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Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) Winter Congress – Estoniaby Kimmo Mattila |
The 2019 Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) Winter Congress was held in Tallin, Estonia from March 1st to 3rd, hosted by Eesti Akordioniliit. Picture above by Secretary General Kimmo Mattila. The event included meetings of the CIA Executive and Music Committee, the 141st General Assembly of Delegates, concert in the Tallin Town Hall, concert in the Hopneri Maja and a closing session. Participants also had some free time for sightseeing to enjoy the Estonian Winter. A special thanks to Eesti Akordioniliit and its leaders and delegates Aivi Tilk, Kristel Laas, Sirje Mõttus, Heli Raitar, Marit Sukk, Tiina Välja and Mikk Langeproon hosting the 141st General Assembly. The congress was well-organised and full of creative discussions. Thanks also to Tiit Kalluste, Villu Veski, Kulno Malva, Kaspar Uljas and Isabel Bermejo. Many pictures at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ctqv1dwrznoab16/AABCZkiEgvSV004HN7l6OMZ8a?dl=0 |
Updated 2019 Coupe Mondiale Information From CIA Congress - Estoniaby Harley Jones |
The 72nd Coupe Mondiale will be held from 12-17 August, 2019 in Shenzhen, China hosted by The Accordion Association of Chinese Musicians' Association (CAA). President Li Cong and his Organising Committee (picture below) welcomes everyone to enjoy famous Chinese hospitality and wonderful music in the modern Xixiang Music Valley facility in Shenzhen. At the CIA Winter Congress in Tallin Estonia, China delegate Crystal Wang made a 24 page color presentation: 2019CMPresentation.pdf and reported: 1. Confirmation 16th January 2019 meeting with Propaganda Department Bo'an District that the 2019 Coupe Mondiale is on the list of Cultural Projects supported by the Government. 2. Around 130 Chinese contestants after selection process will compete in the 7 Coupe Mondiale categories. 3. 130 Chinese contestants plus worldwide contestants will mean a new record of Coupe Mondiale entries. 4. Opening Concert guest artists include the Baidi Accordion Orchestra, Chinese accordionists Mao Junhao, Tan Jialiang and the 2018 Coupe Mondiale winner Radu Ratoi (Lithuania). 5. Other concerts will feature young Chinese accordionists, groups and middle-aged accordion lovers. 6. World Accordion Orchestra concert: information to be available online soon for those wishing to apply to participate. 7. CIA President Mirco Patarini invites competitors from all nations to please lodge their entries and praised the generous China/Shenzhen Government sponsorship which has afforded the opportunity to award 50 contestant subsidies towards airfare and free room and board. Subsidy applications must be received by 15 March 2019 so make your application today!! Competition entry closing date is 30th June 2019. The online entry system is now open for entries to the 72nd Coupe Mondiale from the 2019 General Competition Rules page: 2019CM-Rules |
National Polka Festival in Ennis, Texas - USAby Harley Jones |
On Memorial Weekend, May 24-26, 2019 is the National Polka Festival in Ennis, Texas. The National Polka Festival invites everyone to come help celebrate 53 wonderful years of Czech heritage festivities Friday through Sunday. Held annually, the National Polka Festival offers an abundance of activities to be enjoyed by the entire family in a small city atmosphere. On Saturday morning, floats, bands, and colorful costumes will kick-off the downtown festivities. The parade traditionally includes something for visitors of all ages. You will experience our traditions, religious customs, dancing, tastes, sights, sounds, and "a little bit of the Czech Lands" at our three spacious air conditioned halls. Enjoy a weekend of polka dancing, Czech foods, and 13 sensational live polka bands including Grammy Award winning Brave Combo. Join us! |
National Accordion Association (NAA) Convention Underway, Texas - USAby Rita Davidson Barnea |
The NAA Convention is underway and AccordionUSA News will have a full report for their 1st April monthly news. Picture above is Lionel Reekie, Jane Christison and NAA President Norman Seaton. Right is a picture of AccordionUSA News Editor Rita Barnea and Norman Seaton. Picture below (left to right) Mike Soloway, Cory Pesaturo, Eddie Monteiro, Joe Natoli, Rita Barnea. |
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
Video: Sasko Velkov - Majestic Accordion (Official Video 2019) - Macedoniaby Christine Johnstone |
Video of Sasko Velkov performing his own composition Majestic Accordion - Music and Arrangement : Sasko Velkov - Mastering: Ljupco Sokolovski - City Sound Skopje - Video: Stole Stoilov - Fly Video Production |
Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration (LIAC) - USAby Rita Davidson Barnea |
The Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration (LIAC) takes place from June 20-23, 2019. See Doris Osgood’s link to “It’s Time to Prepare for Leavenworth” The 26th anniversary of the Leavenworth Accordion Celebration looks to be one of the best events ever. Note the outstanding line up of professional performers. The variety of music will showcase the versatility of the accordion. Link: 2019LeavenworthArticle.pdf |
NAO Thames Area Festival & Competition - UKby Alison Worthington |
The National Accordion Organisation of the United Kingdom (NAO) Thames Area Festival and competition was held on February 23rd at St Andrews Church Centre, Ealing, London. Festival organiser was Alison Worthington. The competition included solo, duet and group categories. The London Intermediate Accordion Orchestra scored top marks in the Intermediate Orchestra section (picture below), and won the Bridget Cumiskey Memorial Cup for the highest mark. The James Mullally Cup for Outstanding Performance was award to Cairan Gilligan. This cup was donated by members of the London Accordion Orchestra in his memory. In recognition for an Outstanding Performance it is hoped that it will continue not just James’ love of music but also his wish to encourage people to play the accordion. This Area Festival is a qualifying stage for the 70th Anniversary Celebration NAO UK Championships 2019, which will again take place at The Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, from April 26th to 28th. |
Kokatahi Band 108 Years Old, Hokitika – New Zealandby Harley Jones |
The Kokatahi Band from Hokitika on the West Coast of New Zealand celebrates its 108th anniversary this year. When first formed, the band followed the principle that they should only use instruments that were commonly available in the early years of the 20th century. Now, one hundred years on, the band is still pumping out the tunes on an eclectic mix of instruments including the accordion. Members come from as far afield as Invercargill (at the bottom of the South Island) and Ashburton to don the colours and clothes of what people wore from the gold fields in 1910, and get the crowds singing. |
Accordionist Entertains at Café do Margs - Brazilby Christine Johnstone |
Brazilian accordionist Fernando Avila entertained diners at the Café do Margs, Praca Da Alfandega in Porto Alegre, Brazil on March 2nd. His program included his own compositions, some of which have been recorded on his CD “A Lua de Santiago”. In addition Fernando played a mix of Latin American popular music, tango, milonga, chamame, baião as well as some French waltzes and pieces by Frank Marocco including “Take Ten” and “Cynthia”. |
World Accordion Day Performance - USAby Harley Jones |
Accordionist Henry Doktorski III has been invited to the World Accordion Day and Dr. Willard A. Palmer Festival at A World of Accordions Museum in Superior Wisconsin on May 4th and 5th. Henry will present a 45-minute lecture/recital on the two great pioneer Italian-American piano accordionists - Guido and Pietro Deiro. Henry is honored to share the two-day program with great musicians such as Joan Sommers, Kevin Friedrich, Stas Venglevsi, Mary Tokarski, Murl Allen Sanders, Betty Jo Simon, Paul Vargason, Mike Middleton, Aydar Salahov, Jane Christison, and the UMKC Chamber Accordion Ensemble. |
Successful First 2019 Concert for Reunion Island Orchestraby Christine Johnstone |
The Polyphonia Orchestra conducted by Pierre Varo performed its first 2019 concert at Hôtels de la chaîne Exsel, St Gilles, Reunion Island. Pierre Varo is the Director at Association Ensembles Pour La Musique, Professor of the accordion at Ecole de Musique de Saint Andre and Art Director at Orchestre Polyphonia. The orchestra consists of accordions, violins, flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, euphonium, keyboards, percussionists and vocalists all aged between 12 and 18 years, who give 25 concerts each year on Réunion Island. The successful 2 hour concert included a variety of light classical music, international music, film music, Latin music, jazz and traditional music. This ensemble is currently preparing for a musical tour which will take place in 6 states of the West Coast of the United States and an International accordion competition in Los Angeles from July 19th to August 12th 2020. |
Accordion Babes 2020 Calendar - Art Deadline Extensionby Rob Howard |
The deadline for photos for the 2020 Accordion Babes calendar has now been extended to April 14th, 2019. The calendar is currently half full, so there are 6 further places available. The theme for 2020 is: Women of the Future: or: An Instrument Beyond Time. As always, the theme is flexible. The print date will be June 1st, 2019. For further information email: editor@accordionpinupcalendar.com Pictured below is Sapo, of Montreal, Canada who is Miss February 2019. |
Future events |
Benefit Concert for Japanese Tsunami Victims - Germanyby Christine Johnstone |
Naoko & Andreas Nebl (picture above) will take part in a benefit concert at Bundesakademie, Hugo-Herrmann-Str. 22 in Trossingen, Germany on March 11th at 7pm. The concert is for the tsunami victims in Kamaishi, Iwate, Japan. They will perform with Professor Akio Koyama on bassoon (picture right). Works include Amasia (Laurent Boutros) and Libertango (Astor Piazzolla). Other performers include vocalists Yuko Koyama, Aya Koyama, Elias Schneider (bassoon), Imai-Stastny Sonoko (violin), Holger Spegg (piano) and piano duo Shoko Hayashizaki & Michael Hagemann. For concert details email: AndiNebl@gmx.de |
Melbourne Taranta Festival – Australiaby Christine Johnstone |
The “Vardos Trio” will be supporting seven piece band “Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino” (from Salento, Italy - picture above) at the Melbourne Taranta Festival in the Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury, Melbourne, Victoria on March 15th. As well as traditional Pugliese food stalls and Italian wines, attendees will enjoy a variety of music from both groups. The Vardos Trio (picture right) play a variety of Gypsy and folk music. “Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino” (which includes accordionist Massimiliano Morabito) are exponents in a new wave of young performers re-inventing Southern Italy’s Pizzica musical and dance traditions. The group are said to “make an audience shimmy with the energy of the ancient ritual of pizzica tarantata, said to cure the taranta spider’s bite with its frenzied trance dances.” They also play music by global artists Ballake Sissoko, Ibrahim Maalouf & Piers Faccini, contemporary classical composers Ludovico Einaudi, and pop mavericks Stewart Copeland of The Police. For further details email: neilwedd@thethornburytheatre.com |
Popular Duo Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham Spring Tour 2019 - UKby Rob Howard |
Popular duo Aly Bain (violin) & Phil Cunningham (accordion) will tour the UK this month beginning at the Coronation Hall in Ulverston on March 15th and finishing at the Masham Town Hall on March 30th. Aly and Phil have become a national institution with their mastery of violin and accordion, bringing popular traditional Scottish/Celtic music to venues across the country. Individually they pursue other ventures in performance, television and education but it is when they tour together that they truly shine with over quarter of a century of well honed skills and hilarious banter delighting audiences. See Poster below for concert details. |
Accordionist Marko Kassl Performs in New Ballet – Germanyby Rob Howard |
Accordionist Marko Kassl will perform in “Ein Sommernachtstraum” a new ballet by Bridget Breiner which will be held in the Music Theaterkasse, Kennedyplatz in Gelsenkirchen from 31st March. The ballet is based on Shakespeare's classic "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Breiner uses ballet music by Mendelssohn as well as compositions by Claudio Jacomucci, Uroš Rojko, Alessandro Sbordoni, Antonio Correa and Duke Ellington. Marko Kassl will perform live as a soloist and also in duo with pianist Annette Reifig. Marko is a teacher at the Detmold Academy of Music and also takes an accordion class at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He has given many concerts as a soloist and in “Duo Mares” (picture right) in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Slovenia and Luxembourg. The premiere of the ballet will be held on March 31st with further performances on April 5th, April 28th, May 12th, May 25th, June 16th and June 21st. For further information email: info@marko-kassl.de |
Folk Accordion Week – Englandby Christine Johnstone |
Folk Accordion Week includes an accordion course held from April 5th to 7th at Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire with tutor Paul Hutchinson. Paul’s style of teaching is relaxed and entertaining, however, he believes that the accordion should be taken more seriously as a beautiful and versatile instrument. His playing is unique in that he uses a lot of sustained left hand notes, block chords, and drones or pedal notes. He enjoys harmony and frequently adds extra lines in the right hand. His playing is inspired by the sound of the church organ and he is an experienced teacher who loves teaching and enjoys developing the potential of a group or individual to deepen and improve their musicianship. For details phone: +44 (0)1462 459446 |
CNIMA Tango Passion Workshop - Franceby Christine Johnstone |
CNIMA directed by Nathalie Boucheix will hold a Tango Passion workshop with Louise Jallu (picture left) from April 22nd to 27th. Louise will share her tango passion with trainees and offers the course to all instrumentalists passionate about tango (bands, accordion, guitar and strings) to come and work in groups. During the same week, CNIMA will hold a diatonic and chromatic: Breton and Celtic Music workshop with Alain Pennec (picture right). Alain contributes to the revival of traditional Breton music. Trainees can work with or without sheet music on their instruments. During these courses there will be an accordion demonstration by Matthew Chaussalet on April 24th as well as concerts and exhibitions throughout the week. The workshops are aimed at beginners, experienced musicians and even professionals and are open to all ages. Each trainee will have individual and daily group lessons. For further details email: cnima@wanadoo.fr |
Foster & Allen Australian Tour 2019by Christine Johnstone |
Popular duo Foster & Allen (Mick Foster and Tony Allen) will tour Australia from May 1st to June 2nd performing a total of 18 concerts. Mick has a "Foster Special" accordion and was influenced in his music by the well known Jimmy Shand. Tony started playing the accordion after one of his brothers brought him an accordion home from England. His whole life revolves around music, and he enjoys every minute he is entertaining people all over the world. Tour dates are: May 1st: Toowoomba, Empire Theatre, Phone - 1 300 655 299 May 2nd: Maryborough, Brolga Theatre, Phone – (07) 4 122 6060 May 3rd: Bundaberg, Moncrieff Entertainment Centre, Phone – (07) 4 130 4100 May 5th: Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre, Phone – (04) 9 619 777 May 8th: Ipswich Civic Centre, Phone - (07) 3 810 6100 May 11th: Port Macquarie Glasshouse, Phone - (02) 6 581 8888 May 12th: Newcastle, Civic Theatre, Phone – (02) 4 929 1977 May 15th: Dubbo Regional Theatre & Convention Centre, Phone (02) 6 801 4378 May 18th: Griffith Regional Theatre, Phone – (02) 6 962 8444 May 20th: Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre, Phone – (02) 6 926 9688 May 21st: Canberra Playhouse, Phone - (02) 6 275 2700 May 22nd: Frankston Arts Centre, Phone - (03) 9 784 1 060 May 23rd: Sale, The Wedge Performing Arts Centre, Phone – (03) 5 143 3200 May 25th: Albury, Entertainment Centre, Phone – (02) 6 043 5610 May 26th: Geelong, The Playhouse GPAC, Phone – (03) 5 225 1 200 May 29th: Wollongong, Anita’s Theatre June 1st: Gold Coast, Home of the Arts, Phone – (07) 5 588 4000 June 2nd: Caloundra, The Events Centre, Phone - (07) 5 491 4240 |
Accordionist Entertains at Magic Training Course – Franceby Christine Johnstone |
Accordionist Jean-Louis Noton will entertain at a magic training course as “Noton Fire Musician Musical Companion” to be held from July 17th to 24th at the Hotel des Sapins, Col de La Croix Fry in Manigod, France. The event will include training on the secrets of magic, the mysteries of manipulation and general magic skills with “Alpha” (picture right), a professor of magic at the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Paris. The course is suitable for all age groups. For information email: jl.noton@wanadoo.fr |
New and Updated Sites |
New Compositions by Franco Cambareri - Australiaby Franco Cambareri |
Three new compositions by Franco Cambareri of Australia have been released. cfranco241 - Fantasia Lunatica cfranco242 - Nostalgic Moments cfranco243 - Triste Autunno View sample page online, pdf format music sent to purchaser by email. |
New Douglas Ward Compositions Now Online - UKby Anna Bodell of Charnwood Publications |
Two new works have been released by well known UK composer and performer Douglas Ward, published by Charnwood Publishing. DW952 Clown in a Pickle DW953 Horseplay Two weeks previously, Douglas Ward released: DW950 Backstage Waltz DW951 Conundrum Douglas Ward is now listing over 80 compositions and arrangements of eSheet and printed music available from Charnwood Publishing Douglas Ward. Sample music pages online. Purchase with credit card online. |
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