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CIA
Announces 2005 Coupe Mondiale in Castelo Branco, Portugal
Contributed
by Kevin Friedrich
 The
Confédération
Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA) is pleased to announce the 2005 Coupe
Mondiale International Competition for Accordionists to be held in Castelo Branco,
Portugal, from October 25th to 30th 2005. The CIA Member, the Conservatório
Regional de Castelo Branco, and organizers in Portugal - Carlos Semedo and Paulo
Jorge Ferreira have been working hard to ensure that the upcoming Coupe Mondiale
is a terrific success and the www.coupemondiale.org
site now highlights many of the details of the 2005 festival.
The 2005 Coupe Mondiale Test Piece 'O Medo Do Ritmo', by Carlos
Marecos, is now available as a complimentary download from the CIA
website, which also includes information about the composer and
his music. This is the first time a Coupe Mondiale test piece has
been a complimentary download for any accordionist worldwide to
print and to study. A very generous gesture by the composer Carlos
Marecos and the Conservatório Regional de Castelo Branco.
Celebrating
its 70th anniversary, the CIA
offers six categories of international competition including: Coupe Mondiale,
Junior Coupe Mondiale, International Competition for Piano Accordion, Virtuoso
Entertainment Music Competition, Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Music Competition
and the International Competition for Chamber Music. The Coupe
Mondiale website provides important information about each of these six categories
including general eligibility, program requirements and prize money as well as
details about the city of Castelo Branco.
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Accordionists'
Grammy Award Successes, Los Angeles - USA
 Accordionists
David Lee Garza, Joel Guzmán and Sunny Sauceda have all contributed to
the CD 'Polkas, Gritos y Acordeónes', recent winner of a Grammy Award for
the best Tejano Album category.
Produced by Joel Guzmán for Guzmán
Fox Records, and recorded at Gilbert Velasquez' V Music Studio in San Antonio,
Texas in July of 2004, this 10 track compilation of six classic instrumental medleys
and melodies, and four songs (canciones rancheras), is a tribute to Tejano Americana
and some of conjunto music's great accordionists, including Narciso Martínez,
Pedro Ayala, Paulino Bernal, Tony de la Rosa, Esteban Jordán, and others.
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Calling Chinese Accordionists - USA
Lynda
Griffith, accordionist, accordion and concertina repair technician and physical
therapist in the USA is doing a worldwide study about accordion, concertina and
bandoneon players, practice habits, injuries and prevention of injuries. She would
like to include Chinese accordionists in this unique research. If you would like
to participate in the study, please send an email to lgaccord@uslink.net
and the questionnaire will be sent to you in Chinese by email.
Information
learned from this questionnaire will be used in writing a unique book about injuries
to and prevention of injuries to players of accordion family instruments. Lynda
asks: "To date I have over 300 English-speaking respondents from over 20
different countries. I would now like to include Chinese players. Please participate
whether or not you have ever been injured and regardless of your age. Thank you".
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Mika
Väyrynen performs Sallinen's Barabbas Variations, Kokkola - Finland
Contributed
by Kevin Friedrich
 In
Kokkola, Finland, on February 24th 2005 Finnish accordionist Mika
Väyrynen will perform Aulis Sallinen´s (pictured) 'Barabbas Variations'
with the Ostrobotnian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Juha Kangas, in a concert
that will be broadcast by the NBC. Mika
will then travel to Denmark to perform this work with the Sjaelland Symphony Orchestra,
under the direction of Okko Kamu, on March 3rd in Ballerup and March 4th in Copenhagen.
Composer
Aulis Sallinen was born in 1935 and his early musical experience was playing the
violin, and soon improvising (including jazz) on the piano led him to write his
first compositions as a teenager. He has since chaired the Finnish Composers'
Society and Finnish Copyright Society, and in 1983 shared the Wihuri International
Sibelius Prize with Penderecki. He is an Honorary Doctor of the Universities of
Helsinki and Turku and in 1981 the Finnish Government made him Professor of Arts
for Life, the first appointment of its kind, thus making it possible for him to
devote all of his time to composing. Mika recently made the premiere recording
of Sallinen's accordion work with 'Virtuosi di Kuhmo', conducted by Ralf Gothoni.
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Day
of the Accordion Festival, Seattle - USA
On
February 27th, the Seattle Center House is the venue for an event styled the 'Day
of the Accordion Festival', from 10am to 5pm. Sponsored by the Northwest Accordion
Society, the event includes contests, trade show, performances by local accordionists
and the provision of free lessons.
For further information email the Seattle
Center House: SCPrograms@seattle.gov
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Kokkola Winter
Accordion Festival, Kokkola - Finland
This
year's Kokkola Winter Accordion Festival takes place in the town of Kokkola in
Western Finland, from February 19th to 27th. This festival includes concerts and
activities covering a wide range of classical, traditional and modern genres,
including Baroque, Italian, Argentinean, Finnish traditional and Rock, plus much
more.
Guest artistes include Richard Galliano, Michel Portal, Kepa Junkera,
Hugo Noth, Matti Rantanen, Fratres, Mika
Väyrynen, Veli Kujala, Raimo Vertainen, Mari Kätkä, Snekka,
Guardia Nueva, Kokkola District Accordion Club, Osthrobothian Chamber Orchestra
and the imaginatively named Fratres in Rock!
For
further information email raimo.vertainen@pp.inet.fi
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Dr. William
Schimmel's Tour Schedule for March - USA
Contributed
by Dr William Schimmel
 Dr
William Schimmel has a very busy schedule throughout March, details of which are
outlined below:-
March
1st - performances with The New York Philharmonic - 7.30pm, Avery Fischer Hall,
Lincoln Center, New York - performing Loren Maazel's 'Irish Vapors and Capers'
and 'Music for Violoncello and Orchestra' in honor of the maestro's 75th birthday---
distinguished soloists include: Sir James Galway, flute and Jeremy Irons, actor/narrator
March 5th to 15th - West Coast tour with Odeon Jazz Ensemble, California
March
5th - Fresno Art Gallery
March 6th - Napa Valley Cafe Theatre
March 8th
to 10th - Jazz Bakery, Los Angeles
March 11th - Soho club, Santa Barbara
March
13th - The Hamlet, Cambria
March 14th to 15th - Grass Valley
March 11th
- The Graduate Center, Cuny, New York - 7.30pm -
World Premiere of Dr. Schimmel's
'Zen and the Art of the Foxtrot' for Video and Live Performer; Micki Goodman,
video and direction; editing, Deborah Magocsi; accordion, William Schimmel, and
vocals and melodica, Allyssa Lamb
March 18th - Winspear Centre for the
Performing Arts - Edmonton, Alberta - Canada; performance with The Tango Project,
8pm - The World at Winspear Series
March 22nd to 27th - performances with
Odeon Jazz Ensemble at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola - Jazz at Lincoln Center - New York;
shows at 7.30pm and 9.30pm; weekends only at 11.30pm.
March 30th - Columbia
University, New York - Columbia Composers Concert, Miller Theatre - 8pm.
For
more information: www.billschimmel.com
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Comhaltas Ceoltóiri
Éireann 2005 Tour of Britain - Ireland/UK
Contributed
by Rob
Howard
Comhaltas
Ceoltóiri Éireann is a Dublin-based organisation that exists to
promote the music, culture and arts of Ireland, both at home and abroad. CCE events
and activities usually include accordions and other free reed instruments, and
high standards are encouraged at all levels of performance.
CCE concert
parties, involving musicians, singers and dancers, annually tour Ireland, Britain,
and the USA and Canada. A ten-strong CCE touring concert party will tour Britain
between February 26th and March 5th. The touring party includes Rory McMahon -
Anglo concertina, Sean Norman - diatonic button accordion, and Vince Jordan -
piano accordion.
The concert dates are as follows:-
February 26th -
Crosby Civic Hall, Waterloo, Liverpool
27th - Irish World Heritage Centre,
Manchester
28th - Motherwell Concert Hall, Glasgow
March 1st - Leeds Irish
Centre
2nd - Newport Rugby Club, South Wales
3rd - Birmingham Irish Club
4th - Addison Centre, Bedford
5th - Conway Hall, London
For
further information email enquiries@comhaltas.com
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Jump n' Jam, Brescia
- Italy
Contributed
by Holda Paoletti-Kampl
'Jump
n' Jam' is an annual dance improvisation festival in the Italian town of Brescia,
scheduled for February 25th to 27th. The teachers of dance are Benno Voorha, from
Holland, and Patricia Kuypers, from Belgium. The festival also involves musical
accompaniment and jam sessions for musicians, and these will feature accordionist
Davide Bonetti.
For further information email liste@lelastiko.it
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NZAA
Master Class and Workshop, Auckland - New Zealand
Contributed
by Heather Masefield
The
New Zealand Accordion Association
(NZAA) sponsored a workshop and master class presented by one of their lifetime
members, Kevin Friedrich. Currently serving as President of the Confederation
Internationale Des Accordeonistes (CIA), Kevin worked with sixteen students
in Auckland in a session that included topics such as the many aspects of the
International Competition scene from opportunities available to presentation,
bellows technique and then the master class lessons.
The NZAA
has been very active over the years promoting the accordion by supporting the
commissioning of new works for accordion, both solo and with orchestra, promoting
international concert tours from top international guest artists, holding international
competitions and festivals and the sponsorship of lectures and master classes
ranging from classical to Cajun.
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Norvic Concordia
Concerts, England - UK
Contributed
by Rob
Howard
 Norvic
Concordia, an accordion sextet based in Norwich, England, is a well-respected
group with a very broad repertoire of light music. Their MD is Peter Ayers, accordionist,
arranger and music teacher, and guest appearances at the 2003 and 2004 Pakefield
Accordion Festivals have done much to consolidate Norvic Concordia's growing reputation.
In 2002 Norvic Concordia's first CD, 'Purely Accordion', was well received by
critics and accordionists.
Details of Norvic Concordia's forthcoming public
concerts are:-
February 26th - Stalham Baptist Church, Norfolk; 7.30pm
March
6th - The Octagon Chapel, Colegate, Norwich; 3pm
May 6th - St Mary's Church,
Sparham, Norfolk; 7.30pm
July 23rd - St Thomas' Church, Earlham Rd, Norwich;
7.30pm
For further
information email peter.ayers@tesco.net
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Frankfurt Music Fair
Hotel Accommodation - Germany
If
you are wanting Frankfurt Music Fair accommodation
e-mail: hotel@accordions.com
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 CD
Review
A
new CD
Review of David
Carovillano (accordion) and Becky Sajo (clarinets). Review by Paolo
Picchio. | | | |
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Yuri
Medianik,
Bayan and violin player , prize-winner of international
contests and festivals, with a new site selling his recently released CD "Images
of Three Centuries".
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Accordionist
Ken Astin will play solo and with Phil Kelsall (pictured), resident organist at
the famous Blackpool Tower, in a Gala Concert on May 8th, commencing at 7.30pm.
This is only the second time in the Tower's long history that accordion and organ
have performed together. The previous occasion took place in 1994, when Phil Kelsall
was joined by Ken Astin and Gina Brannelli for a concert marking Blackpool Tower's
centenary. This year's Gala Concert is to celebrate three landmarks: Phil Kelsall's
30th year as resident organist at the Tower Ballroom; VE Day, celebrating 60 years
since the end of the Second World War; the Mighty Wurlitzer's 70 years since its
installation in 1935.
Dr.
Herbert Scheibenreif