11 Series de Conciertos y Clases Magistrales, Nueva York - EEUU
Información por Rob Howard

El 26, 27 y 28 de Agosto William Schimmel presentará su serie anual de conciertos y clases magistrales patrocinadas por la Asociación de Acordeonistas Americanos. El título de este año será "Finalmente tú puedes conseguirlo". Tendrá lugar en el Instituto Cultural Tenri de Nueva York, 43 A West 13 Street, Maniatan. Las clases magistrales serán a las 15,00 horas y los conciertos a las 19,00 horas. Más detalles en la web de la AAA.

Para más información: billschimmel@billschimmel.com

Bernadette Conlon Concert, Salt Lake City - USA
Contributed by Jay Todd

Bernadette Conlon, Australia's Ambassador of the Accordion, performed her first concert on a five-stop U.S. and Canadian tour to several standing ovations, and encore-demanding, cheering audience at the Salt Lake Area Accordion Club Tuesday June 21st.

Beginning with her rendition of Bach's 'Toccata in D', which she calls 'Hot Toccata', Bernadette worked her way through a variety of selections from her eight CDs during the first set. Following a 10-minute intermission during which time Bernadette was autographing her CDs for enthusiastic new fans, she returned to the stage for a second set of audience requests. She played everything from 'Poet and Peasant Overture' to Ukrainian melodies to' Flight of the Bumble Bee' to' Beer Barrel Polka', before ending with a stunning encore of 'Czardas'.

Jay Todd, Salt Lake Area Accordion Club president, said after the cheering 117 attendees quietened down, "You are a legend in your beloved Melbourne. Now you can claim Salt Lake City as your second home! Enthusiasts hung around for nearly an hour as they acquired her CDs and waited for autographs from the 'Pride of Australia'. We've had a number of prominent American accordionists perform for our club, but none has captured our audiences as did Bernadette with her skills, aesthetic interpretations, and masterful performing."

The Salt Lake Area Accordion Club, founded by Jay and Janet Todd, Janet herself being an accordionist of national repute in the U.S., is in its third year but already is one of the strong accordion clubs in America. Arriving in Salt Lake City Sunday evening, June 19th, Bernadette and her mother, Lyn flew to Seattle, Washington, where they motored to Leavenworth for the Leavenworth Accordion Festival.

Following that stop, Bernadette will fly to Las Vegas, Nevada to perform at the Las Vegas International Accordion Convention, then fly to Victoria, Canada to perform at an accordion club concert there, with a tour-ending performance of their 23-day journey at Kimberley, British Columbia for the Kimberley Old Time Accordion Championships.
   

Isle of Skye Accordion and Fiddle Festival, Scotland - UK
Contributed by Rob Howard

The inaugural Isle of Skye Accordion and Fiddle Festival, held from May 26th to 28th, was acclaimed by its organisers to be an unqualified success. The festival was centred on the Royal Hotel, Portree, where music sessions ran almost continuously throughout the weekend, involving about 60 musicians, from far and wide.

The accordionists included Tom Orr and his Scottish Dance Band, the Ballochmyle Ceilidh Band, Black Rose Ceilidh Band, Sam and James Stewart, Alan Palmer, Lorraine Gillies, Edward MacLeod, Willie Shankie, Ian Cameron, Marian Anderson, Charlie MacLeod, Geordie Wark, and Ian 'Tonkan' MacDonald. Charlie MacLeod held an accordion workshop in the Skye Gathering Hall.

A reviewer has stated that the festival was "an exceptional weekend of traditional Scottish music and dance. Moving from venue to venue, the same faces would appear and disappear as the entire, toe tapping and convivial population rotated from pub to pub, whether following their favourite artiste or trying to hear as many different players as possible. At one point in the Royal Hotel, eight accordionists, a drummer and a keyboard player, from different parts of the country, were performing together - what music!

The dance, in The Skye Gathering Hall, to the Ballochmyle Ceilidh Band, proved to be a success beyond everyone's wildest expectations, the atmosphere was out of this world, and everyone was on the floor for every dance, teenagers and grannies alike. You could feel your chair moving to the rhythm of the dance as the floorboards and joists in the old hall got their best flexing in 20 years". The committee is already planning next year's event.
 

Concert at the Academy Salvatore Cauteruccio, Buonvicino - Italy
Contributed by Renzo Ruggieri

The final event of a competition organised by the Academy Salvatore Cauteruccio was a concert that took place on June 5th at the Salone Della 'Casa San Ciriaco', Buonvicino. The competition jury consisted of Riccardo Galimi, Enzo Campagna and Pietro Perrone.

The concert was given by the students and teachers, after which a special award was made to the best performing artiste, Adriana Cuateruccio, who received big reception from a very large audience.
   

Paris - Moscow Duo in Ringe Festival, Odense - Denmark
Contributed by Holda Paoletti-Kampl

Domi Emorine and Roman Jbanov, the Paris-Moscow Duo, made their debut at the Ringe Festival, held from June 17th to 19th. The duo performed several times, attracting large audiences.

This large-scale festival incorporates classical, jazz and folk music, and the accordion featured prominently in the many concerts on offer. Also performing at the festival was Scottish accordionist, Jim Easton OBE, whose new CD 'Mellow Moments' has just been released.
    

Accordion Events at the Val Tidone Festival, Borgovono - Italy
Contributed by Harley Jones

This year's Val Tidone Music Festival features five concerts involving accordionists. All shows begin at 9.15pm. The details are:-

July 2nd - Calendasco, Guedo di Sigerico, French Music Night,
featuring Renzo Ruggieri and The French Touch Trio.
12th - Rottofreno, Castello di Santimento, featuring Renato
Borghetti and his Band (Brazil).
15th - Castel San Giovani, Piazza Cardinale Casonoli,
featuring a jazz program from the Soldedad Ensemble
(Belgium).
16th - Agazzano, Piazza Europa, featuring the Simone
Zanchini Jazz Project.
August 5th - Pecorama, Piazza Jacupo da Pecorama, featuring
Jean-Marc Fabiano (France) and the Aquzza Orchestra
'Luigi Cremona'.

For further information email info@valtidone-competitions.com
  

Fairhead Folk Festival, Northern Ireland - UK
Contributed by Rob Howard

The second annual Fairhead Folk Festival takes place in Ballycastle, County Antrim, from July 1st to 3rd. One of the festival's features is a busking competition on July 2nd, from 2pm until 4pm, and open to all musicians and singers.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann has arranged that local traditional musicians, including accordionists, will entertain each day, from 4.30pm to 7pm. Instrument workshops, organised by CCE, will take place on July 2nd, from 10am until 4pm in the Cross & Passion Secondary School, Chapel Brea, Ballycastle. Sean O'Kane will lead an accordion workshop, and the various instrument workshops will entertain on an open stage from 4pm.

For further information email divilthebit@hotmail.com
   

A new site selling a CD titled Christchurch Accordion Orchestra with sound samples. Music conducted by Meg Fidler and performed by Jun Norrell, Merle Kershaw, Kynette Kelcher, Rosalie Taylor, Faye Lawrence, John Dooley, Paula Turnbull, Ryan Hawes, Heather McCausland, Karl Barrett, Jill Voss, Max Powell, Mark Perry, Bernie Holtmark-vandijkerhof (drums), Jack Joslen. Purchase online.
 

MusicForAccordion.com is publishing a grade 2 arrangement of 'Sailing'. The music is composed by Oyehuda Oppenheimer. A sample of this music is available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card.
   

MusicForAccordion.com is publishing a grade 2 arrangement of ‘Lady Of Spain’. A sample of this music is available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card.
 

Sebastiano Cali - accordionist, composer, piano tuner, harpsichord and other early instruments maker, releases another 6 new works for accordion available for purchase online. 'Valse Op.70 No. 2' (Chopin), 'Waltz in Ab' (Brahms), Prelude No. 1 from Well Tempered Clavier' (J S Bach), 'Hungarian Dance No. 5' (Brahms), 'Air on the G String' (J S Bach), 'Adagio' (Albinoni), 'Tico Tico' (Abreu). The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card.
   

James O' Brien - composer, arranger and performer, releases another 6 new works for accordion available for purchase online. 'Fais Dodo ' (traditional), 'Folk Song' (traditional), 'Ghialo, Ghialo' (traditional), 'The Girl I Left Behind Me' (traditional), 'Home on the Range' (traditional), 'Julida Polka' (traditional). 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.
 

Vassily Glubochenko - composer, arranger, performer and scientist, releases 1 new work titled 'Pot-Pourri of Themes of famous Soviet Songs' arranged/composed by Glubochenko, available for purchase online. A sample of this music is available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card.