Christian, son of the Crown Prince of Denmark was recently one year old. Jonna and John Godtfredsen, from the town of Ringe, gave a small accordion as a present. The accordion is a high-quality, handcrafted instrument and comes from the Pigini/Excelsior factory in Italy.
“We
want to show that Ringe is a musical town,” explains Jonna Godtfredsen,
who fell in love with the little accordion at the international trade
fair for music in Frankfurt, Germany. The makers Pigini/Excelsior
will contribute half the price of the gift.
Ringe's goldsmith shop Bona Dea will engrave a silver plate for the
accordion with the prince's name and birthday, and Prince Christian
will have a good start in a few years' time when he begins to play
the accordion. Perhaps he will become as ardent a music-lover as his
great-grandfather King Frederick, who was a noted pianist and orchestral
conductor.
The Accordions International Festival, Caister, was the stage for the 2006 National Composers’ Competition held by the North Staffs Accordion Club, with Club Chairman Steve Hughes making the announcements.
The competition took place at 2.30pm on November 5th. The team of accordionists playing the various entries included Bert Santilly (right), Rosemary Wright, Margaret Kelsey, Romano Viazzani, Pauline Hardwick, Dawn Loome, Victoria Molnar, Jean Hanger, Richard Adey, Peter Ayers, Sue Coppard and Jack Beecroft. The adjudicators were Italy’s Giancarlo Caporilli and Peter Ayers, the Norvic Concordia MD.
Giancarlo Caporilli presented the prizes, which consisted of a silver salver to be held for two years, thirty pounds (Junior) and seventy-five pounds (others) and a certificate for retention.
The winners were:-
1) Junior Section - ‘Variations on ‘Little Bo Peep’ for Two Accordions’, by Jacob Hilton
2) Band Section – ‘Don’t Give up the Day Job’, by Adrienne Sharpe
3) Amateur Section – ‘Remembering’, by Ian McColl
4) Professional Section – ‘Sweet Trouble’, by Martina Schwarz
The winning entries and the audience favourite were played again in the evening concert, and special mention must be made of the heroic effort made by Victoria Molnar. There was no player for the winning entry of the amateur section, ‘Remembering’, by Ian McColl. Victoria (who had jokingly said she had practised the other pieces she had played for 5 minutes) was asked if she could possibly play this piece at the evening concert. The piece was extremely difficult to play and also very long, and would normally take a good player several dedicated weeks to learn. Victoria accepted the challenge, and with only very little practice time, made a valiant effort to perform the piece.
Trophée
Mondial - Coupe
Mondiale - Castelfidaro
2006 events. After the victory of Estelle Sauvain in the Senior
Variété category of the Trophée Mondial
held in Kragujevac (Serbia), Phil Bouvier won the solo entertainment
category at the International Castelfidardo Accordion Competition
in Italy.
Frédéric
Deschamps, picture left. The following week, Julien Gonzales
(previously winner of Trophée Mondial Junior Variété
- 2003, Coupe Mondiale Junior Virtuoso Entertainment - 2005,
Trophée Mondial Senior Variété - 2005)
won his fourth international title, the Coupe Mondiale Virtuoso
Entertainment category in 2006 in Norway.
This is the first time, that any teacher has had students
win a “grand slam” of these three major international
entertainment category competitions with three different students.
An
accordion festival titled ‘Weekend of the Accordion’ takes
place from November 16th to 18th, in Rosario. The festival, which
includes a variety of concerts and activities, is organised by Acordeonistas
del Paraná and is sponsored by the Rosario Town Council.
The guest artistes include Argentinean accordionists Aldo Taborda,
Walter Giardi, the dúo Gastaldi- Rivas, Ildo Patriarca, Iván
Luna and Valentina Akmedzianova. Entrance to all events is free!
“Stages” training course by Frédéric Deschamps will be held in Chevannes, which is 1 hour from Paris by train (Montargis station).
Xmas:
25th to 31st December and 2nd to 7th January 2007. Winter: from the 18th to 24th February 24 and 25th February
to 3rd March 2007. Easter: from 8th to 14th April and 15th to 21st April 2007.
These training courses are opened to the accordionists of any style, any level and any make and type of accordion.
Accommodation information.
“Stages” includes application of the new teaching book in French language titled ‘The Accordion - New Technical Approach’, written by Frédéric Deschamps, which is enjoying great success.
Viennese
Collage Ensemble Concert, Vienna – Austria
Contributed by Hermine Kaletta
The
Viennese Collage Ensemble, Alfred Melichar (accordion - picture left),
Petra Ackermann (viola) and Michael Seifried (string bass), perform
in concert at der Alten Schmiede on November 18th, at 5pm. Their program
includes modern works by György Kurtàg, Erich Urbanner,
Alexander Stankovski, Zdzislaw Wysocki and Christoph Herndler.
Lithuanian accordionist Raimondas Sviackevicius, a member of the ‘New Trio’, together with Andre Pabarciute (vocals) and Tomas Dobrovolskis (percussion, electronics) will present the new music project ‘The trip, or inner emigration’ at the Modern Art Festival ‘VIRUS 11’ in Siauliai Art Gallery, Lithuania on November 24th, at 6pm.
‘The trip, or inner emigration’ is an experimental piece of music that combines acoustic and electronic music and sounds, with voice. The festival runs from November 17th to December 2nd.
The Città di Varese Accordion Orchestra, conducted by Chiara Luoni and featuring soprano Giuliana Castellana, perform on November 25th, at 8.45pm, at la Sala Pigionatti del Centro Congressi, De Filippi Varese - Via Brambilla, 15. The concert is part of the Festival of St Cecilia.
The 5th annual Accordion Festival, known as the Encounter of Accordionists, takes place on November 25th. The festival includes a concert, at 8pm, in the Cultural Center, San Sebastián del Piquete, Buenos Aires Street, Montivideo. Entrance is free.
KFAI FM radio interviewed accordionist Dee Langley and Aldo Moroni (the gallery owner), and this is on-line for two weeks. Until November 27th click on the "most recent show" for ‘Fubar Omniverse’, after November 27th click on "previous show". When the audio file is playing the interview begins at 2:00:00 and goes for an hour.
A course for improving accordion technique takes place at Center Polivalente, Square Marconi, Monastier from December 8th to 10th.
This will be three days of immersion in the world of the accordion, presented by Francesca Gallo, Luca Piovesan and Nicola Bettiol. Applications for the course should be made by November 20th.
The Wazemmes Carnival, in Northern France, takes place from March 9th to 11th 2007. This event includes the Wazemmes l’Accordéon Festival, and also includes parades, dances and concerts.
The Sterzing World Diatonic Competition 2007 takes place from June 7th to 10th 2007 in Sterzing, South Tyrol. This festival caters for Styrian and diatonic accordion players, and also folk music groups including diatonic instruments. The event includes a Gala concert and a prizewinners’ concert.
For further information email Werner Weibert, the President of the HVÖ, Austian Accordion Association, organising association of the event: w.weibert@vitalplus-gmbh.at
The Zero Sette Accordion Orchestra, from the Basque region of Northern Spain, will perform in concert on November 25th in the Municipal Theatre of Baiona in France. The concert is organized by the Spanish Cultural Center of Baiona, and it will also feature the performance of the group of dancers led by Catherine Gommés. The concert begins at 9pm.
The Zero Sette Accordion Orchestra will alsoperform in Leon on December 2nd to celebrate the Centenary of the Venatoria Society. Venue: “La Venatoria” Society. Time: 8pm. Free entrance.
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Russian 
Christian, son of the Crown Prince of Denmark was recently one year old. Jonna and John Godtfredsen, from the town of Ringe, gave a small accordion as a present. The accordion is a high-quality, handcrafted instrument and comes from the 
“We
want to show that Ringe is a musical town,” explains Jonna Godtfredsen,
who fell in love with the little accordion at the international trade
fair for music in Frankfurt, Germany. The makers 
The Accordions International Festival, Caister, was the stage for the 2006 National Composers’ Competition held by the North Staffs Accordion Club, with Club Chairman Steve Hughes making the announcements.
The competition took place at 2.30pm on November 5th. The team of accordionists playing the various entries included Bert Santilly (right), Rosemary Wright, Margaret Kelsey, Romano Viazzani, Pauline Hardwick, Dawn Loome, Victoria Molnar, Jean Hanger, Richard Adey, Peter Ayers, Sue Coppard and Jack Beecroft. The adjudicators were Italy’s Giancarlo Caporilli and Peter Ayers, the Norvic Concordia MD.
Giancarlo Caporilli presented the prizes, which consisted of a silver salver to be held for two years, thirty pounds (Junior) and seventy-five pounds (others) and a certificate for retention.
The winners were:-
The winning entries and the audience favourite were played again in the evening concert, and special mention must be made of the heroic effort made by Victoria Molnar. There was no player for the winning entry of the amateur section, ‘Remembering’, by Ian McColl. Victoria (who had jokingly said she had practised the other pieces she had played for 5 minutes) was asked if she could possibly play this piece at the evening concert. The piece was extremely difficult to play and also very long, and would normally take a good player several dedicated weeks to learn. Victoria accepted the challenge, and with only very little practice time, made a valiant effort to perform the piece.
Welcome to Baby Timour!, Clermont-Ferrand - France
An
accordion festival titled ‘Weekend of the Accordion’ takes
place from November 16th to 18th, in Rosario. The festival, which
includes a variety of concerts and activities, is organised by Acordeonistas
del Paraná and is sponsored by the Rosario Town Council. 
“Stages” training course by 
Xmas:
25th to 31st December and 2nd to 7th January 2007.
Viennese
Collage Ensemble Concert, Vienna – Austria
The
Viennese Collage Ensemble, Alfred Melichar (accordion - picture left),
Petra Ackermann (viola) and Michael Seifried (string bass), perform
in concert at der Alten Schmiede on November 18th, at 5pm. Their program
includes modern works by György Kurtàg, Erich Urbanner,
Alexander Stankovski, Zdzislaw Wysocki and Christoph Herndler.
Lithuanian accordionist 
‘The trip, or inner emigration’ is an experimental piece of music that combines acoustic and electronic music and sounds, with voice. The festival runs from November 17th to December 2nd.
The 5th annual Accordion Festival, known as the Encounter of Accordionists, takes place on November 25th. The festival includes a concert, at 8pm, in the Cultural Center, San Sebastián del Piquete, Buenos Aires Street, Montivideo. Entrance is free.
KFAI FM radio interviewed accordionist 
The Sterzing World Diatonic Competition 2007 takes place from June 7th to 10th 2007 in Sterzing, South Tyrol. This festival caters for Styrian and diatonic accordion players, and also folk music groups including diatonic instruments. The event includes a Gala concert and a prizewinners’ concert.
The Zero Sette Accordion Orchestra, from the Basque region of Northern Spain, will perform in concert on November 25th in the Municipal Theatre of Baiona in France. The concert is organized by the Spanish Cultural Center of Baiona, and it will also feature the performance of the group of dancers led by Catherine Gommés. The concert begins at 9pm.
