2009 Shanghai | 2011 Coupe Mondiale | 2017ShanghaiConcert | 2018Shanghai Pictures below of Chinese performance groups. |
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2019 Carmen Carrozza Memorial Award Competition, AAA Festival - USAby Harley Jones |
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 $5,250 Prizes funded by the Carmen Carrozza Scholarship Fund.Download 2019 Carmen Carrozza Memorial rules, regulations and entry form. 2019Carrozza.pdf Entry payable online at AAA Shopping Cart Entry Closing Date: Entries must be postmarked no later than June 1, 2019. Online entries will be accepted until that date. Time and Place: The competition will be held during the AAA Festival on Thursday, July 18, 2019 at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in Valley Forge, (King of Prussia), PA. To further popularize the AAA-Commissioned repertoire, the Carmen Carrozza Scholarship Committee is offering $5,250 in cash prizes to the winners of this competition for all acoustic US accordionists. Winners in all categories may be requested to perform at a future AAA/Carrozza Scholarship event. Download Carmen Carrozza Memorial rules, regulations and entry form. 2019Carrozza.pdf |
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XII International Accordion Composition Competition “Francisco Escudero” - Spainby Christine Johnstone |
 Entries are now open for the XII International Accordion Composition competition “Francisco Escudero organised by the Hauspoz Euskal Herriko Akordoei Elkartea.The objective of the contest is to promote the creation of pieces for solo accordion and for accordion in chamber music. A unique category is for works composed for solo accordion or for chamber music with accordion, and their length may not exceed 10 minutes. The works of chamber music must be composed for a maximum of four players in which there is at least one accordion. The competition is open to composers of any age and nationality. Closing date for entries is September 5th, 2019 with a prizegiving ceremony held on September 14th. Please click here for competition information and rules: 2019Escudero.pdf |
10th Waldbronner Musikpreis 2019 - Germanyby Harley Jones |
 The 10th Waldbronner Musikpreis 2019 will be held on May 4th and 5th at Albert-Schweitzer-Schule, Zwerstraße 15, 76337 Waldbronn organised by AccoMusica e.V., Waldbronn. The competition will include categories for accordion soloists and duos on May 4th followed by an award ceremony. Ensembles and orchestras will compete on May 5th followed by their award ceremony at 6pm. The competition aims to offer the opportunity for like-minded accordionists to meet and compete with each other, and to create a friendly atmosphere. Published information: 2019Waldbronner.pdf |
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
Museum of Making Music TV News – USAby Dan Grauman |
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| Video from a March 22 performance at the NAMM Museum of Making Music. The accordionists are (l to r) Gabe Hall-Rodrigues, Jamie Maschler and Frank Petrilli. Carlsbad NEWS 8 sent news reporter Jeff Zevely (picture below right) to see NAMM’s Museum of Making Music exhibit called Accordions: Expanding Voices in the USA in Carlsbad, California on March 27th. The news report stated “It is an extremely exciting experience when we start to see the resurgence of an instrument that had once faded from the spotlight, and even more exciting to see all the creative ways that musicians reincorporate an instrument some traditional and some supremely innovative,” shared Carolyn Grant, MoMM’s Executive Director. Along with providing the musical history of the accordion, the exhibit offers a how-to-play-the-accordion video. Jeff and other museum visitors, mostly children, gave several accordions a squeeze and recorded some laughs of their own. The exhibition also features an expanded look at the insides of the accordion, and presents historical examples illustrating the development of the accordion from its early roots to its incredible popularity in school classrooms in the 1950s to the modern form of today. Accordions: Expanding Voices in the USA will run through to August 31st, 2019 and has been getting a lot of positive TV and media reporting. For details on the museum’s concerts, exhibits, workshops and outreach programs phone: 760 438-5996 |
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National Accordion Day Concert - Finlandby Dr Herbert Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich Lips Productions |
| Well-known Finnish accordionist and conductor Jukka-Pekka Kuusela and Ellen Leinonen organized and performed a National Accordion Day Concert in the Great Hall of the Kuhmo Arts Centre (also known as the main stage of the famous Kuhmo Festival) with their students from the Kuhmo Music Institute and Sotkamo Community College. The March 26th Finnish National Day of Accordion is also the birthday of Viljo Vesterinen, one of the most famous accordionists of the older generation. Their program included not only works by Rodion Shedrin, Igor Stravinsky, Heikki Valpola, Viktor Vlasov, Virve Jääskeläinen, Astor Piazzolla and Viljo Vesterinen, but even heavy metal music! All performers and performances were well acclaimed by the audience. |
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WOMAD World Festival – New Zealandby Christine Johnstone |
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  The WOMAD World Festival was held in New Plymouth, Taranaki New Zealand from March 15th to 17th. The three day event featured a variety of cultural performances from local and overseas artists including “Jamie Smith’s Mabon” (Wales - picture top) which features Jamie on accordion. The group play a mix of Welsh folk tunes and traditional sounds from all Celtic countries. Rebetien (Greece - picture above left) which features Avgerini Gatsi (accordion and vocals) performs songs mostly derived from the Rebetiko and the Greek traditional music repertoire, as well as compositions of their own. Their nostalgic sound is reminiscent of the gramophone era, often subtly combined with alternate, yet closely-related, musical styles of various Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan musical traditions. Sharon Shannon (Ireland - picture above right) is a genre-defying accordion player who is widely known for broadening the horizons of traditional music in the 1980s and '90s, Sharon is thoroughly versed in Irish music, and fearlessly mixes her accordion and fiddle playing with all manner of different styles - from reggae to country. |
World Premier Prelude and Fugue for Accordion - Germanyby Christine Johnstone |
 On March 17th, Marie-Andrée Joerger performed the world premiere of "Prelude et Fugue" for accordion written by French composer, organist and pianist Thierry Escaich. The event took place at the Big Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie.Marie-Andrée describes the prelude as very rhythmical, sometimes in a jazz style, and is very intense. The fugue is written in a language inspired by Olivier Messiaen Modes and Bela Bartok, with some rhythmical sections from the prelude repeated in the fugue very quickly. There is a big intensive progression to the end. The concert also included Marie-Andrée performing in duo with Vincent Dubois , the organist from Notre Dame de Paris (Notre Dame Cathedral). Their program included works by Astor Piazzolla, Richard Galliano and Gabriel Faure. Marie-Andrée will record this "Prelude et Fugue" in August 2019 in France for her first solo album project. She will also perform this work as follows: 9th June in Montreal - Canada 25th June in Strasbourg - France 30th July in Bayreuth - Germany 13th October in Kaysersberg - France For future concert details email Marie-Andrée Joerger: marieandree84@live.fr |
Video: Cody McSherry St Patricks Day Performance with Rizzetta’s Tones - USAby Pat McSherry |
| With a name as Irish as Cody McSherry, of course he had to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. What better way to celebrate than for the 15 year-old to share the stage with one of his favorite bands. The band, “Rizzetta’s Tones,” consisting of four multi-talented musicians and vocalists, had asked McSherry to join them in their annual St. Patrick’s Day concert at the Eicher Arts Center in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. The concert hall filled quickly leaving standing room only for late-comers. The band has a strong, well-deserved following. The band is known for its Celtic and folk sound played on a pair hammered dulcimers, flute, guitar, tin whistle, and a variety of other instruments, with haunting vocals and harmonies. Rizzetta’s Tones includes Bill Stine, Amanda Wells, Linda Lohr and Randy Kochel. In one of those cases where you never know what impact you may have others, the band members revealed that Stine, a former music teacher had taught both Lohr and Kochel in his eighth grade music class in years past. Bill met Amanda when she was performing as a background singer at his recording studio. All of the band members met Cody after one of the band’s performances where Cody and Randy had a long conversation about playing the hammered dulcimer. During the performance Cody, looking very Irish in his tweed vest and Irish flat cap, joined the band to perform for an appropriately-titled Irish medley entitled “McGillicuddy Rocks.” At the band’s request, he kicked off the band’s second set with a solo performance of “Ballad of Faithe,” the second piece in Guy Klucevsek’s “Three Tributes.” Also in the second set, Cody joined band member Randy Kochel in performing an accordion duet of “La Partida,” a Venezuelan waltz. Concert was the starting concert for Eicher Arts Center’s annual concert season. |
“Leahys Luck” at Milwaukee Accordion Club – USAby Christine Johnstone |
| Popular band “Leahys Luck” performed at the Milwaukee Accordion Club on March 25th followed by 2 x concerts at the Regency Senior Community in Brookfield and New Berlin on March 26th and 28th. The band includes accordionist Stas Venglevski, past President of the International Accordionists and Teachers Guild (ATG), brothers Brian and Tom Leahy (guitars, bass and vocals), and Tom’s son (drummer). “Leahys Luck” performs a variety of Irish folk music and has five recordings to their credit and a Wisconsin Area Music Industry's World/Ethnic Group of the Year Award. |
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Future events |
Beltango Quinteto Concerts – Germanyby Christine Johnstone |
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| The Beltango Quinteto will perform concerts in Germany from until April 5th. The group which includes Aleksandar Nikolic (bandoneon and artistic director), Ivana Nikolic (piano & vocals), Antonija Barna (violin), Bogdan Pejic (guitar) and Petar Holik & Ljubinko Lazic (double bass), are believed to be the first authentic tango orchestra from the Balkans and one of the most well-known tango orchestras in Europe. They are passionate musicians and tango lovers who have been together for almost 20 years and love what they do together. Concert dates are: March 30th: Hannover March 31st: Aachen April 2nd: Darmstadt April 5th: Wuppertal For further concert information email: info@beltango.com |
CNIMA Training Workshops - Franceby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
| CNIMA directed by Nathalie Boucheix, have a variety of upcoming workshops, training courses and concerts beginning in April. The training workshops are for all levels and styles and are open to all ages. In addition there will be exhibitions, demonstrations and instruments of major accordion brands available for participants to view. The workshops will be tutored by Christine Rossi (who will also give a mini concert), Matthieu Chaussalet (who will give a demonstration and concert), Louise Jallu (Tango Passion), Jacques Mornet (interpretation) and Alain Pennec (Breton and Celtic music). For further details email: cnima@wanadoo.fr |
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Perth Strathspey and Reel Society Ceilidh - Scotlandby Christine Johnstone |
| Accordionists are invited to attend the Perth Strathspey and Reel Society Ceilidh, which will be held at the Perth & District Ex Serviceman’s Club, 20 Milne Street, Perth, Scotland on April 5th from 7pm to 10pm. The Perth Strathspey & Reel Society was formed in 1989 with the aim of promoting Scottish music in the community. This Annual Concert is the highlight of their year when they invite well known guest musicians and singers from all over Scotland to the stage. All are welcome to this event. For further details email Shane Brogan: accordion2u@outlook.com |
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“Manran” Scottish Band Tours Australiaby Christine Johnstone |
| Well known Scottish folk rock band “Manran” will tour Australia from April 10th to May 3rd, 2019. The band, which features accordionist Gary Innes launched their debut single "Latha Math" in 2011 which saw them rise to the top of the Scottish music world leading to performances at many European festivals. They have now released three studio albums. Variously tagged as "folk-rock", "trad-rock", "Celtic-rock" and even "grown-up folk-rock", Mànran's music is an eclectic mix of tunes built around the band's traditional Celtic roots, with fiddle, accordion, flute, uillean and Highland bagpipes binding together powerfully with elements of funk, jazz and rock to create some of the most innovative and uplifting instrumental music around. Their Australian tour will include performances in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT and Western Australia taking in a number of festivals. Tour dates are: April 10th: The Shed Nanango April 11th: Bloodhound Corner Bar & Kitchen, Brisbane April 12th: The Upper Lansdowne Memorial Hall, Upper Lansdowne April 13th: Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub, Springwood April 14th: The Dungeon, Newcastle April 17th: Jack Duggans Irish Pub, Bathurst April 18th to 22nd: National Folk Festival in Canberra April 24th: Paddo RSL, Paddington April 25th: Fairbridge Festival Opening Concert in Fairbridge April 26th to 28th: Fairbridge Festival, Fairbridge May 1st: Old Gazette Theatre, Dorrigo May 2nd and 3rd: Australian Celtic Festival, Glen Innes For further tour details email: valmcgarry@optusnet.com.au |
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All Ireland Accordion Festival – Irelandby Christine Johnstone |
| The Irish Accordion Association will hold their 48th annual All Ireland Accordion Festival on April 13th and 14th at Tracey’s Hotel, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. The Festival hosts the Irish Accordion Championships for Solo, Duet, Ensemble and Orchestra. It promises to be an excellent event and the organisers are delighted with the high number of entries this year. Competitions will commence at 9.30am on the Saturday and conclude at 6pm. On Sunday competition commences at 10am and will conclude at 3.30pm. A prize-winners concert will then be held on Sunday afternoon which will feature prize-winners selected by the adjudicator. It will also feature Evin Kelly who has recently returned from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland and Noelle McCarthy, our adjudicator for the Festival this year. Entry to the Concert is Free. The Royal Meath Accordion Orchestra (pictured) will take part in this event. They recently won the North of Ireland Championship in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrin in February 2019 and will also compete in the NAO UK Championships in Liverpool at the end of April 2019. For further details email Gerry Kelly: royalmeathao16@gmail.com |
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Sell-Out Fundraising Ceilidh – Scotlandby Christine Johnstone |
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| The Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra conducted by Gary Blair will hold their fundraising ceilidh at the Masonic Hall, Queen Street, Renfrew, Glasgow, Scotland on April 19th. The last 2 ceilidhs were a sell-out and a fantastic night. Bring the whole family - children welcome. For ticket details phone: 07 813 712594 |
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