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From March 12th - 15th Frankfurt will again be the most important venue for the global music industry. For more than 25 years, the Musikmesse in Frankfurt has been the largest international trade fair for musical instruments.
The Musikmesse offers a uniquely comprehensive overview of all types of musical instruments with a selection of over 30,000 instruments and products from electric guitars, mixing software to classical instruments. A unique programme of shows and events with numerous concerts, workshops and award ceremonies including: live performances at the Agora Stage, Acoustic Stage and Musikbiz Stage, talk, discussions and presentations, school jams, Trendsetting awards, Music4kids.
Accordions can be found in the Hall 3.1., where most of the accordion manufacturers from Italy and around the world exhibit their products and where you will be able to meet leading artistes from around the world. Don't miss this important event.
For a full report upon the Musikmesse - please visit our follow-up news editions.
French competitors for the 2008 Coupe Mondiale and CMA Trophée Mondial competitions must take part in the French qualification contest to be held on July 20th at La Selle sur le Bied, 100 kms south of Paris.
To simplify procedures, the one performance will enable qualification for these two international competitions of the highest international level. The Qualifications are organized by Frédéric Deschamps (picture left).
The 2008 National Accordion Association Convention takes place from March 13th to 15th, at the Richardson Hotel, Dallas, Texas. The festival will feature concerts, a Polka Dance, a wide range of workshops and a festival orchestra. This year's event includes an accordion raffle, with the prize being a new Baffetti accordion that is being donated by Golden Age Accordion, based in Dallas.
The NAA Convention always includes many workshops, and the training focus this year is: 'Knowing how to entertain with the accordion!'
Guest performers include Tony Lovello, Sylvia Marie, Nick Ballarini, Jim Rommel, Accordion All-Stars, Accordion Dance Orchestra, Brave Combo, Texas Polka Cruisers, Harold Strand and the Polka Cruise, Dee Langley (left), Janne Silfverberg, Gail Overly, Erica VandeVoort, Karen Fremar, Julie Silfverberg, Dee Siglar and Sarrah Cantrell. A concert starring the MECA Party involves: Shelia Lee (Wijnberg and Witte), Carol & Debra's 'Hank Williams' Gospel Sing-a-Long! Zydeco Stingrays, MECA: Debra's Accordion Band, Tangos by Tom Visentin, Tex/Mex music with Pancho Martinez & Eleanor Martinez, and Polish Dance Music by Gene Neyer.
The trade show includes: Golden Age Accordions, Roland Accordion Company, Accordion-O-Rama, Ballarini / Petosa, Mel Bay Publishing Company, Kohl Music Company, Accordion Embroidery by Carol Willenberg, Accordion Stuff - Debra Peters, and MECA.
Well known Cleveland-style American polka band leader and accordionist Johnny Vadnal passed away on February 25th at the age of 84. Vadnal was the first polka band leader to have his own major market television show, performing every Sunday afternoon on WEWS Channel 5 in Cleveland from 1949 to 1961. In 1949, Vadnal won the title of 'Cleveland's Polka King' in a vote held by a local radio station.
Johnny Vadnal's Orchestra had a unique sound, due to Vadnal's highly individual accordion style. Vadnal's accordion had a contemporary, modern sound, considered by many to be ahead of its time. Though rooted in the Slovenian style, Vadnal's music also had a wide appeal to other ethnic audiences.
A prolific songwriter, Vadnal penned such polka classics as 'Yes, My Dear', 'No Beer on Sunday', 'Wayside Polka', and many others. He was inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame in 1987.
Performance of 'Winterreise', Kristiandsand - Norway
Contributed by Jörgen Sundeqvist
On February 14th the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Rolf Gupta, and featuring Swedish accordionist Jörgen Sundeqvist and German tenor, Lothar Odinius, performed a modern interpretation by Hans Zender of Franz Schubert`s 'Winterreise'.
Hans Zender's arrangement of Franz Schubert`s song cycle 'Winterreise' is a highly praised work where Hans Zender produces a completely new, modern and unique version of Schubert`s work, originally written for written for piano and orchestra. Zender`s version is much more than just orchestrating the piano part. Zender expands upon it, deconstructs it, and weaves new intros, outros, and newly composed counterpoints into the mix. Zender gives the music a new dimension and colour.
The accordion has a very important part in the orchestra, which also includes 4 percussionists, 3 wind machines, 3 harmonicas, harp, guitar as well as the traditional strings, woodwind and brass instruments.
Hans Zender (born 1936) is one of Germany's leading composers and conductors, and has written for orchestras, voice, and many instruments, including the accordion.
Presentation of Accordion in the Children's TV show 'Pet plus' - Macedonia
Contributed by Anica Karakutovska
Last Friday, the accordion trio: Aleksandar Kolovski, Boban Peric and Bojan Volcevski, together with their professor Zorica Karakutovska, were guests on the children's television show 'Five plus' on the TV channel TELMA.
'Five plus' is educational programme for children, part of the public educative campaigns for raising the awareness of protecting the environment. With the host Mina and the dog Petko as moderator this show provides a lot of useful information from different fields with many very interesting moments.
Friday's episode presented and promoted the accordion, and was very well received by all in the auditorium, including the youngest.
1st Accords des Montagnes Festival, La Bresse - France
The bars and restaurants rang to the sound of accordions during the week long Accords des Montagnes Festival, providing great entertainment for listeners and dancers. Accordion artistes performing everywhere included the colourful Jean-Louis Noton, Jean-Marc Torchy, Frédéric Buch, Sylvie Pulles, Franck Villain, Denys Gigot, Magali etc
Virtuoso accordionists Peter & Mady Soave lead workshops and perform in concert, from February 28th until March 1st at the Queenswood Center, 2494 Arbutus Road, Victoria, BC.
The workshops cover such topics as finger technique, bellows technique, accompanying other musicians, and the music of Astor Piazzolla.
On March 1st, 7pm, Peter and Mady Soave will perform in concert.
Friday 29th February at the Music School "Bonamici" in Pisa at 5.30pm there is a meeting with Massimo Signorni, composer of: "five compositions-Stile Bachiano William/Edition ETS 2007" and "the free-reed instruments/Edition IL CAMPANO 2007" .
That will be followed by an evening concert at 9.15 pm "Tango" by Piazzolla with Patrizia Angeloni (accordion) and Sabrina Paoli (pianoforte). Also present will be Andrea Pellegrini, Director of the Music School "Bonamici".
On Sunday the 2nd March Massimo Signorini will be at the Conservatorio Statale L. Cherubini in Florenze at 5 pm meeting with the author of the volumes "Analisi strutturale di "WINTER SEEDS of Klaus Huber and Semiografia of the accordion" by Massimo Signorini Edition IL CAMPANO, 2007. Lecturer is Massimo Signorini, and accordionist tutor Ivano Battiston of the Conservatorio Statale L. Cherubini di Firenze.
The 34th National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs Championships, previously held in Musselburgh, takes place on March 1st, from 9am, at the Dunblane Hydro Hotel, Dunblane, Scotland.
The accordion adjudicators include Gary Blair, Djordje Gajic (classical Accordion), John Burns and Gordon Shand (traditional accordion), Sandy Lindsay (button accordion).
In the evening, from 6.15 to 8.15pm, there will be a concert featuring the festival prizewinners, and from 9pm to 12.30am there will be a dance featuring the Neil MacEachern Scottish Dance Band.
The Torneo Internazionale di Musica is an international competition for singers and instrumentalists, which includes a section for accordion.
The TIM consists of 4 Rounds: Audition, Qualifying Concert, Semi-final and Final. Candidates who passed the 2007 pre-selection have direct access to the second or third round. Past TIM winners and other international competitions winners may apply to skip the first rounds when applying.
The qualifying contests are presently taking place in various European cities, including Cologne, Como, Florence, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Verona and Zaragoza. The semi-final and final rounds will take place in Verona from June 2nd to 9th 2008.
Composer and accordionist Howard Skempton performs his own compositions and other works of his choice in concert at the Royal Academy of Music, London, on March 4th, 6pm. The program includes two solo works by Skempton, 'Twin Set and Pearls', 'Musette'. 'May Pole' - open score for guitar, accordion and piano, and 'Semi'-Attached' - for guitar and accordion.
The concert will be in the David Josefowitz Recital Hall. Admission is free
The American Irish punk-folk band Flogging Molly, featuring Matt Hemsley on accordion and concertina, are about to tour various countries, as follows:
March 1st, 7pm - Ram's Head Live, Baltimore, USA
March 2nd, 7pm - The National, Richmond, Virginia
March 3rd, 7pm - The Norva, Norfolk, Virginia
March 5th, 7pm - Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, North Carolina
March 6th, 7pm - Tabernacle, Atlanta, Georgia
March 7th, 7pm - House of Blues, Orlando, Florida
March 8th, 7pm - Jannus Landing, St Petersburg, Florida
March 9th, 8pm - House of Blues, New Orleans
March 11th, 7pm - Warehouse Live, Houston, Texas
March 13th, 8pm - Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Oregon
March14th and 15th, 5pm - House of Blues, Las Vegas
March 16th, 7pm, Marquee Theatre, Tempe, Arizona
March17th, 5pm - St Patrick's Day, Temple Town Lake, Arizona
April 5th, 2pm - Punkspring Festival, Osaka, Japan
April 6th, 11am - Punkspring Festival, Tokyo, Japan
April 9th, 8.30pm - Night Train, Adelaide, Australia
April 10th and 11th, 8.30pm - The Corner, Melbourne, Australia
April 12th, 8pm - The Forum, Sydney, Australia
April 13th - The Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia
April 26th, 11am - Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, California, USA
The Amor Quintet will perform in an Astor Piazzolla Gala Concert on March 8th, 7.30pm, at St Stephen's Church, Gloucester Road, London SW7 4RL. The programme includes: 'Libertango', 'Milonga Del Angel', 'Triunfal', 'Otono Porteno', 'Invierno Porteno', 'Primavera Porteno', 'Verano Porteno', 'Oblivion', 'Ressureccion Del Angel', 'La Muerte Del Angel', 'Concierto Para Quintetto', and 'Michelangelo 70'.
The Amor Quintet are: Nikolai Ryskov (accordion), Anahit Chaushyan (piano), Orpheous Papafilippou (violin), Hideo Morii (electric guitar), and Enrique Galassi (double bass).
by The Groanbox Boys
Cory Seznec and Michael Ward-Bergeman
Peter Piccini - accordionist, composer, arranger, performer, releases 4 new works for accordion available for purchase online. 'That Latin Feel', 'Waving Palms', 'Waltz For Bella' and 'Pete's Music Bug'. Samples of theses music are available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card.
Gary Dahl - accordionist as well as a composer, arranger, recording artist and music educator,updates 3 of his works and release 1 new work for accordion available for purchase online, Maria Elena, '12th Street Rag' and 'You Can't Be True Dear'. Samples of this music are available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card.
A new site selling a CD titled "La Cumparsita" with sound samples. Music performed by Friedrich Lips. Purchase online.