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Video: 41st “Citta di Castelfidardo” Winners, Premio Category - Italyby Harley Jones |
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Video above: Round II of 2016 PIF Premio Competition. 1st José Valente (Portugal) 2nd Mao Junhao (China) 3rd Vladimir Stupnikov (Russia) Videos of round III Finalists performing with the String Orchestra of the “G.B. Pergolesi” Conservatory of Fermo, conducted by Daniele Giulio Moles are online at: http://www.accordions.com/concorso/2016/25.htm |
Mirco Patarini (IAC) Presents the 2017 Coupe Mondiale, Osimo (AN) - Italyby Harley Jones |
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![]() The 2017 Coupe Mondiale will be held from Tuesday 5th September to Saturday 9th September in the City of Osimo, which is only 8 km from the famous Accordion Museum Castelfidardo and many accordion factories, making a unique opportunity for accordion lovers. Budget priced accommodation is available for competitors, the hotel is a short walking distance to the Teatro La Nuova Fenice (picture below), which is renowned for good acoustics and frequently used for international music competitions. The City of Osimo is well know for international cultural events and a major international piano competition will take place in the same Teatro La Nuova Fenice, just one week before the Coupe Mondiale. The presentation ended with applause from the enthusiastic international delegates. Full details of the presentation by Mirco Patarini (IAC) can be viewed / printed at: 2017presentation.pdf Further information at: Coupe Mondiale |
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Video: Roland FR4X Release, Demonstration and Rostov Concert - France / Russiaby Harley Jones |
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As part of a massive "The Future Redefined" 24 hour online promotion streaming live from eight different cities across the world (Paris, Tokyo, Auckland, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Berlin and Brussels), Roland launched 30 new products, a new generation of Roland electronic instruments. The Paris product launch at the iconic Eiffel Tower included the new Roland FR4X accordion. Video 1: above is an extensive demonstration of the new Roland by Sam Garcia. In September, the new Roland FR4X was also featured at the 2016 Coupe Mondiale in Rostov-on-Don by Alexey Chernomordikov (Russia). Video 2: above. The Roland FR4X is a completely new model which uses the highest quality FR8X sounds. The FR8X remains the V-Accordion flagship, with the new FR4X just below that, followed by the smaller lighter FR3 and the entry level FR1, to complete a range of Roland accordion piano and button models with different price points. Roland FR4X technical information at: 2016FR4X.pdf |
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Video: Winners of 2016 PIF Category I, Variete Music, Any Age - Italyby Harley Jones |
![]() 1st place, Joao Filipe Guerreiro (Portugal) 2nd place, Jean Baptiste Baudin (France) 3rd place, Wang Xiao (China) This was a very high level competition with many excellent performances which are online at: http://www.accordions.com/concorso/2016/23.htm |
XXIV “Arrasate Hiria” International Accordion Entries Close - Spainby Harley Jones |
![]() The competitions will take place in Arrasate-Mondragón (Basque Country) between the 8th and the 11th of December, 2016. The organisers “HAUSPOZ” Euskal Herriko Akordeoi Elkartea, the Town Hall of Arrasate and The County Council of Gipuzkoa welcome soloists of any age and nationality. Download entry form, Rules and Regulations at: 2016Arrasate |
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
Harmonica Müller Celebrates 40th Anniversary, Bad St.Leonhard - Austriaby Diatonic News |
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10th to 11th September 2016 Peter and Edith Müller founded in 1976 the successful family business in Bad St. Leonard in the Lavant Valley. 2016 is the 40th Anniversary and a celebration of 30,000 instruments. This attractive two-day program is aimed at customers, employees, and interested music lovers. To view a full report of the two day celebration, visit: Müller40th |
Buckwheat Zydeco (1947-2016), Louisiana – USAby Rob Howard |
![]() Stanley Dural Jr was born in rural Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1947, one of 13 children. His parents were farmers. He worked on the farm as a boy, spending much time picking cotton, later commenting, “I did a lot of hard stuff coming up. I’m glad I did, 'cause this stuff – making music – is easy.” His father, Stanley Dural Sr., was an amateur accordionist who played traditional Creole songs around the house. In his youth, Buckwheat – the nickname referred to his braided hair, which was reminiscent of the ‘Buckwheat’ character in the old ‘Our Gang’/‘The Little Rascals’ comedy series – rebelled against his father’s music. He took up the accordion, piano, keyboards and the Hammond B3 organ and gravitated toward funk and rhythm & blues, joined bands before forming his own and eventually finding commercial success. His international performances include the 1996 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, which was broadcast to a huge TV audience worldwide, and both of President Bill Clinton’s inauguration celebrations. Dural broke new ground forZydeco, both stylistically and commercially. In 1987, Island Records released Buckwheat Zydeco’s Grammy-nominated ‘On a Night Like This’, the first Zydeco album on a major label. More recently, the world-travelled Dural was the first Zydeco bandleader with his own YouTube channel, ‘Buckwheat’s World’. He was a “cultural ambassador in the truest sense,” said Michael Tisserand, author of the 1998 book ‘The Kingdom of Zydeco’, which will soon be reissued with a new foreword by Dural. “He brought this traditional music to the biggest stage it ever enjoyed. It took someone with his talent, range, sense of showmanship and charisma to take it that far. He’d play songs by Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, and stretch the music beyond its original shape”, Tisserand said, “but always with the sense of celebration, excitement and cultural pride at the heart of zydeco”. |
‘Musette Squared’s August concert tour activity Latvia, Lithuaniaby Vladimir Ushakov |
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![]() In parallel, preparations were made for the concert tour to the Baltic States. On August 18th in the Theatre of the city of Daugavpils, Latvia, there was held a big solo concert of the group within the framework of the international festival ‘Musical August in Daugavpils 2016’. On August 23rd, a concert was held in the Concert hall of ‘Gariunai Business Park’, Vilnius, Lithuania. Both concerts were a great success, crowded to overflowing concert halls, with several encores and very enthusiastic audiences. ‘Musette Squared’ consists of musicians from two bands, the soloists of St. Petersburg Musette Ensemble, Svetlana Stavitskaya and Vladimir Ushakov, and participants of the Omsk chamber ensemble ‘Musette’. The ‘Musette Squared’ ensemble consists of a Quartet of accordions accompanied by the rhythm section (piano/keyboard, bass guitar and drums), and songstress and compere. For the first time they performed together in 2012 in Omsk, after which the concerts of ‘Musette Squared’ took place in Omsk and in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and the region, and now in the Baltic States. The repertoire performed at the concerts was diverse, from ‘Little Night Serenade’ by W.A. Mozart (jazz arrangement by C. Bolling) to ‘In the Mood’ by J. Garland, from ‘Fuga y Misterio’ by A. Piazzolla to ‘La Cumparsita’ by G. M. Rodriguez (arranged by V. Vlasov), several songs including ‘Un Gamin de Paris’ by J. Mares/P. Michey, ‘Fever’ by O. Blackwell (J. Davenport)/E. Cooley, etc. For further information email: spme@mail.ru |
Video: 41st “Citta di Castelfidardo” Winners, Category M, World Music - Italyby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
Video: 41st “Citta di Castelfidardo” Winners, Category M, World Music Rules for Category M: Ensembles - no age limit - one round. Category M is open to any group (with no age limit) including at least one accordion or diatonic accordion (of any model) or a bandoneon or a digital accordion, that should have the main role in the ensemble. Groups may contain more than one free reed instrument or with only free reed instruments (like the ones mentioned above). Entrants must present a program of their choice lasting no longer than 20 minutes, including arrangements and creative reworking of pieces from the world music, ethno jazz, ethnic, folk and traditional repertoires. Original compositions generically inspired by ethnic music are also accepted. The jury will consider both the quality of the performance and the artistic project of the group. Videos of other competitors are on the page: http://www.accordions.com/concorso/2016/22.htm |
Inger Murray’s ‘Mental Training for Musicians – A Cure for Stage Fright’, London – UKby Rob Howard |
![]() Psychologist Inger Murray has worked with many professional musicians with her Mental Training for Musician workshops. She regularly holds them at the Royal Academy of Music in London as well as the Royal Danish Conservatory in her native Denmark. Many performers find they can play perfectly well when they practise but then in performance they lose focus, or show outward signs of nervousness which prevent them from giving a performance they are worthy of. This book will help conquer this all too common problem with professionals, students and amateurs alike. It will help one to understand why it happens and how to counteract it. It is the next best thing to having a one to one or group session with the author. The book is translated by her husband, Owen Murray who is the accordion professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. His students are renowned and strong in performance thanks to his inclusion of his wife’s experience and workshops as part of his teaching. Whilst this book is great for any musician, as accordionists we know that the accordion is a difficult instrument to play and there are so many things that can go wrong in performance due to its complex structure. This can add stress to an already stressful performance situation. This book gives the accordionist the tools to focus and relax in performance. For further information email: romanoviazzani@hotmail.co.uk |
‘Accordions Rising’ Music Documentary, San Diego – USAby Roberta Cantow |
![]() This vibrant film delves into the musical resurgence of an instrument not just limited to one man bands and traditional folk but equally at home in diverse genres from classical and jazz to rock and rap. Released in October, 2015, the film has also debuted at several accordion festivals in the USA, including the ‘Las Vegas Accordion Convention’, the ‘Leavenworth Accordion Festival’ in Leavenworth, Washington, and the ‘Cotati International Accordion Festival’ in California. It will soon be headed for the ‘Accordion Noir Festival’ in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In the course of its various runs, the filmmaker herself has discovered that the so called ‘accordion world’ is anything but monolithic, and that her film, in particular, gives voice to a very unique group of artists who defy definition with performance styles that are outside the box of both classical and traditional. ‘Accordions Rising’ has won Awards of Merit at the ‘Global Accolades Competition’, October, 2015 and the ‘Indie Film Fest’, August, 2016. The film immerses itself among the talented and often eccentric group of musicians that defiantly call the under-appreciated instrument their own - giving voice to challenge its much maligned reputation and setting the record straight with humor and aplomb. You too can explore the world of one of the most beautiful and misunderstood instruments. ne can view the ‘Accordions Rising’ Trailer at: www.accordionsrising.com and consider purchasing a DVD or Bly Ray disk from the Purchase page. T shirts and posters are also for sale. Producer/director Roberta Cantow received her first grant from The American Film Institute while still a graduate film student at NYU Film School. Her film and video work have been recognized nationally and internationally. She received a NY Emmy Award for her 1982 documentary, ‘Clotheslines’, about the symbolic and artistic role of laundry in for her 1982 documentary, Clotheslines’, about the symbolic and artistic role of laundry in women's lives. ‘Accordions Rising’ continues the over-arching theme in all her work: an attraction to and deeper look at often maligned subject matter. For further information email: rcantoo@earthlink.net |
Video: Gail Campanella Concert – Virginia, USAby Joan Grauman Morse |
The above video features a Stas Venglevski composition for accordion titled Octobler Rondo. Gail Campanella flew cross-country from California to be the Guest Artist at the September meeting of the Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society (WMAS) in Falls Church, Virginia. Not only does Gail possess excellent musical skills, her love of the accordion, her musical selections and her dazzling smile made the concert truly delightful from start to finish. Gail performed compositions by Gart, Mancini, Piazzolla, Venglevski, Alongi, DiPippo and others. Video supplied by Dan Grauman |
‘Phil Cunningham's Christmas Songbook’ New CD, Scotland – UKby Rob Howard |
![]() 17 Tracks: Santa Will Find You; Silent Night; Little Drummer Boy; In the Bleak Midwinter; It Came Upon A Midnight Clear; Chickadee's Christmas/365 days Till Christmas/A Tribute To Larry Reynolds; Away In A Manger; Sweet Bells; Waltz For Aly/Silver Bells; Marches: Tam The Gun/Wee Michael's March/Ack Stirling's March; The Holly And The Ivy/The Sweetness Of Mary; Lovely Molly Mae; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/The Reel Beatrice; I Know The Reason; Winter Wonderland/Bluebell Polka; I Am Not Fed Up Of The Pacific Ocean; Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas/White Christmas. Phil Cunningham, one of the masters of Scottish contemporary folk, is joined by a host of special guests who showcase modern and traditional Christmas music. For further information email: info@musicscotland.com |
Video: 41st “Citta di Castelfidardo”, Cerseyo Group - Italyby Harley Jones |
The very nice sound of the group Cerseyo in Category M - Ensembles - no age limit. If you want to hear more of their music, go to: http://www.accordions.com/concorso/2016/22.htm |
Future events |
Marcel Azzola and Jean-Louis Noton Concert, Millau – Franceby Rob Howard |
![]() Marcel Azzola is a French accordionist of Italian descent. During his long career he has accompanied many of the most famous French singers of his era, including Édith Piaf, Tino Rossi, Yves Montand, Juliette Gréco, Jean Sablon, Francis Lemarque, Gilbert Bécaud, and notably Jacques Brel. He has also provided music for many cinema movies. Jean-Louis Noton is particularly well-known for his use of MIDI accordion sounds, and has been a demonstrator for Cavagnolo for many years before they stopped. He has performed in many countries worldwide, and studied music at the Lyon Conservatory from 1966 to 1971. |
Julieta Venegas Concert, Buenos Aires – Argentinaby Rob Howard |
Video: One of Julieta Venegas most popular songs "Me Voy: with millions of views online. Mexican singer and accordionist Julieta Venegas performs in concert on Saturday October 1st, 9pm, at the Teatro Gran Rex, Av Corrientes 857, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Julieta Venegas Percevault, known professionally as Julieta Venegas, sings pop-rock in Spanish. She speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish fluently. She has a twin sister, Yvonne, who is a photographer. Venegas grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, and began studying music at the age of eight, and went on to join several bands. She plays several instruments including acoustic guitar, accordion, and keyboard. She has won five Latin Grammys and one Grammy Award among other awards. She has composed music for theater and performed in soundtracks for two movies, and is an accomplished songwriter. |
‘50 Shades of Pink’ Concert, West Yorkshire – UKby Rob Howard |
![]() For further information email: petejebb@gmail.com |
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers Tour Dates – USA, Chinaby Rob Howard |
![]() October 1st - Mighty Mississippi Music Festival, Greenville, MS October 2nd - St Paul Church Fair, Baton Rouge, LA October 8th - OktoPRfest Street Festival, Port Royal, SC October 14th - Andouille Festival, Laplace, LA October 15th - Rendez-vous des Cajuns/Tribute to Rockin Dopsie, Cajun Music Radio and TV Show, Eunice, LA October 16th - Kentuck Festival of the Arts, Northport, AL October 18th to 24th - Chengdu, China Accordionist and songwriter Dwayne Dopsie (born 1979 in Lafayette, Louisiana), the son of the late Rockin Dopsie, plays a unique, high energy style of Zydeco. Although inspired by tradition, he has developed his own style. He has played the accordion since age seven and states, "This is my calling - Zydeco music is in my blood and it is my heart and soul". Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers have performed all over the world. For further information email: Lucy@DwayneDopsie.com |
Vivat Ensemble! Concert, Kiev – Ukraineby Rob Howard |
The accordion quartet Vivat Ensemble! Perform in concert on Sunday October 2nd, 7pm until 9pm, at the Philharmonic Hall, Kiev, Ukraine. Their programme includes works by JS Bach, E. Vila Lobos, V. Zubytskoho, M. Rizolya, and V. Kyreyka, and Ukrainian folk instrumental and vocal works. The members of Vivat Ensemble! are Sergiy Grinchenko (1st accordion), Oleg Shiyan (2nd accordion), Igor Sayenko (baritone accordion), and Roman Molochenko (bass accordion). The concert also includes the folk instruments ensemble ‘Dyvohray’, the Kyiv Saxophone Quartet, the quartet ‘Source’, and Karina Kondrasheveska – soprano. For further information email: column@i.com.ua |
I Love Paris – Paris, je t’aime, London - UKby Rob Howard |
![]() For further information email: igor.outkine@yahoo.com |
Sergio Zampolli ‘Accordion Classics’ Concert, Pretoria - South Africaby Rob Howard |
![]() Sergio Zampolli, born in Genoa, Italy, is based in Johannesburg, where he works as a solo accordionist, accordion teacher, and specialist accordion retailer. For further information email: sergiozampolli@gmail.com |
Duncan Black & Marie Fielding @ Clydesdale Accordion & Fiddle Club, Scotland – UKby Rob Howard |
![]() Clydesdale is a recently opened A & F club. The guest artists will open and close the concert, and doors open at 1.30pm, performance commences at 2pm. All players and enthusiasts will be made most welcome. Raffle, licensed bar, free tea coffee and biscuits. Admission £4, with floor players free. For further information email: shirley_cathcart@yahoo.co.uk |
Duo Folksongs: Francesco Palazzo and Tiziana Portoghese - Italyby Harley Jones |
![]() Concert on October 8th at 8 pm, Sala Multimediale Fondazione Onlus, Giovanni Paolo II, Via Marche 1, Bari San Paolo. The Folksongs project, where the Duo Folksongs of Francesco Palazzo (accordion) and Tiziana Portoghese (mezzo soprano) proposed a search of the most important and beautiful music written texts of folk songs around the world, a musical journey through all the different continents. |
New and Updated Sites |
New Work by Douglas Ward, Charnwood Publishing - UKby Douglas Ward |
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![]() Catalog No: DW938 The Happy Whistler Standard: Grade 4 Approximate playing time: 2 mins This happy-go-lucky little piece will make you want to dance! Written in G major, the introduction is eight bars long. It is quite hummable and memorable. It clips along at a jaunty pace through the first section, which requires some treble fingering dexterity. It changes to C major for the second section before returning to G major. The Douglas Ward page is now listing over 80 compositions and arrangements of eSheet and printed music available from Charnwood Publishing. Purchase with credit card online. |
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