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Highlights |
STAR WAYS 2009, Kragujevac - Serbia
Accordion Manufacturer Honored by RAM, London – UK
AATA Australian International Accordion Championships - Australia
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
Wigmore Award Concert 2009, RAM, London – UK
Accordion Orchester Klingenthal in Castelfidardo – Italy
Frédéric Deschamps Master Class at the Prague Conservatory - Czech
Future events |
‘Suono Italia’, Budapest – Hungary
Gorka Hermosa’s Diary Dates – Macedonia, Spain
‘The Best Nicht Oot in the Glen’, Scotland – UK
Miguel Afonso Performances – Canary Islands
Accordion Seminar in Castelfidardo, Ancona – Italy
Gençay Accordion Festival, Vienne - France
New and Updated Sites |
Franco Cambareri 3 new works
Gary Dahl update 1 new work
Karthause Schmülling New Book-and-Sound Editions
Online Entries For 2009 Coupe Mondiale - New Zealand
AATA Australian International Championships Daily Reports
NZAA Site Updated - New Zealand
CD Reviews |
Help Desk, Information needed, Readers CommentsSubmit Your Question, CommentSUBMIT NOW |
Random video 4UWatch the video |
Highlights |
Sata-Häme Soi Accordion Festival 2009 - Finlandby Harley Jones |
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 The Sata-Häme Soi Accordion Festival is held from 23 June to 28 June. A highlight of the Sata-Häme Soi Accordion Festival 2009 is the 5th Primus Ikaalinen International Accordion Competition. This is organized by the Sata-Häme Soi Accordion Festival and Municipality of Ikaalinen together with the guidance of the Finnish Accordion Association, the CIA and Finland's National TV Channel TV2, on 26th June 2009. The Sata-Häme Soi Accordion Festival is internationally renowned as a superbly organized accordion event, the key organisers being: Kimmo Mattila - Musical Director, Sirpa Sippola - Festival Director and Minna Plihtari - Press Manager. The Competition Committee has selected 7 contestants who will perform two virtuoso entertainment style pieces of 3-4 minutes in duration suitable for a public entertainment concert, preferably including one folkloristic piece from their native country. The contestant will perform their pieces accompanied by a professional band and the competition will be broadcast live on Finland's National TV Channel TV2. Contestants for 2009 are: Macedonia, Aleksandr Kolovski Russia, Irina Grigorjeva New Zealand, Grayson Masefield France, Benoit Nortier Serbia, Petar Maric Greece, Zoe Tiganouria Italy, Matteo Marinelli Finland, The winner of The Golden Accordion 2009 Jury for 2009 is: Renzo Ruggieri, Italy Frank Marocco, USA Kevin Friedrich, New Zealand Jörgen Sundeqvist, Sweden Frederic Deschamps, France Mika Väyrynen, Finland Another televised competition is The Golden Accordion on 24 June 2009 which is the Finnish Championship of entertainment accordion music. Every year since the first competition in 1983, The Golden Accordion has been broadcast live on TV. The winner of the competition will represent Finland in the Primus Ikaalinen competition. The Silver Accordion competition is on the 24 June, 2009. The competition is arranged alongside the Golden Accordion Competition, and is aimed at juniors up to 10 years of age. The atmosphere is relaxed and encouraging for the young musicians. The competition has been held since 1986, and is broadcast live on TV. A unique part of this competition, is that the winner is decided by telephone voting. |
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STAR WAYS 2009, Kragujevac - Serbiaby Rob Howard |
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 The 6th International Competition for young accordionists, STAR WAYS 2009, recently took place in Kragujevac, Serbia. More than 80 participants from Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenego, Croatia, Slovenia, and many towns in Serbia took part in 5 categories for accordion soloists. The competition and concerts took place at Hotel Sumarice and the Gymnasium Concert hall in Kragujevac. The International jury included Viatcheslav Semionov – Russia, Domi Emorine – France, Roman Jbanov – Russia/France, Danijela Gazdic Kljajic – Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Radomir Tomic and Vojin Vasovic – Serbia. During the course of the competition, Aleksandar Andjelkovic – Winner of STAR WAYS 2008, and the Paris Moscou Duo, Domi Emorine and Roman Jbanov, Viatcheslav Semionov, and winners of the competition performed 4 excellent concerts. Winners of the competition were: Category Ia - Marko Basara, Serbia Category Ib - Nikola Terzic, Serbia Category Ic - Maria Dafka, Grecee Category Ia - Marija Desislava Dimitrova, Bulgaria Category Iib - Stefan Todorovic, Serbia Category Iic – Mladen Milosevic, Serbia Category IIIa – Igor Ivkovic, Serbia Category IIIb – Aleksandar Jovancic, Serbia Category IIIc – Aleksandar Nikolic, Serbia Category IV – Bojan Cubra, Serbia Category V – Milos Katanic, Serbia The competition was sponsored by the accordion manufacturer Pigini, from Italy, and the Komercijalna Banka, from Beograd. The next STARWAYS competition will take place in the last week of March 2010, with two new categories – for chamber ensembles and accordion orchestras. Full information about rules and all other details about competition will be available from September 2009 on site of Music Center AD LIBITUM – Kragujevac. |
Accordion Manufacturer Honored by RAM, London – UKby Roland Williams |
 The London Royal Academy of Music in its distribution of honours in 2009 to top people in the music profession, has awarded an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (Hon. ARAM) to Massimo Pigini, Director of the Pigini Accordions Factory. At the ceremony on May 13th 2009, which was presided over by Lord Burns, Chairman of the Governors, the citation included: - “Massimo Pigini is President of the Pigini Accordions Factory, in Castelfidardo, Italy. He has, through his collaboration with the world’s leading teachers and soloists, played a vital role in the instrument’s academic development over the past 30 years. Continuing research goes hand in hand with the work being done in music conservatories worldwide and on the concert platform. The new ‘Mythos’ concert accordion, is testimony to the quality of Pigini’s master craftsmen. The Academy will have the honour of owning ‘Mythos’ number 30 in September 2009. Only 33 will be made and demand for one is very high. As one of the foremost centres of accordion teaching in the world, the Academy has been fortunate to have such a friend as Massimo Pigini”. After the ceremony members of the accordion class each played a solo piece for Massimo and his wife Silvia, which was much appreciated and testimony to the very high standards being achieved. This was followed by a dinner party in a local restaurant with the chief guests Massimo and Silvia Pigini. |
AATA Australian International Accordion Championships - Australiaby Tania Lukic-Marx |
 Daily Reports of the AATA Australian International Accordion Championships including photos and full results are online.report_2009_june_6th and report_2009_june_7th. |
Reports for Concerts, Masterclasses, Competitions, Festivals, etc. |
Mika Vayrynen performs at the 20th Annual Sibelius Festival - Finlandby Kevin Friedrich |
 Finnish accordionist Mika Väyrynen performed on four concerts at the recent Loviisa Sibelius Festival. The 20th anniversary of this annual event, the opening concert on June 3rd was broadcast live on national radio, with a recording of the broadcast available until July 3rd. Mika0609yleAt this concert, Mika performed the World Premiere of Jouni Kaipainen´s ‘Placido Op.68’, for solo accordion, with the work receiving many positive reviews. On June 4th, Mika performed works by Bernhard Molique with world renowned pianist Alexander Melnikow. On June 5th Mika switched to bandoneon perform Tango with Norwegian musicians including Atle Sponberg (violin) and Knut Erik Sundqvist (Double Bass), a concert which drew excited response from the audience. For the final concert on June 6th, Mika performed movements of Leos Janacek´s Suite ‘On an Over-Grown Path’. Currently Mika is recording his upcoming CD in Ikaalinen, followed by a studio recording of Kaipainen’s new work at the NBC Studios back in Helsinki. |
Wigmore Award Concert 2009, RAM, London – UKby Roland Williams |
 The Wigmore Award Concert, May 18th 2009, supported by Friends of the Royal Academy of Music, which accordionist Ksenija Sidorova shared with two other young artists, soprano Angela Bic and pianist Stefan Ciric, proved to be a brilliant display of young musical talent.Ksenija began her part of the programme by playing the Overture from J S Bach’s ‘Overture and Partita in French style (BWV831)’. This concerto-like work with its lengthy fast bravura passages following its Grave/Maestoso opening, was faultlessly performed and demonstrated mastery of a difficult work. With the audience warmed to her, Ksenija then played Arne Nordheim’s ‘Flashing’ (1986). Contemporary composers’ experimentation with some of special musical possibilities of the accordion do not always prove popular with audiences. On this occasion Ksenija Sidorova succeeded in making the audience listen to this work, with its long crescendos and diminuendos on held notes, with rapt attention in the renowned acoustics of the Wigmore Hall. The work is adapted by the composer as a solo from the cadenza of his accordion concerto, ‘Spur’, and is a piece that could not be played on any other instrument but an accordion. It was received at the end with great enthusiasm. As her final contribution to the programme Ksenija played Alfred Schnittke’s ‘Revis Fairy Tale Suite’, adapted from the composer’s one act ballet ‘Sketches’. Some of the pieces in this suite are in the composer’s so-called ‘polystylistic’ manner and make playful use of well-known tunes of Haydn, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. Transcription of this work for accordion also makes full use of the accordion’s unique features – huge coupling and interval range, bellow shakes, bent notes to produce humour, crescendo/diminuendo with held notes etc. It earned a roar of approval at the finish. The other artistes in this concert also demonstrated huge talent. Stefan Ciric played Chopin’s ‘Scherzo No3 in C sharp minor’ and Ravel’s ‘La Valse’ with enormous pianistic bravura, and Angela Bic soprano (accompanied by Robin Davis) gave a splendidly accomplished performance of Brahms’ ‘Lutheran Bible settings Op 121’. From the accordionist’s viewpoint it was wonderful to hear an accordion artiste who could match such outstanding talent in London’s Wigmore Hall, a venue sometimes described as one of the world’s ‘museums of music.’ |
Accordion Orchester Klingenthal in Castelfidardo – Italyby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
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| The Accordion Orchester Klingenthal, together with an official delegation of their city hall, came to visit their partnership town Castelfidardo. 4 days full with events and exciting touring was on their program, which took them to visit the archaeological museum in Ancona, which is the biggest in the centre of Italy. The famous caves of Frasassi, the holy Basilica of Loreto, and of course of great interest to all members of the orchestra, was the visit in the Castelfidardo Accordion Museum. Another highlight during their stay was a live TV-appearance during the RAI 3 news edition on Saturday at 2pm. Wonderful weather for the first days, with plenty of sunbathing and 2 evening concerts made their journey to Italy complete. The concert evening in the Astra Theater was a great pleasure for all participants. A vidoclip made by Beniamino Bugiolacchi (city hall/culture curator) and Aldo Belmonti (President of the local Pro Loco) showed the story from the beginning of the partnership between the towns Klingenthal and Castelfidardo, with many moments of the ceremony and the most important features of the German city. On Sunday evening a concert took place in Loreto. Photos show - The Orchestra with Gerhard Plesch on the mouth harmonica and Karl L ipsius performing on the keyboard /top image The Orchestgra getting ready for the live-TV appearance on RAI3 Speeches made by Mirco Soprani, the Mayor of Castelfidardo (Image below)and Manfred Gàbler (image middle/left), Vice Mayor of Klingenthal, on stage with Holda and Beniamino Bugiolacchi, who presented the evening. Orchestra Director Karl L ipsius presenting an homage to the Accordion Museum www.accordions.com/museum.htm" target="_blank">www.accordions.com/museum (Mr. Vincenzo Canali) (image middle/right) (All photos by: Photo Nisi) |
Frédéric Deschamps Master Class at the Prague Conservatory - Czechby Harley Jones |
 On June 6, as part of his Master Class World Tour, Frédéric Deschamps was a guest of the Prague Conservatory. For 2 hours, he revealed to about 100 accordion teachers from across the Czech Republic and guests for the occasion, the result of his 15 years of educational research concerning accordion tuition and performance. Frédéric Deschamps rarely moves without some of his best students, in order to make known and to contribute to the beginnings of their concert careers. Thus, Jérome Richard, Phil Bouvier, Cyril Blanchard, Julien ‘Speedy’ Gonzales and many others have taken their first steps on the international scene. This time, Frédéric Deschamps had chosen to bring in his luggage, the New Zealander Grayson Masefield, a student in his class for 3 years, winner of the Trophée Mondial Variety and Category “D – Classical” Castelfidardo 2008, 2nd prize at Klingenthal and Spoletto 2009, and winner of the Piano Accordion category in Spoletto 2009. The teachers and students attending the concert all quickly stood up to give Grayson Masefield a standing ovation at the end, and were asking for more. Program: Mozart Scarlatti, Semionov, Angelis, but also the variety played on his Fun Flash Piano Hohner with arrangements by Jérome Richard, Richard Galliano, Claude Thomain, André Astier, etc.. The next series of Master Classes by Frédéric Deschamps will be held in China in Beijing and Tianjin from 1 to 9 July. Guest artists will once again be Grayson Masefield who deserves so much, and also Petar Maric, 1st prize at 2009 Klingenthal Variety and 2009 Spoleto Variety and Classical. Photo 1 - Grayson Masefiled and Ladislav Horak, Professor at the Conservatory of Prague and Organizer of the Master Class. Photo 2 - Master Class Frederic Deschamps. For followers of the teaching sequence, you can recognize the position of chair involving the right arm forward and the belt around the thighs so as not to impair the opening of the bellows. |
Future events |
Marco Lo Russo Concerts, Rome – Italyby Rob Howard |
 Accordionist Marco Lo Russo? performs as follows during June:June 15th, 11.30am - Press Conference for the 45th Pontino Music Festival, Palazzo Caetani, Via delle Botteghe Oscure, Rome June 17th, 9pm – with Simone Di Pasquale, Daniela Ayala and a company of dancers from Lia Ruscica, at the Teatro Ambra Jovinelli, Rome June 23rd, 6pm – Piano di Montoro inferiore, Avellino For further information email: stampa@marcolorusso.com |
‘Suono Italia’, Budapest – Hungaryby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
 From June16th to18th, the ICE (Italian Institute for commercial affairs) organises in the Zenetörténeti Múzeum, 1014 Budapest, an ‘Italian Festival’, with the Title ‘Suono Italia’.The program includes concerts which range from classical to jazz, featuring harps, guitars, saxophones, wind instruments, violin, piano, percussion, contrabasse to accordion, the latter involving stage appearances by Italian artiste Mirco Patarini. For further information email: budapest@ice.it |
Gorka Hermosa’s Diary Dates – Macedonia, Spainby Rob Howard |
 Spanish accordionist Gorka Hermosa in the next month appears as follows:June 18th to 21st - Jury member at the International Contest ‘Ohrid Pearls’, Macedonia June 25th, 26th and 27th – concerts with the singer María Berasarte in FNAC Donostia, Irun and FNAC Bilbao, Spain, respectively. July 8th - concert with the clavecinista Silvia Márquez in the Festival of Music and Dance, Granada, performing works by Bach, Scarlatti, Falla, Piazzolla, Remiro, Tiensuu, and Prin. For further information email: gorka@gorkahermosa.com |
‘The Best Nicht Oot in the Glen’, Scotland – UKby Rob Howard |
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 A weekly variety concert featuring the best in Scottish entertainment takes place every on Tuesday during July and August, 8.30pm, at the Theatre, Aviemore. The artistes performing include 11 year old champion Jordan the Piper, the Claire Bryce Dancers, and the Jim Mackay Dance Band – featuring three generations of accordionists. The show’s compére is well known accordion entertainer Graeme Mackay.On Tuesday June 23rd, 8.30pm, there will be a free preview night of the show. For further information email: graeme@mackaymusic.co.uk |
Miguel Afonso Performances – Canary Islandsby Rob Howard |
| Accordionist Miguel Afonso performs at venues on the Canary Islands as follows: June 26th - La Atalaya (The Watchtower) 27th - Santa Brígida 29th - Festival Folk Canarias, Moya and the Valle de Agaete Miguel Afonso, a great enthusiast for the songs and tunes of the Canary Islands, performs popular and traditional music. His band includes Diego Martin - flute/ soprano sax /percussion, Ernesto Rössger - guitar, Mel Rodriguez – percussion, Oscar Afonso - percussion/vocals, Manolo Peñate – electric guitar/vocals, plus singers and dancers. For further information email: info@miguelafonso.net |
Accordion Seminar in Castelfidardo, Ancona – Italyby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
 An Accordion Seminar is to take place in Castelfidardo, from July 3rd to 5th, featuring conferences, lectures, demonstrations and tuition. The event involves active contributions from Sergio Scappini, Alessandro Mugnoz, Gervasio Marcosignori, Francesco Visentin, and Eugenia Cherkasova. For further information email: info@nuovocdmi.it |
Gençay Accordion Festival, Vienne - Franceby Rob Howard |
| The 14th Gençay Accordion Festival takes place in Gençay, Montmorillon, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, on Sunday July 26th, from 2pm onwards. Accordionists performing include RenéGrolier and his Orchestra, Madeline Alanic, Denis Salesse, Pascal Michaud, Chantal Soulu, Pascal Loubersac, Benoit Nortier, Pascal Terrible, Fabien Veyriras, and Sébastien Farge. |
New and Updated Sites |
Scandalli Accordions New Website Now Onlineby Holda Paoletti-Kampl |
| The new, updated Scandalli website is now online. The site has been extensively revised and has many new features. As well as the usual product information, visitors will be able to see and hear performances by Scandalli artists and soon many of the register tones (sounds) of individual accordions also. The news section will be regularly updated with both past and future event information as well as new product launches. Visitors can also subscribe to the to the mailing list which will provide all this news on a timely basis. |
Franco Cambareri 3 new worksby Franco Cambareri |
| Franco Cambareri - accordionist, composer, producer, releases 3 new works for accordion available for purchase online. 'Ciccio’s Tarantella, catalog:cfranco95', 'Mexican Rock, catalog:cfranco96' and 'Sambalero, catalog:cfranco97'. 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. |
Gary Dahl update 1 new workby Gary Dahl |
| Gary Dahl - accordionist as well as a composer, arranger, recording artist and music educator, update 1 new works for accordion available for purchase online, ‘Just Because Polka, catalog:DH0037'. Samples of these music are available on the site. The music is in eSheet format, able to be emailed to your computer. Purchase with credit card. |
Karthause Schmülling New Book-and-Sound Editionsby Karthause Schmulling |
| Karthause Schmülling New Book-and-Sound Editions selling a new Book about Frank Marocco and 3 CD's by Frank Marocco. Sound samples online. Purchase online. |
Online Entries For 2009 Coupe Mondiale - New Zealandby Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) |
| The Site for the 2009 Coupe Mondiale in New Zealand, 25-30 August has been updated. Online entries available, registration special price closes 30th June 2009. |
AATA Australian International Championships Daily Reportsby Tania Lukic-Marx |
| AATA Australian International Championships Daily Reports are online from the event held 6th and 7th June 2009. |
NZAA Site Updated - New Zealandby Heather Masefield |
| The New Zealand Accordion Association (NZAA) website has been updated with Daily Reports of its recent South Pacific Accordion Championships and information about a social event on 20th June 2009. |
CD Reviews |
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