 Thank
you from Kevin Friedrich - President
Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA) Distinguished
Guests, Festival Organizers, Ladies and Gentleman, it has
been my great honor to be here at the 2006 Shanghai Spring
International Accordion Festival.
On behalf
of all of the International Jury Members and VIP Guests, I
would like to thank you most sincerely for your kind invitation
to have us to attend this outstanding international festival,
featuring many of the worlds greatest accordionists.
I would
like to thank the city officials, members of the organizing
committee and in particular Mr. Li Cong for all the work they
have done coordinating this major international accordion
event. We applaud your vision, and the excellent work carried
out by the festival committee. It has done so much to benefit
the advancement of the accordion both here in China, and also
around the world. Such important gatherings are extremely
valuable so that we can share ideas and goals for the continued
international cooperation to advance the accordion.
We would also like to say a special thank you to all the young
student volunteers who have helped all of us greatly with
translations and also finding our way around this beautiful
city of Shanghai. Their charming spirit and enthusiasm has
made our stay most enjoyable.
A prestigious
event like this crosses all international boundaries. We have
had the exciting opportunity to hear beautiful music and inspiring
performances while making many new friends from around the
world.
We thank
all the young accordion students and their families for all
the work they have done in preparing for this event. Each
one of us here started as that young student just like you,
and we hope you all continue to have as much enjoyment with
the accordion as we have had.
For us,
as visitors to Shanghai, it has been very exciting to have
this unique opportunity to see the important accordion work
that is being done on many levels by our colleagues here in
China. We congratulate you and wish you continued success.
Congratulations
for the spectacular success of this Shanghai Spring International
Accordion Festival. We thank you for your kind hospitality,
and look forward to keeping a close friendship with you all
as we celebrate and promote the accordion in the future. Thank
you!
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