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Please check back. This page will be updated throughout the month of May, as additional pictures of activities are submitted.
 United
Kingdom Celebrates World Accordion Day |
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| ‘Allo
Allo’.... it's World Accordion Day |
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 Romiley
Little Theatre’s production of ‘Allo Allo’
took place, May 13th to 15th, 7.30 PM, at the Festival Theatre,
Corporation Street, Hyde, Cheshire, in the North West of
England, UK. The Director was Roy Vernon, who also played
the part of the German General.
‘Allo
Allo’, was a long running BBC TV comedy show about
the French resistance, set during World War II, and the
stage version includes many musical numbers. Rob Howard,
the ‘Accordions Worldwide’ News Editor and author
of the popular series of books ‘An A to Z of the Accordion’,
played the accordion on stage as part of the show. The other
musician featured was 15 year old pianist Aaron Breeze.
‘Allo
Allo’ went really well, and the theatre was just rocking
with laughter each night. The music played included the
‘Allo Allo’ theme, the French and German national
anthems, ‘Under the Bridges of Paris’, ‘Coquette’,
‘Lili Marlene’, ‘Fi Fi’, ‘La Cumparsita’,
the ‘Laurel & Hardy’ theme, ‘O Sole Mio’,
and ‘Frere Jacques’. Some of these pieces were
played more than once, especially the ‘Allo Allo’
theme, which was heard no less than seven times.
 Rob
Howard (pictured left at a previous production of Allo Allo)
gave a short concert of French musette music before each
performance, and during the interval played some pieces
as a duo with the pianist Aaron Breeze. These included ‘The
Entertainer’, ‘Under Paris Skies’, ‘Blaze
Away’, and ‘The Stripper’.
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George
Syrett Celebrates World Accordion Day, Yorkshire Dales –
UK
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 World
Accordion Day May 6th 2010. After a request from the Confédération
Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) I decided
to fly the flag for the accordion by touring the local restaurants
and hostelries. I played in the local Italian restaurant
The Piccolino to delighted diners, and the staff started
to dance and sing to the music.
From
there I proceeded to Ripon, to The Blackamore, situated
in a small village called Copt Hewick, and again received
a reception of surprise and delight. Finally, I visited
my local hotel, The Duke of Wellington, in East Keswick,
where the locals started to dance and sing. As I carried
my box into the bar some thought I had a sewing machine
or was a traveling salesman.
This
proves the accordion is capable of bringing laughter and
song to many who have never heard one played or indeed seen
an accordion. All in all over 200 people in the Dales of
Yorkshire have seen and heard the accordion at its best
and are talking about it. So many photos were taken I am
sure they will appear on face book at some time.
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| Horsham
Accordion Band Celebrates World Accordion Day |
| The band,
based in Horsham, West Sussex, was formed in 1987 when local
accordion teacher John Coles got together with friends and
pupils and started playing for local events.Our Musical Director
is Mrs Mags Fisher who has been with the band since it was
formed, 3 others have also been members form the beginning.
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There are currently 10 members in the band - 8 playing piano
accordions, one button accordion player and a keyboard player
providing the bass line. Occasionally a friendly drummer is
borrowed for a special event.
The band originally concentrated on German music as Horsham
is twinned with ---a town in Germany. The band has visited
--- several times in the past. However our music library is
now considerably more varied and covers Old time to Rag time!
We have numbers from musicals & shows old & new, Big
Band numbers, medleys of popular tunes for singing along to,
general middle of the road easy listening tunes, a few light
classics, and of course seasonal Christmas numbers. Most music
is played in four to five part harmony. some of which we have
to write ourselves.
We play for themed functions e.g. French, Italian, German,
Scottish - and Russian! Other events can include Community
Fetes, Barn-Dances, private parties. During some summer weekends
we perform on a bandstand either in the town centre or in
the large park in Horsham We also play at residential homes
and for handicapped groups & clubs - the Gateway club
being one of these.
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The World Accordion Day Celebration was well received by approximately
30 members and guests and we had many surprised comments,
as we often do at events, on how pleasant the sound of accordions
is and how varied the music was that we played.
Program for WAD at the Royal Air Force Association Home: |
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HORSHAM ACCORDION BAND MUSIC PROGRAMME FOR WORLD ACCORDION
DAY
WALLIS
CENTRE, EAST GRINSTEAD
Thursday 6th May 2010 … 8.00-9.00pm
RAFA
RUSTINGTON
Wednesday 19th May 2010 … 7.30-8.30pm
LISTENING
MUSIC
- IF
A WERE A RICH MAN
- PERFIDIA
- KALINKA
- LULLABY
OF BIRDLAND
- RED
LARK
- BLUE
SKIES
- APRIL
IN PORTUGAL
- BLUE
TANGO
- CEILITO
LINDO
- PALOMA
BLANCA
- SPROUTS
(3 tunes)
- TEA
FOR TWO
SING-ALONG
MUSIC
- BRIDGES
OF PARIS
- LILLI
MARLENE
- HAPPY
WANDERER
- CRUISING
DOWN THE RIVER
- A
FINE ROMANCE
- I
DO LIKE TO BE BESIDE
- DAY
TRIP TO BANGOR
- YELLOW
ROSE OF TEXAS
- DON'T
LAUGH AT ME
- TIE
A YELLOW RIBBON
- YELLOW
SUBMARINE
- SHE'LL
BE COMING ROUND
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| ‘World
Accordion Day’ Interviews, Staffordshire |
 North
Staffs AC marked World Accordion Day, May 6th, with interviews
on local radio. The chat about accordions made a welcome for
listeners’ relief from the otherwise relentless coverage
of the General Election.
The
day began with an interview at 7.30am with Pete Morgan on
BBC Radio Stoke, involving NSAC chairman Steve Hughes and
accordionist Stefan Andrusyschyn. The chat with host Pete
Morgan flowed smoothly, and included a brilliant rendition
of a shortened Strauss’s ‘Blue Danube’ by Stefan,
which drew applause from the studio staff. Following a photo
shoot Steve and Stefan left having, I believe, given good
representation for the instrument and the club.
The
calculated listening audience was about 10,000. On the way
out Steve Hughes had a phone call from Ben Lowe, who was directing
the news program for the MA course in media studies at Stafford
University and, having heard the broadcast on Radio Stoke,
invited the NSAC duo take part that afternoon.
From
Radio Stoke, Steve and Stefan were featured on programs at
the nearby Signal Radio, with Doug Wood on Signal Radio 2,
followed by Signal Radio 1 with Perry and Louise. In both
cases Stefan did a marvelous job, doing all the talking and
playing ‘Misty’ and ‘Hot and Cold’.
In
the afternoon the NSAC duo to Stafford University, where they
appeared on screen in a programme introduced as being ‘World
Accordion Day’. Stefan was asked about the instrument
and how long he had played – following the pattern of
the previous interviews. He followed the questions with a
brief rendition of ‘Czardas’. Hopefully, these interviews
and music will have caught the attention of many listeners
in the county. |
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What:
World Accordion Day
When: 6th May
Why: a unified global effort to celebrate
and promote the Accordion
Where: World Wide!
Contact: Harley Jones - CIA Public Relations
Officer e-mail: harleyaccordion@yahoo.com |
