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44th International Citta di Castelfidardo PIF Competition & Festival - Italyby Harley Jones |
The City Council Administration of Castelfidardo announces that the 44th International Citta di Castelfidardo PIF Competition & Festival will be held from 18 to 22 September 2019. Artistic Director Renzo Ruggieri writes: The rules for 2019 remain largely the same although it was decided to expand the categories for young people in the World music section. The Jazz section for “Soloists” or “Groups” has the possibility of requesting a Trio of professionals (guitar, drums, bass) available free of charge to the first 5 applicants. An exciting addition for 2019 is a prize “Gervasio Marcosignori Award”. Born in Castelfidardo, the “Accordion Poet” has brought his art everywhere and the PIF will pay him homage with this special title that wants to respect the tradition and also look forward with unique regulations allowing: Virtual (voices), Midi (acoustic with applied electronics) and Electrical (acoustic) with multi-effects digital microphones, looper, sequences." Competition rules and regulations in English and Italian at: 2019PIF-Rules.pdf Entry closing date is: 31st August 2019 (30th April for Composition category). |
79th Annual ATG Accordion Festival in Denver July 24-27, 2019 - USAby Rita Davidson Barnea |
Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International (ATG) President Joe Natoli (picture right) invites all to the 79th Annual ATG Accordion Festival in Denver July 24-27, 2019. The event will feature concerts, workshops, competitions, exhibits, the ATG Festival Orchestra, Banquet and more! The 2019 Festival is the "Year of the Duos”. This year the ATG Festival will feature some of the best accordion duos around to provide double the fun, double the musicianship and double the entertainment. The 2019 festival will include the following featured : Jamie Maschler & Gabriel Rodrigues (Washington, USA); Augustinas Raukauskas & Greta Staponkute (Lithuania); Kim and Dan Christian (Colorado, USA); John & Madalynn Neu with The Voice of the Wood Chamber Players (Colorado, USA). All accordionists attending the festival in Denver are invited to participate in the 2019 ATG Festival Orchestra. No matter what age or ability, there is a part for you! Renowned conductor and former ATG President Joan C. Sommers (picture right), Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri-Kansas City will be directing the 2018 ATG Festival Orchestra. The Festival Orchestra will perform on the Saturday evening Gala Concert. Rehearsals will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday to prepare for the concert performance. There will be several parts for the pieces being performed and most accordionists will find a part suitable for them. During the festival registration process, you will be able to sign up for the orchestra and provide your playing level. Contact Joan Sommers at joansommers@kc.rr.com if you have any questions. For further information view the website: ATG |
22nd Northern Ireland Open Accordion Championships - Northern Irelandby Christine Johnstone |
Picture above: The Doneyloopers, winners of the Traditional Irish Group category. The 22nd Northern Ireland Open Accordion Championships held in the Belfast Loughshore Hotel Carrickfergus on February 23rd was another very successful event. Organised by Clyde Johnston, (picture right) it is the largest accordion festival in Northern Ireland and attracted over 200 entries. Picture lower right adjudicator Noelle McCarthy and Alan Shute, winner of the Senior Frosini, Senior Scottish and Senior Jimmy Shand solo categories. The Championships are recognised by the National Accordion Organisation of the United Kingdom (NAO) as a qualifier for the UK Championships, held in April in Liverpool. Clyde was delighted to again welcome competitors from the Chilton School of Music in Co.Cavan, Trudy Maguire's Accordion School and Gerry Kelly’s Accordion School from Co Meath as well as the Keith Dickson Accordion School from Scotland coming across for their third visit. There were also other entries from Co.Meath, Co.Dublin, England and Glasgow in addition to the local competitors. The event included trade stands on display by Sean O'Neill, Alan Shute, Tom Cruickshank, Rob Howard, Glitterbug Bagz and Scotland Accordions which added additional interest and atmosphere to the Festival. Click here for the full results and a detailed report. 2019NIreland.pdf Picture below: Adjudicator Noelle McCarthy performing and Ciara Masterson winner of the Senior Recital category. |
7th International Accordion Festival Stadskanaal – Netherlandsby Christine Johnstone |
Video 1: Pietro Adragna - Tico Tico & Flight of the Bumblebee played during the 4th International Accordion Festival Stadskanaal. Video 2: Second Souffle perform Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla. The 7th International Accordion Festival Stadskanaal will be held at the Theater Geert Teis in Stadskanaal, Netherlands on March 10th. The event will include performances by Pietro Adragna (Italy), Vincent van Amsterdam (Netherlands), Second Souffle (accordion duo from Belgium) and Gert Wantenaar (Netherlands). For further details email: info@accordeonfestival.nl |
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
Nihad Hrustanbegovic Independence Day Concert – Bosniaby Rob Howard |
Bosnian composer and accordionist, Nihad Hrustanbegovic was honoured to perform a solo classical concert on March 1st for the Diplomatic Corps in the Sarajevo City Hall during the Celebration Academy of the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nihad was invited to perform at the event by Amira Redzic, (the Chief of Culture at the Ministry of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Abdulah Skaka (UNESCO coordinator) and the Mayor of Sarajevo. His performance included Vivaldi's Winter of the Four Seasons, Gymnopédies 1 & 3 (Erik Satie), Asturias (Albéniz), Chevaliers de Sangreal (Zimmer), Take Five (Desmond), Oblivion & Libertango (Piazzolla), and the premiere of his new composition “View from the White Fortress”, inspired by Sarajevo and dedicated to Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
New CD “Cinema” by accordionist Marco Lo Russo - Italyby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
The new CD entitled “Cinema” by Marco Lo Russo is now available on the Universal Music label. The CD is a compilation of songs by Astor Piazzolla, Goran Bregovic, Gottan Project, Michal Lorenc and Nino Rota, and is entirely dedicated to the world of accordion in cinema. Tracks are: 1. Gottan Project – Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre) 2. Astor Piazzolla – Remembrance 3. Francois Parisi – Ballad Du Paris 4. Ensemble Polaris – Le Manine Di Primavera 5. Claudio Ragazzi, Guillermo Vadala – Miranda 6. Tomasz Gassowski – Pretty Estrangeira 7. Orquesta Filarmonica De Moravia Olomouc – Suite Punta Del Este 8. Sophie Solomon, Perry Montague-Mason, Ian Watson, The Easy Virtue Orchestra – Easy Virtue Tango 9. Marco Lo Russo – La Valse D’amelie 10. Maciej Zielinski – Tango De Amor 11. Glover Gill – La Cosa Pequena 12. Marco Lo Russo – Life Is Beautiful 13. Goran Bregovic – Talijanska 14. Tosca Tango Orchestra – Mi Otra Mitad De Naranja 15. Dr. Nelle Karajlic, Dejan Sparavalo, Vojislav Aralica – Daddy’s Gone (Instrumental) 16. Goran Bregovic – Gypsy Reggae 17. Tango Attack & Sadecka Orkiestra Kameralna – Por Una Cabeza |
Video: Gluck: Dance of the Furies from 'Orfeo ed Euridice' by AKKO Quartetby Harley Jones |
Video: Composition by Christoph Willibald Gluck (17 14 - 1787) - Dance of the Furies from 'Orfeo ed Euridice' performed by the AKKO Quartet at the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral, Kyiv, Ukraine. |
Jane Christison – Janie Next Door® - Children’s Musician - USAby Harley Jones |
Jane Christison of 'Janie Next Door' and 'Music With A Smile' publications and performances wrote a heart felt thank you to her parents: "February 22nd!! This is the annual celebration of my first accordion lesson (picture left). I never would have guessed then that playing the accordion would turn into something that I dearly love to do - now more than ever. I am so thankful for all the accordion friendships I've made around the world, which is also something I never would have imagined as the teacher placed my fingers on the keys and buttons for the first time. Thanks to my Mom and Dad for what has turned out to be the most amazing gift! : )" In 2018 Janie released: The “Come Sing Along with Janie Next Door™ LEARNING GUIDE” takes Jane Christison’s award-winning children’s CD and turns its 18 original, upbeat songs into attention-grabbing lessons that classroom teachers, music educators and homeschoolers will love teaching to their students, from preschool through early elementary. Using classroom-tested techniques by music educator, Debbie Gray, this book comes with two CD’s – the original version with Janie singing and one without vocals that can be used for student performances – plus 90 coloring pages, puzzles, word searches and extension activities to connect MUSIC with: - Art, math, science and language arts - Reading fluency and comprehension - Physical education - and FUN! Students will want to do these songs and activities again and again! For further information: Jane Christison – Janie Next Door® www.janienextdoor.com 913-492-3883 janec@musicwithasmile.com |
NAO History Updated On Website for 70th Anniversary - UKby Anna Bodell, NAO Secretary |
The National Accordion Organisation of the United Kingdom (NAO) has updated the History section of its website in honor of the 70th anniversary of the UK Accordion Championships. The website update includes information on the first Accordion Day in 1935, the formation of the NAO in 1949, and the hosting of 5 CIA Coupe Mondiale World Competitions. View the history page at: 2019NAO-History |
Unique Bell Accordion Repaired and on Display on World Accordion Day - USAby Rob Howard |
A World of Accordions Museum (AWAM) will feature their unique Bell Accordion during the World Accordion Day and Dr Willard A. Palmer festival on May 4th and 5th, 2019. The instrument was discovered by Stanley Darrow, who offered it to AWAM for purchase in the 1990s. At that time it was not functional and was merely set up as a museum display. In 2013-15, Bob Ward was called to the museum to assess their electronic keyboards. He saw the instrument and volunteered to restore it in a series of processes that took ingenuity and uncounted work hours. The instrument’s piano keyboard controls five octaves of bells through individual electronic wires fed through an umbilical from the accordion. The accordion itself contains three treble and five bass reed sets which sound in conjunction with the bells when stimulated by bellows movements. The bells sound pure and clean, adding marvelous effects to special pieces such as “Carol of the Bells”. For further information email: aworldofaccordions@gmail.com |
Future events |
London Accordion Orchestra with Slovenian Percussion Project Concert - UKby Alison Worthington |
The London Accordion Orchestra will perform a joint concert with the Slovenian Percussion Project at the St. Peter's Church in Central London, on March 2nd at 4pm. This will be the second time the London Accordion Orchestra has performed with the percussion ensemble. The first was at the Philharmonic Hall in Ljubliana and they are delighted to be welcoming them to London for a second joint performance. The percussion ensemble “Slovenski Tolkalni Projekt” (StoP for short), was founded in 1999. Academically educated musicians joined together to play quality chamber music and discover new percussion sounds. The unique ensemble consists of established percussionists from different parts of Slovenia: Barbara Kresnik, Marina Golja, Matevž Bajde, Damir Korošec, Franci Krevh, Tomaž Lojen, Davor Plamberger and Dejan Tamše. They have played on numerous stages in Slovenia and abroad. For more information, please contact Ian Watson at: mail@londonao.co.uk |
Miloš Milivojevic Tours - Spain, Italy, Netherlandsby Rob Howard |
Miloš Milivojevic (picture right) will join the acclaimed RIAS Chamber Choir conducted by Justin Doyle (picture left) in a tour of Spain, Italy and Netherlands beginning this month. They will perform a highly evocative program that combines the past and present through the Requiems of Tomás Luis de Victoria and Bernat Vivancos including Introitus: Requiem Aeternam, Kyrie, L’amour, le temps and Motectum: Versa est in luctum. Tour dates are: March 6th: L'Auditori de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain March 28th: Basilica di San Vittore, Varese, Italy April 11th: Laurenskerk, Rotterdam, Netherlands April 12th: Muziekgebouw aan 't ij, Amsterdam, Netherlands For details email: admin@milosmilivojevic.com |
Sergey Osokin Tours Austriaby Herbert Scheibenreif |
Russian accordionist Sergey Osokin will tour Austria from March 5th to 12th, performing in regions of Vienna, Lower and Upper Austria, Styria and Carinthia. His program will include works by S. Gainsbourg, C. Thomain, H. Betti, J. Gart, V. Young, M. Ferrero, Whiteman, Mecano, R. Galliano, A.V. Damme, J.F. Baez, J. Richard, K. Weill, A. Astier and his own compositions. Full information about Sergey Osokin, CD's available and the tour dates and venues at: http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=08-Feb-2019&lang=en&s=15177 |
Accordion Professor Jovica Dordevic Tours USAby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
Accordionist Jovica Dordevic, (Professor at the Prayner Konservatorium in Austria) will tour the USA with popular vocalist Arijit Singh from 5th April to 4th May 2019 organised by Bright Brain Productions. Tour information: April 5th: Angel of the Winds Arena, Seattle April 6th: Oakland, California April 7th: Microsoft Theatre, Los Angeles April 12th: Smart Financial Centre, Houston April 13th: Prudential Centre, New Jersey April 14th: Agganis Arena, Boston April 20th: Eaglebank Arena, Fairfax April 26th: Sears Areana, Hoffman Estates, IL April 27th: CFE Arena, Orlando April 28th: Calihan Hall, Detroit May 4th: Infinite Energy Arena, Atlanta May 5th: Curtis Culwell Centre, Dallas For concert information email: brightbrainproduction@gmail.com |
XXVIII Grande Gala Internacional Do Acordeao 2019 - Portugalby Christine Johnstone |
The XXVIII Grande Gala Internacional Do Acordeao 2019 will be held in Portugal from March 14th to April 7th. The event will include 22 concerts with guest performers Gary Blair (Scotland - picture right), Domi Emorine (France - picture left), Petar Maric (Serbia) Luis Mira (Portugal), plus many more. See poster for concert details. For further information email: fr.saboia@gmail.com |
“Django in June” - USAby Christine Johnstone |
“Django in June” is New England’s premier occasion to celebrate, study and just plain enjoy the musical tradition associated with Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. This year’s event will be held in Northampton, Massachusetts from June 10th to 16th. The Django Camp will include a Django accordion program taught by Frank Petrilli (pictured), pre camp workshops, evening jam sessions, question time and concerts at Northampton’s historic Academy of Music theatre. The organisers provide a “Core Repertoire” of tunes as a foundation for jamming. For further details email: djangojune15@gmail.com |
VI International Jazz Accordion and Modern Harmony Master Classes – Spainby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
Registrations and auditions are now open for the VI International Jazz Accordion and Modern Harmony Master Classes at the Centro Cultural Marcos Valcarcel in Ourense, Spain with Victor Prieto. Nine positions are available for the masterclasses which will be held on July 13th & 14th and July 20th & 21st. The event will begin with a Jam Session at the Jazz Club "Cafe Cultural Auriense", and all participants will get the opportunity to play with other instruments, experiment, socialize and have a great time performing in front of an audience. The masterclasses will be held in English (with Spanish trans lation available if required) and will cover: Improvisation: in different styles and understanding scales. (Pop, rock, bolero) Comping: How to form chords, close position, open position, Upper structures. Poly-Chords: My technique "Chord Approach on both hands" Styles: How to phrase and comp: Jazz, blues, Brazilian, traditional tango, new Tango and other styles of modern harmony. How to work and what to do in a recording studio when you get only chord changes. How to use the registers and voices of the accordion to orchestrate and have a bigger variety of colours and sounds. Participants will practice and perform with a rhythm section (bass and drums), so everyone can apply all the information that they have studied. Participants will also watch videos and analyze them. How the accordion interacts with other instruments depending of the instrumentation of the groups. (Duo, Trio, Solo, voclaist, piano). A book with material will be given to each student for further studies and review (to take home). If you wish to participate, please send a solo or group video recording to: info@victorprieto.net You will be notified in April if you have been selected to participate in the Master Classes. For further details email Xohán Manuel Xil Páxaro: xmxpaxaro@gmail.com |
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