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Editors Note:
The
Kimberley International Old Time
Accordion Championships will be different because our Canadian friends have
planned an attempt to break the current Guinness World Record for the most accordions
playing at the same time.
We applaud KIOTAC's
promotional ideas and fun activities would like to encourage accordionists in
the area to lend a hand in this accordion performance with a difference. I am
sure it be would a lot of fun.
Harley Jones
Director
Accordions
Worldwide
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Symphony Orchestra
of Donostia Accordions - Spain
The
Symphony Orchestra of Accordions of San Sebastián will perform a concert
at 8.00pm on 19th June at the Parochial Church of Zestoa (Gipuzkoa). The Orchestra
will be led by director Mikel Bikondoa Elizegi who is the composer and Professor
of Accordion at the Superior Conservatory of Music, San Sebastián.
The
orchestra's repertoire includes more than four hundred (400) works, many of which
have been world wide premieres for large orchestras. Some of the classics in the
orchestra's repertoire include Alberdi, Albinoni, Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky,
Boieldueu, Bottesini, Brixi, Cimarosa, Strauss and others.
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Leavenworth Accordion Celebration - USA
 The
Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration culminates this weekend after
four days of competitions, workshops, concerts and dances at Leavenworth, Festhalle.
Guest
artists and workshop instructors include Gary Blair, Bonnie Birch Trio, Johhny
V, Gordy Groeing and Murl Sanders (pictured). There will be more than $5000 in
prize money and trophies to be given at the awards ceremony on 19th June.
The
programme for the awards show is as follows:
6.00pm Awards Ceremony
7.00pm
Pre-Concert Show
7.30pm Concert: Murl Allen Sanders
9.00pm Dance: Bonnie
Birch Trio
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South
Pacific and New Zealand Accordion Championships - New Zealand
Contributed by Harley
Jones
The
South Pacific and New Zealand
Accordion Championships were held on the 4th to 6th June in Auckland, organized
by the New Zealand Accordion Association. This event is the largest annual accordion
event in the Southern Hemisphere with over 350 entries.
A highlight was
guest artist Pavel Mangasarian of Russia, the 2003 Coupe
Mondiale Piano Accordion Champion. He performed an exciting program that the
audience enjoyed very much, concluding with a standing ovation. Another feature
of the event was a quartet from Beijing.
Contestants from China, New Zealand
and Australia took part in the South
Pacific Solo Accordion Championship class with the results being:
1st
Ann-Elise Koerntjes (Australia) 2nd Hilary Thwaites (New Zealand) and 3rd Yan
Li (China).
Full results are online. Hilary Thwaites is the New Zealand Solo
Accordion Champion for 2004.
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30th Anniversary
KIOTAC - Guinness Book of World Records Attempt - Canada
 The
Kimberley International Old Time
Accordion Championships will be held from 5th to 10th July in Kimberley. To
commemorate the 30th anniversary of the KIOTAC,
organizers are going for gold with a planned attempt to break the current Guinness
World Record for the most accordions playing at the same time.
The largest
accordion ensemble to date was organized by Stedeker Dansers and consisted of
566 people playing the accordion for 22 minutes, during the International Folklore
Festival in Diepenheim, Netherlands, on 1st June 2000. KIOTAC
organisers plan to have 600 accordionists playing for 30 minutes!
 As
well as the World Guiness Book of Record attempt, KIOTAC
2004 will include some other very interesting events, including a Trade Fair,
Jam Sessions, Dance Workshops, Family Dances and several days of competitions.
Entertainers include Bernard and Robert Felix, Kerry Christensen, The Gordanairs,
Brabec Brothers and Viking Persuasion amongst others.
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Russian American
Concert - USA
Contributed by Paul B. Moore
The first
American-Russian Festival of Performing Arts concert to feature accordion was
held on 12th June at the Chaparral High School auditorium in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sponsored by the American-Russian Cultural Forum "Dialogue" the event
featured piano and accordion ensembles, duets and solos featuring German Tchernoivanov.
German is a graduate of the Conservatory in St. Petersburg with post-graduate
study in Moscow. He is now an Arizona resident, concert performer and instructor.
In addition to the classical and Russian folk program performed by German Tchermoivanov
and Mina Roseninskaya, several ballet pieces were also presented to the 200 plus
concert-goers.
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2004
Shanghai International Musik Messe - China
Contributed
by Lian Jones of
Accordion
House
The
2004 Shanghai International Musikmesse will be held from 20th to 23rd October
in Shanghai. Mirrored on the Frankfurt
Musikmesse held in Germany in April, the Shanghai event has already signed
up over 500 companies from 18 countries to display their goods. Organizers say
98 per cent of the show ground has been booked including major companies such
as Yamaha, Kawai, Roland and Casio amongst others. The German "Nordrhein-Westfalen"
Youth Accordion Orchestra will play at the event with the Music China Accordion
Concerto.
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4th
Pakefield International Accordion Festival 2004 - UK
The 4th Pakefield International Accordion Festival will be held from 24th to 28th
September, hosted by Accordion Profile. Nicknamed the "Friendly Festival",
organisers say the festival will be a long and relaxing accordion weekend. There
will be guest artists including special appearances by Alexander & Vitaly
Dmitriev, concerts, workshops, master-classes, dancing, free & easy sessions,
auctions and trade stands from WEM and The Accordion Shop.
There will
also be a "North Staffs A/C Composers Competition" featured during the
festival. Organizers say "This is the festival that has everything; beautiful
scenery & surroundings, excellent well fitted accommodation, superb food,
lashings of accordion camaraderie and entertainment and lots of familiar friendly
faces. What more could you ask for?"
For further information, email
normanlong@UKAccordions.com
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4th International
"Fisarmonica D'Oro" Competition - Italy
Contributed
by Holda Paoletti-Kampl
 The
4th International "Fisarmonica D'Oro" Competition will be held in Benevento
on 19th and 20th July and organisers have released more details of what is looking
to be an exciting few days of competition. There will be several valuable prizes
and prestigious juries. Some of the artists scheduled to perform at the final
concert include Art Van Damme, Peppino
Principe, Jean Marc
Fabiano and Alexander
Dmitriev. Artistic Director is Renzo
Ruggieri and Luigi Febbraro is the President and coordinator.
The
competition will be divided into 5 sections:
1ª Section: "Fisarmonica
D'Oro " ("Gold Accordion")
2ª Section: Classic Accordion
Players
3ª Section: Variete Accordion Players
4ª Section: Soloist
/ Group for Jazz Accordion
5ª Section: Interpretation of Peppino
Prince Compositions
For further information, email info@renzoruggieri.it
or info@fisarmonicadoro-benevento.com
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The Accordion
Man & The Party Band Concerts - USA
 The
Accordion Man & The Party Band is led by Ralph Szubski, otherwise known as
the Accordion Man. The band plays everything from jazz, swing, rock, country,
Latin American and other totaling some 20 ethnic styles. They are usually booked
to play at engagements such as weddings, house parties, picnics, anniversaries
and dance studios.
With a combination of keyboards, acoustic accordions,
and midi-accordions, the group has a full schedule for the next few months:
-
15th June, Mayfield Hts, Summer Concert at the recreation area in the Gazebo in
back of City Hall.
- 18th July, Lorain Slovenian Club Picnic & Jam Session
at the Club.
- 24th July at the St. Sava's Picnic Grove from 1.00pm to 9.00pm
- 6th August, HBT Hungarian Club Monthly Dinner/Dance, 15805 Libby Rd, Maple
Hts, 6.30pm
- 7th - 8th August, St. Pokrova's Ukrainian Festival, 6812 Broadview
Rd., Parma, Ohio, 6.00pm - 10.00pm.
- 10th August, Maple Hts. Mayor's Senior
Pool Party & Dance, Dunham Pool, Maple Hts.
- 17th August, Polka Dinner
Dance Cruise on the GOODTIME III, 6.30pm - 9.30pm
- 21st August, Mayfield Heights
Home Days Festival, City Hall on Marsol Dr,
- 22nd August, St. John Neumann's
Annual Picnic, 16271 Pearl Rd. (Rt 42) Strongsville, 1.00pm - 5.00pm
For
more information, email compsol@apk.net
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16th Kragujevac International
Accordion Festival - Serbia
Contributed
by Tania Lukic-Marx
The 16th Kragujevac
International Accordion Festival and Summer School will be held from 4th to 14th
July in Kragujevac, the city which was the host of the 2000 Coupe Mondiale. Festival
guest artists will include winners of the biggest accordion competitions: Klingenthal,
Coupe Mondiale, Arrasate,
Tropheo Mondiale and
Castelfidardo.
Some of the artists scheduled to perform include Ivan Koval, Sergej Osokin, Duo
MM, Kiril Schtibin, Milojevic Jelen, Aleksandr Selivanov, Jan Meisl Triom Nikolaj
Sivtchuk and Duo Sivtchuk-Peresidlij.
Teachers conducting master classes
will include:
Ivan Koval - Germany (Weimar Music Academy)
Tania
Lukic-Marx - Australia
Radomir Tomic - Serbia
Vojin Vasovic - Serbia
Zoran
Rakic - Serbia
For further information, email tanialm@optusnet.com.au
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Yuri Medianik's New
Recording - Russia
 Yuri
Medianik, student of Prof Viacheslav
Semionov and a winner of several International Competitions is continuing
his experiment with a new genre of music. Yuri is a professional bayanist and
violinist who has never worked with popular music, preferring to play classical
and contemporary music.
But upon the recent invitation of popular Russian
singer Vladislaw Medyanik (no relation), Yuri decided to explore his musical boundaries.
The results of that venture is a 10 song CD by Vladislaw Medyanik with Yuri playing
violin and bayan.
Following that recording, Yuri has received a lot of
offers from other Russian singers including Alika Smehova, Igor Korzh, "Taganka"
and others. Yuri is yet to decide on a similar new recording.
Meanwhile
news on 17th June, Yuri won the "Yamaha Scholarship Award . The award was
presented as a diploma to Yuri by Mr. Sukhanov, the director of TchaikovskyMoscow
State Conservatoire.
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Rocky
Mountain Accordion Celebration - USA
Contributed by Kevin
Friedrich
"From
accordionist beginners to world champions!" That's
what organizers of the Rocky
Mountain Accordion Celebration say the next event will include. The celebration
will be held in Philipsburg, Montana from 30th July to 1st August and has been
planned to provide a cultural surprise for those who will travel to attend the
Rocky Mountain Accordion
Celebration.
Featured performers include: Janet Todd, Mike Belitz
Orchestra and Krisko's Dance Party, Sammy Thomas, Montana Alphorns, Al Aman and
others. From its first year in 1997, the Rocky
Mountain Accordion Celebration has been a rousing weekend of dancing and listening
to music, steak barbeques and outdoor pancake breakfasts, concerts in the 1892
Opera House and a parade of homemade pies.
For more information, and a
festival schedule, please visit www.accordions.com/rmac
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New & Updated
Sites
www.accordions.com/rmac
- updated information about the Rocky Mountain Accordion Celebrations to be held
in Montana on 30th July.
www.accordion.co.nz
- Updated information about the South Pacific and New Zealand Accordion Championships
which was held in Auckland, NZ earlier this month.
www.AccordionFestivals.co.uk
- The Accordion Times & News Magazine and UK Accordion Festivals have merged
and can both be found at this site.
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Finnish
accordionist 
The
