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http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=01-Apr-2022&lang=ru&s=18698
http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=01-Apr-2022&lang=ru&s=18698
01-Apr-2022
by Rita Davidson Barnea, Editor USA Accordion News
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 Less than two weeks ago the National Accordion Association (NAA) Convention ended. It was a special anniversary: 35 + 1 year of the NAA. Yes, 2021 would have been the 35th anniversary, but we all know what came in the way. So, we celebrated this year the 35 + 1 anniversary. Norman Seaton (President) and Sharon Seaton (Board member) have been recognized on stage during the Saturday evening concert with an engraved plaque for their work and dedication. This was not the only thing “special” about the Convention. Due to ongoing pandemic we had to make a few changes to the setup. Photo Up: NAA Youth Orchestra Photo Down: Friday evening - Shelia Lee Memorial Dance Band Photo Right: Saturday evening: Fun Band Breakfast and lunch was paid and served buffet style in the main Ballroom. We also opted for some healthier options for lunch with a changing soup and salad bar. We had setup all sessions with double space to allow for social distancing. Different to previous years we gave our youth a dominant spot with their performance during lunch on Saturday to give them a bigger exposure. They were great. Thanks to Dick Albreski who managed and conducted the youth orchestra and Elena Fainshtein for sending in so many talented students. We had scheduled 4 evening events which had been a full success. From the welcome reception on Wednesday, where Markus Baggio played a game of “Roast the Host”. The audience spun a wheel and whatever genre showed, Markus had to play this. Thursday was mainly an open mike session, but with a spin: We had three rooms dedicated to different regions of the world, so conventioneers could play anything from French Musette, Vienna Waltzes, Balkan Polkas to Country and Latin Music. The Friday Dance Party was opened by the Sheila Lee Memorial Dance Band, conducted by Dee Langley, followed by Jim Rommel, Gordon Kohl, and Mike Middleton. The dance floor was packed. Saturday evening, we had our traditional banquet, but instead of having a conga line as in previous years, we organized an Accordion Flash Mob in the Hotel Lobby. What a blast! Finally, the culmination was our Saturday evening concert. The Fun Band opened with some good tunes, followed by Michael Soloway. His performance was a homage to the movies from Doctor Zhivago to Schindler’s list. Everybody was touched and he got standing ovations. There was much more: Tris Gour and John Simkiss played several duets with Tris singing with his smooth voice. A surprise guest was Elijah Clements, this fine young man took the audience by storm. Richard Noel followed with some swinging songs, getting even dancers on the floor. Jim Rommel played some Rock & Roll tunes. The concerted ended with Paul Betken playing some good old-fashioned swing and jazz songs. The last performer of the night was Eddie Monteiro, closing out with a French Musette, some jazz tunes and the ‘One-note-Samba’. On a personal note: Norman Seaton, my wife Sabine and I spend months on planning and scheduling, emails, phone calls. Between Wednesday and Sunday, I walked more than 35 miles, just in the hotel. Did everything run smoothly? Well, most of the time, there were some hiccups, but we managed, improvised, and got it resolved. In total we had more than 40 sessions and more than a hundred conventioneers joining us. We also like to thank all attendees to make this a success. Thanks to all presenters, vendors and helpers: Dick Albreski, Bob Donovan, Tris Gour, Mike Middleton, Eddie Monteiro, Gene Neyer, Richard Noel, Paul Betken, Jim Rommel, Sharon Seaton, Michael Soloway, Hank Thunander, Dee Langley, Gordon Kohl, Jerry Jacoby, Craig Funderberg, Nick Ballarini Sr and Jr., Joe Petosa, Randy McPeck, Clara Trahan. Thanks also to the Hilton Hotel staff for all their hard work. If you haven’t done it join the NAA Facebook group to see tons of photos and videos. See you in 2023. We are schedule for March 15 - 19, 2023. So save the date! |
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