PLEASE CHECK BACK - AS THE EVENTS TAKE PLACE, THE ABOVE LINKS WILL BECOME ACTIVE
 
 
10.00 - 20.00 The Accordion Fair accordions, music books, etc.
Venue: Former "Sale" building by Festival Park | Free Admission
11.00 - 18.00 Accordion groups and Folk Dance Groups performing in Festival Park featuring groups including those from Espoo, Raisio, Hyvinkää, Jämsä, Jyväskylä, Pori, Vaasa, Hollola and Tampere.
Venue: Festival Park | Admission: Free
12.00 -24.00 Accordion Pub meeting place for accordionists and the public groups including those from Espoo, Jyväskylä, Sotkamo, Hollola, Vaasa and Raisio.
Venue: The Yellow School next to the Festival Park | Admission: Free
13.00

Children's Music Orchestra Loiskis both new and old and well-known children's songs.
Venue: Oma Tupa | Admission: 8 € / 4 €
14.00 Jubilee Concert of the local Ylä-Satakunta Music School visiting this year's youth orchestra from Vaskivuori High School in Vantaa and Qoro Quando. The programme includes compositions from Antti Nissilä, Jean Sibelius, andfolk music. Jukka Lehtinen conducts the choirs.
Venue: Ikaalinen Church | Admission: Free
16.00
Reviewed Below 		The winners of the CIA Coupe Mondiale competition 2003 Nikolai Sivchuk and Aleksei Peresidly from Russia.
Venue: Oma Tupa | Admission: 8 € / 4 €
19.00
Reviewed Below 		The Great Accordion Concert: the traditional parade of accordionists includes, among others, the winners of the Silver and Golden Accordion competition 2004, Armas Piippo, Oleg Sharov, the Light Music Orchestra of the Turku Accordion Club, the orchestra of Nakkila Accordionists, Bryac-quartet from Ukraine, Pasi and Petri Raukola and Accordion Orchestra Toccata from Slovakia. The concert is presented by Seppo Hovi.
Venue: Ikaalinen Hall | Admission: A: 20 € / 10 € and B: 15 €/ 7,5 €
20.00 An evening of accordion music at the Festival Park the traditional ensemble starts at 9.30 PM. Traditional dance music and lots of fun. Concert features Matti Lepänhaara and Seppo Soittila, Jämijärvi musicians and Sanna Pietiäinen with Orchestra Villisydän.
Venue: Festival Park | Admission: 10 € / 5 €
21.30
Reviewed Below 		Lava-Ammuntaa II - "Shooting on Stage II" A comic stage show by Ulla Tapaninen and Nasevat Kurtut with Merja Ikkelä.
Venue: Oma Tupa | Admission: 10 €/ 5 €
Nikolay Sivchuk and Aleksei Peresidly - 2003 Coupe Mondiale Winners

Russian accordionists Nikolay Sivchuk (right) and Aleksei Peresidly (left) were placed First and Second respectively at the 2003 Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA) Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships held in Slovakia and Hungary.

Each a master soloist, placing First and Second as fellow contestants at the Coupe Mondiale, the two are also very good friends from childhood, and together, make one of the most outstanding Bayan duos of today!

Both students of Viatcheslav Semionov at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow, the two were born in Surgut, Siberia. Friends and duo partners from childhood, the two have grown to form a duo so tight, that it can be easily seen that the two, while having different personalities, 'think' together.

Each performed as a soloist and also together as a duo playing a series of transcriptions and original music. Paying close attention to the control of their sound, the two are exceptionally artistic and musical. Combined with their superb technique and sometimes mischievous nature, the two form an exciting world class duo.

The audience enjoyed a varied program from transcriptions of Grieg and Piazzolla to original works by their teach Viatcheslav Semionov. From the most extreme pianissimo in Piazzolla's "Oblivion" to an almost orchestral forte in the Libertango, the two friends explored the beautiful tonal qualities inherent in the broad dynamic range of the instrument. The Piazzagonni and Martjanov works, reminiscent of the French Musette allowed the two to display their light hearted and technical virtuosity, while the Piazzolla and certain movements of the Grieg highlighted their expert control and musicality.

After the 75 minute concert, the enthusiastic audience called the two back to the stage for more! The duo, who have recently released their first CD, will perform at the Closing Ceremony before heading back to Moscow.
OMA TUPA - IKAALINEN
Saturday, July 3, 2004
Nikolay Sivchuk and Aleksei Peresidly - Accordions
  •  Holberg Suite - Edvard Grieg
    1. Prelude 2. Sarabande 3. Gavotte 4. Aria 5. Rigaudon
    Duo: Nikolay Sivchuk and Aleksei Peresidly

  • Nocturne - Mikhail Glinka
  • Gopak from the Opera Sorochintsy Fair - Modest Mussorgski
  • Three Dances from the Nutcracker Suite - Pytor Tchaikovsky
    1. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy 2. March 3. Trepak-Russian Dance
    Solo: Nikolay Sivchuk

  • Brahmsiana - Viatcheslav Semionov
  • Waltz Improvisation - Victor Tsernikov
    Solo: Aleksei Peresidly

  • Don Rhapsody 3rd Mov. - Viatcheslav Semionov
  • Light and Shadow - Paolo Pizzagoni
  • Three Pieces - Astor Piazzolla
    1. Oblivion 2. Libertango 3. Milonga del Angel
  • The Accordionist - B. Martjanov
  • Northern Storm - A. Salaev
    Duo: Nikolay Sivchuk and Aleksei Peresidly

 

Nikolai and Aleksei signing autographs and right, Nikolai and Aleksei, First and Second Prize winners at the 2003 Confederation Internationale Des Accordeonistes (CIA) Coupe Mondiale pictured with CIA President - Kevin Friedrich (left) and CIA Vice President - Kimmo Mattila. Kimmo is also Musical Director of the Sata-Häme Soi - Accordion Festival.
The Great Accordion Concert

The Great Accordion Concert is a parade of accordionists featuring an international blend of artists ranging from classical to folk and other mediums. This year the concert hosted by Seppo Hovi included:

  • The Turku Light Music Accordion Orchestra
  • Jusso Vesterinen - Winner of the 2004 Silver Accordion Award
  • Pasi and Petri Raukola
  • Oleg Sharov from Russia
  • Bryac Quartet from the Ukraine
  • The Makkila Accordion Orchestra (directed by Vesa Formunen)
  • Kaisa Kujanpää - Winner of the 2004 Golden Accordion Award
  • Armas Piippo (86 year old accordion veteran)
  • Toccata Accordion Orchestra from Slovakia

The Concert opened with the Turku Light Music Accordion Orchestra performing a medley from the musical Cabaret and then Tuxedo Junction by Glen Miller.

Silver Accordion Award winner Jusso Vesterinen (above right) performed his winning rendition of the 'Baby Elephant Walk' followed by the brothers Pasi and Petri Raukola - pictured right.

Next on the program was outstanding Russian accordionist Oleg Sharov from St. Petersburg (above left.)

Oleg has toured extensively in the Soviet Union, Finland and Eastern Europe, however It was not until Perestroika that he was able to tour in the West and Scandinavia (1987) and the USA (1990).

In recent years Oleg Sharov has given premiers of about twenty modern and original works for free bass accordion of Russian and European composers. One of the latest of these was the first performance in the United Kingdom (1996) of 'Concerto for Accordion and Orchestra' (Ivor Hodgson) with the Manchester Camarata Symphony Orchestra.

He has continued to enhance his international reputation by touring Japan, France, Chine, Spain, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Yugoslavia, Belgium and Poland.

Mr. Sharov is currently a Senior Professor of Music and head of the accordion department at the St. Petersburg "Rimsky Korsakov" Conservatory of Music.

His program of three pieces included: (1) Spanish Cappriccio by Veiko Ahvenainen (2) Telephone Talking (between a man and a woman) - Viktor Vlasov and (3) Basso Ostinato - Viktor Vlasov.

The popular quartet of young musicians from the Ukraine "Bryac Quartet" (above left) bring a fresh and innovative style with their accordion and three balalaika quartet put into a contemporary and choreographed performance.

The four musicians including accordionist Sergei Trotsenko, and Balalaika players Igor Nerovnui, Jevgeni Kazantsantsev and Oleg Shaman displayed their excellent ensemble work, an innovative and fresh style plus superb dynamic control. As mentioned in the review of their Ikaalinen concert, their dazzling program destroys all Balalaika stereotypes as they perform rock, jazz, pop and folk in their own unique style. Their selections included Tequila, Boney M and the theme from the Titanic.

The Nakkila Accordion Orchestra under the direction of Vesa Formunen performed a Tango and then the popular Frosini piece Bel Viso, then the audience welcomed to the stage, the 2004 Golden Accordion Award Winner Kaisa Kujanpää.

A star of the show was 86 year old Armas Piippo who began playing the accordion some 83 years ago, when he was just 3 years old! He began playing in a dance band when he was 10, and went on to make a living at the state railroad for 40 years. While working at the Railroad, the headmaster of the local music school asked him if he would teach accordion lessons there, and he did so for some 21 years.

To conclude the program, the 45 piece Tocatta Accordion Orchestra from Slovakia filled the hall with their musical selections. Much to the delight of the Finnish audience, the conductor was called back to the stage to perform the popular Sakkijarven Polkka.

The foundation of this young artistic orchestra goes back to September 2001. The ensemble is composed of accordion pupils, graduates and teachers from the Elementary School of Art and Crafts in Sobrance, as well as accoridonists from the region.
Lava-Ammuntaa II - "Shooting on Stage II"
Lava-Ammuntaa II - "Shooting on Stage II" Finland's best known stand up comedian 'Ulla Tapaninen' packed the the Uma Tupa to capacity and beyond, (with speakers out in the lobby area) as she presented her show for the 2004 Ikaalinen Festival. A mixture of monologue and music, the audience was in fits of laughter during her show.

Included in the small group of musicians was well-known Finnish accordionist Merja Ikkelä. Merja was known as a child prodigy and toured internationally with Lasse Pihlajamaa during his concert tours. Now Merja is a full time teacher at the Sibelius Academy - Folk Music Department.
In and Around Ikaalinen
Finland's Nature Symbols: Six national 'nature symbols' have been chosen for Finland by popular vote and all the symbols carry powerful connotations of popular tradition, stretching back to ancient times.

They were only officially chosen in the 1980s and '90s, however, so one cannot claim they are based on any formal tradition. The aim in choosing the symbols is to draw attention to Finnish nature and wildlife and to promote appreciation of them.

Symbol Number 5: The Perch fish - Perca Fluviatilis, is Finland's most common fish, equally at home in small ponds, lakes and streams as well as in the Baltic Sea.
For the 'Sweet Tooth' - one of the delicacies of the Finnish taste buds is the popular Liquorice stick.

Pictured here, you can see you have your choice of flavors of these unusually long but tasty candy sticks.
Cruising in Style - The Lampi has taken packed boats of festival attendees backwards and forwards across the lake during the festival.

In addition to the service between the Spa Hotel and the town of Ikaalinen, the Captain (far right - Master Pekka Ojala) often takes a small sightseeing tour around the lake, while his assistant (Heikki Mäkinen - left) gives the local history of the area in both Finnish and if necessary English.

The small boat includes a full bar, snack shop, accordionist entertainment and of course a Sauna, although the short trips across the lake don't allow for that popular Finnish pastime.