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| Concert Review by Kathleen Falco Awaited anticipation of this evening was the feeling in the beautiful church, St. Mark's in Spokane Washington USA. What a perfect setting for a concert given by Grayson Masefield of New Zealand, The World Champion Accordionist. As world-renowned accordion teacher Frederic Deschamps walked up to announce the performance of this talented musician, a smile came upon his face from a full week of teaching his method to students of Patricia Bartell, USA national delegate of CMA. It was a thrill for those who had spent the week studying the Deschamps technique to see Grayson perform for we had had a sneak preview of some of his music during the master classes. 
Frederic announced the first set of songs that Grayson was to play. As
Grayson walked out, there was a seriousness to him. He sat down and started,
there was not a sound of anything except his music, which from the beginning
to the end left everyone sitting on the edge of their seats. Grayson Masefield said it all with his body and his expression, he drew everyone in with his music and his body language. The accordion was part of him during this performance. Grayson's second set was his variety program using his Hohner Fun Flash. Everyone was amazed at the tempo of these songs, and the ability of Grayson and how fast he is with this technique that Frederic has been working with him on for 3½ yrs. The crowd loved this and gave him a standing ovation and wanted more. Grayson came back and played an encore and I couldn't believe it was over, I wanted more of this music, I was so grateful to have witness this concert. The sound and ambiance was all perfect. The ability of Grayson Masefield is what keeps me going, I don't know if I will ever be of his ability but I do know that it has given me the passion to learn everything I possibly can about this instrument and the method that Frederic Deschamps teaches. It was a concert that will long reside in the memories of those who experienced it. by Kathleen Falco (Spokane Washington USA) |
| Concert Review by Buzz Falco On Saturday evening, I was privileged to attend a concert by internationally ranked virtuoso accordionist Grayson Masefield, a young New Zealand musician who has consistently been ranked as one of the top 3 competitors in competition throughout Europe. He was here for a week, attending an advanced technique clinic presented by his personal instructor, Frederic Deschamps, an internationally acclaimed teacher and accordion designer. Local music teacher, and international accordion performance competitor and judge, Patricia Bartell was successful in arranging the clinic for members of the Spokane Accordion Orchestra, of which she is the director, and selected accordion students, after herself spending an intense 4 week training session in France with Mr. Deschamps last summer. 
Having the opportunity to be in the acoustically ideal environment of St. Marks Lutheran Church, in the company of fewer than 100 appreciative listeners, was truly a magnificent way to experience the power, finesse, and artistic ability that Grayson possesses. Even those of use that are musicians were impressed at the level of his skill, as well as the humble and respectful attitude with which he presented the wide range of both Classical and Popular genres of music that he performed. It was obvious that he was completely focused on the presentation, giving us his very best, as if our enjoyment was equally as important as any panel of international judges. Yet, in conversations after the music was over, he was as self-effacing and genuine as anyone could ask, even to the point of joking about the fact that this is "his life", playing, practicing, and taking instruction 10 hours a day, to be able to perform at his highest level for less than an hour in competition. My congratulations to Grayson, Frederic, and especially Patricia, for providing an outstanding evening of beautiful music, and bringing to Spokane a taste of what very few cities ever get to hear. by Buzz Falco (Spokane Washington USA) |
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