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Roland US Holds First V-Accordion Festival - USAby Harley Jones |
In celebration of one of the world’s most historic instruments, the accordion, Roland Corporation U.S. held the first ever Roland V-Accordion Festival in Los Angeles on September 20, 2008. Contestants hailed from all over the U.S., and played in styles ranging from Jazz to Celtic. Each contestant was given an FR-7 V-Accordion to play during their five minute performance. This event was held in conjunction with the second International Roland V-Accordion Festival. A panel of five judges including Frank Marocco, Joan Cochran Sommers, Ed Vodicka and Eddie Monteiro awarded top honors to Joseph Natoli (picture left). Mark Kenneth was runner-up. Only the first and second place winners were announced to the public. The other competitors were Murl Allen Sanders, Ivan Milev, Steve Albini, Alex Lavruk and Iskra Alexandrov. As the Grand Prize winner, Natoli will fly to Rome, Italy on November 7, 2008 to participate in the 2nd International Accordion Festival and compete against 15 other countries. Roland V-Accordion Festival event coordinator Ron Lankford relates, “Roland was proud to promote accordion music at its finest, and we were very excited about the number of participants and the great quality of musicianship.” |