The 2008 Trophee Mondiale organised by the Confederation Mondiale de l’Accordeon (CMA) will, for the first time in its history, be hosted by our international delegate Zoran Rakic in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovinia, 1st to 5th October.
Following a reorganization of the CMA in 2004, the Trophee Mondiale has continued to visit new countries each year, 2006 in Kragujevac, Serbia, 2007 in Samara, Russia and now in 2008 to Bosnia Herzegovinia.
There will be international participation this year from 14 countries with a number of other countries looking to be part of the CMA in the future and over 53 entrants from different countries, the CMA 2008 Trophee Mondiale is looking to be a very successful event.
For further information, contact CMA Secretary Jacques Mornet email: cnima@wanadoo.fr
Dr. William Schimmel to Perform with James Galway, Nashville – USA
Dr. William Schimmel will perform Domenic Argento's ‘Valentino Dances’ with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (MD Giancarlo Guerrero) on September 11th, 12th and 13th at the new Schermerhorn Center. The performance also features the world famous flautist Sir James Galway.
William Schimmel has performed this piece on tour with the Minnesota Orchestra and recorded it with them on Reference Records. He also performed this work with the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Eugene Symphony in Eugene, Oregon.
’Valentino Dances’ is a ten-minute showpiece - adapted from his full-length opera, ‘The Dream of Valentino’ - about Rudolph Valentino, the movie star and tango dancer of 1920s Hollywood. Brilliantly conceived and elegantly orchestrated, it leaves plenty of room for William Schimmel's tango expertise through embellishment, phrasing, ornamentation and cadenzas.
The new NAO (UK) Festival season year starts on the 2nd November with the North West Area Festival in Fleetwood. The NAO Festival Season will feature 9 regional festivals to be held in all parts of the United Kingdom, culminating in the UK Championships 2009 in Blackpool from 24th - 26th April 2009. In last year’s area festival program, more than 1,000 accordion players participated and the UK Championships had a record 452 entries.
New features, which have been approved by the NAO Executive, for this season include:
A Digital Category to be featured in all regional festivals as well as the UK Championships for accordionists playing digital electronic accordions of all makes including Roland V, Cavagnolo – Odyssey, Titano, etc.
A Composers’ Competition for professionals, amateurs and juniors is to be judged at the UK Championships 2009. This competition was founded by the North Staffs Accordion Club, who approached the NAO to give it a truly national input!
Meanwhile the NAO is looking forward to hosting the CIACoupe Mondiale 2008 in Glasgow in October.
John MacDonald, Australian-based Scottish accordion entertainer, has just returned from yet another contract entertaining passengers on one the world's finest cruise liners.
This time John MacDonald was doing shows to over 2,000 passengers, during the cruise from Hawaii to San Francisco, on the Sun Princess.
During his stay in Honolulu and San Francisico he took time out from performing to see the local sights. He also cruised around San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz, and visited Fishermans Wharf.
John MacDonald is still entertaining Australian audiences throughout Australia in club and concert appearances, and his cruise work is booked through until 2009, with contracts that will take him throughout the Far East, America, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific.
Beijing Children’s Palace Baidi Accordion Orchestra held an important accordion concert on August 17th named “Key Dancing” , held in the National Centre for the Performing Arts.
This is the first performance by the Chinese accordion community in China’s best national theater, and it’s also the debut of the Baidi Accordion Orchestra in the National Centre for the Performing Arts. The performance was extremely successful with very warm audience response.
The National Centre for the Performing Arts is the largest performing centre in China. The main concert hall is solemn, elegant and full of extraordinary atmosphere of a famous music hall. In it, the 1,800 audience fully enjoyed the performance of Baidi Accordion Orchestra.
Near 100 players in the Baidi Accordion Orchestra have performed more than ten pieces of different styles of music. The unique humor and rich facial expressions of the conductor Chen Weiliang and the high performance level; contributed a rich audio-visual feast to all the music-lovers attending the concert.
At the end of the concert with a the performance of their theme song ”West Side Story”, all the audience rose up and applauded warmly for a long time, the excellent and most enjoyable performance. BTV has recorded the whole concert and it was broadcast to millions of audience during the Olympic Games.
Louise Ann Gabbanelli, passed away on September 1, 2008 at age 68 from liver and kidney failure in Houston, Texas. She is survived by her three children; Joey, Michael, and Mary Gabbanelli and her sister Joan Morales.
Together with her late husband, John Gabbanelli, Louise dedicated over thirty years to initiate a family owned business for her children that is well known to North American accordionists.
In 1999, International Music Company (IMC) is founded in Castelfidardo, Italy by Anacleto Gabbanelli, Michael Gabbanelli and Company to be the exclusive manufacturers of their accordions. In 2003, Gianfranco “John” Gabbanelli passed away and in 2005, Michael Gabbanelli took over running the family business after working alongside his father John and mother Louise for 17 years. Today, Michael with his wife Elia, continue the family accordion legacy. Our condolences to all the family at this sad time.
Finnish accordionist Jukka-Pekka Kuusela played recently three concerts of contemporary music in Paris with violinist Olga Murysina. These concerts took place on August 19th at the Salle Edmond Michelet, 21st at the Eglise Suedoise, and on the 25th at the Eglise des Billettes.
The program consisted of works by Michail Bronner, Lauri Sallinen, J. S. Bach, Timo-Juhani Kyllonen and Sergei Berinsky, including three world premieres: ‘Waltz - It is Autumn Again’, by Bronner, ‘La Nuit’, by Sallinen, and a new version for accordion and violin of ‘Dream Garden’, by Bronner.
The audience met the music and musicians extremely warmly in all three venues, and no doubt hope to listen such music soon again.
On August 27th, a gala concert took place at the Teatro Municipal 3 de Febrero, Parana. The concert celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Evangelical Baptist School in the city of Parana, founded by Pastor Enrique Marconi. The Parana City Council supported the concert.
Performing were the Orquesta Argentina de Acordeones – MD Raul Varelli, a ballet company, a children’s choir, and solo accordionists Maria Elena, Jorge Matlasszuk, Joel Velasquez (only 5 years of age!), and Aldo Taborda – 2007 Argentinean National Accordion Champion and a competitor in the International Competition in Castelfidardo, Italy.
The Ymittos Festival takes place in Athens from September 5th to 13th, with a rich program of artistes and ensembles and a focus on Mediterranean culture. The open-air festival in the atmospheric context of the Theatro Vrachon in Athens is launched on September 5th with the Anouar Brahem Trio and Savina Yannatou & Primavera En Salonico, featuring accordionist Kostas Vomvolos (new CD ‘Songs of an Other’).
On September 6th, the program features Gianluigi Trovesi & Gianni Coscia, and pianist Franois Couturier's “Nostalghia - Song for Tarkovsky", with Anja Lechner (cello), Jean-Marc Larch (sax) and Jean-Louis Matinier (accordion).
World Music Stage/Danube Island Festival, Vienna - Austria
The huge leisure island ‘Donauinsel’ in the middle of the city of Vienna is for the 25th year the meeting place for musicians from all over the world, September 5th to 7th. Every year there are musical highlights surrounded by approximately 21 kilometres of green space surrounded by the Danube. As always, the accordion is very much present at this extraordinary event.
The folk group ‘LA DAMIGIANA’, founded in 1999, have a large repertoire of local songs and tunes, and here are their next appearances:
September 6th, 6pm - Festa del Mondo Rurale, San Paolo de Jesi
7th, 5pm - Festa Della Birra Bavarese Attivi, Monte San Vito
12th – Bordoni Bruno, Cattolica Rassegna Fitp
14th, 9.30am – 25th Festa Dell Uva, Subbiano Arezzo
Apart from the diatonic button accordion (made in Castelfidardo), all their instruments are self-constructed, including tambourine, triangle, segone, carcavella, raganella, castanets, and bull horn.
The 13th annual Sebastopol Cajun/Zydeco Festival takes place on Saturday September 6th, 11am onwards, at Ives Park, 7400 Willow St, Sebastopol, CA.
The Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise are the organisers of this event, which includes live music, Cajun food, and dancing under the redwoods. Bands performing at this year's festival include Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars, Mark St. Mary's Louisiana Blues and Zydeco Band, the Zydeco Flames, and the Wild Catahoulas.
Traditional Music Sessions, Dundalk – Irish Republic
Irish traditional music sessions take place at The Spirit Store, George’s Quay, Dundalk, County Louth, led by Philip Hickey (accordion), Aine McGeeney (fiddle), and Henry McDonald (guitar/vocals). The sessions take place on Sunday evenings, 6pm to 9pm, on September 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. Free admission.
Scottish accordionist Walter Perrie is the guest artiste at Leyland Accordion Club on Wednesday September 17th, 8pm. Leyland AC is based at The Priory Club, Broadfield Drive, Leyland, Lancashire. The organiser is David Batty.
The Mexican Cultural Institute and Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society present a special concert with Antonio Barberena and Trio Zur, from Mexico, in celebration of Mexican Independence Day, on Sunday September 14th, 4pm. The concert takes place at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, 3435 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church, VA.
Mexican accordionist Antonio Barberena, marimba player Javier Nandayapa, and percussionist MirnaYam make up the Trio Zur. The celebrated trio’s repertoire ranges from classical to ‘world music’ from Argentina (Astor Piazzolla) to Ireland, and from the Balkans to the Basque Country, as well as original works by the Mexican composer Jesus Martinez.
Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen’s music stretches from Finnish folk music to rock and improvised avant-garde. To expand his accordion playing and performance he unconventionally uses electronic effects, samples, loops, Midi, and more. On stage he also uses surround-sound and light show. In addition to performing, he has composed music for film scores, theatre and dance. Pohjonen’s forthcoming schedule includes:
September 20th – Teatterikuoppa, Haukipudas, Finland
October 3rd – Cafe 101, Concrete and Glass, London, England
November 18th - L'atelier, Scenes D'Europe Festival, Reims, France
November 21st – Louhisali, Espoo, Finland
December 4th – Korjaamo, Helsinki, Finland
The Bruce Millers European Accordion Festival takes place on Sunday October 19th, 7.30pm, at the Aberdeen Arts Centre. Appearing in concert, hosted by organiser Norman English, will be Scottish accordionists Gordon Middler, Tom Orr, Lauren Hart and Craig Patton, Romano Viazzani – London, and Ksenija Sidorova – Latvia.
Gary Dahl - accordionist as well as a composer, arranger, recording artist and music educator, update 1 new work for accordion available for purchase online, 'Twilight Time'. 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.
Peter Piccini - accordionist, composer, arranger, performer, update 1 new work for accordion available for purchase online. 'Cara Maria'. 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.
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Beijing Children’s Palace Baidi Accordion Orchestra held an important accordion concert on August 17th named “Key Dancing” , held in the National Centre for the Performing Arts.
Louise Ann Gabbanelli Passes Away - USA
Louise Ann Gabbanelli, passed away on September 1, 2008 at age 68 from liver and kidney failure in Houston, Texas. She is survived by her three children; Joey, Michael, and Mary Gabbanelli and her sister Joan Morales.
Finnish accordionist Jukka-Pekka Kuusela played recently three concerts of contemporary music in Paris with violinist Olga Murysina. These concerts took place on August 19th at the Salle Edmond Michelet, 21st at the Eglise Suedoise, and on the 25th at the Eglise des Billettes.
On August 27th, a gala concert took place at the Teatro Municipal 3 de Febrero, Parana. The concert celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Evangelical Baptist School in the city of Parana, founded by Pastor Enrique Marconi. The Parana City Council supported the concert.
World Music Stage/Danube Island Festival, Vienna - Austria
The 13th annual Sebastopol Cajun/Zydeco Festival takes place on Saturday September 6th, 11am onwards, at Ives Park, 7400 Willow St, Sebastopol, CA.
Walter Perrie Concert, Lancashire – UK
The Mexican Cultural Institute and Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society present a special concert with Antonio Barberena and Trio Zur, from Mexico, in celebration of Mexican Independence Day, on Sunday September 14th, 4pm. The concert takes place at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, 3435 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church, VA.
Accordionist 
Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen’s music stretches from Finnish folk music to rock and improvised avant-garde. To expand his accordion playing and performance he unconventionally uses electronic effects, samples, loops, Midi, and more. On stage he also uses surround-sound and light show. In addition to performing, he has composed music for film scores, theatre and dance. Pohjonen’s forthcoming schedule includes:
