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| Date: | May 03, 2026 |
| Venue: | Restaurant and Bar, Wesley Anne, 250 High St, Northcote, VIC 3070 |
| Contact: | View poster |
The Accordion Society of Australia (ASA) will hold their World Accordion Day (WAD) celebrations at the Wesley Anne live music venue in Northcote, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on May 3rd, 2026 from 12 midday to 3pm.
This is a free concert with entertainment by accordion ensembles ASAVO, Hills Accord, and the Prahran Accordion Band as well as student performances.
The event will feature a performance by “Sanfona”, (picture above) a five piece band of accordion, guitar, trumpet, bass and drums, led by accordionist, Jo Abbott. Sanfona perform music with high energy improvisations, colourful melodies and harmonies and toe-tapping grooves, transforming music by artists such as Richard Galliano, Django Reinhardt, Serge Luc and Ludovic Beier.
See poster above for further details.
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| Date: | May 4 - 6, 2026 |
| Venue: | May 4th, 2026 - 12:30hrs Pálffy palace, Chamber hall,
Valdštejnská 14, Praha 1. May 5th 2026, 14:30 hrs, Church of the Evangelical, Czech Brethren, Korunní 60, Praha 2 Vinohrady. May 6th 2026, 17:00 hrs, Hall of Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, 17. listopadu 2, Praha 1 |
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Information: Program Live stream. Performers - Ladislav Horák, Jiří Lukeš, Markéta Laštovičková, Hans Maier (Hochschule Trossingen), Andrea and Martin Šulcovi, Tadeáš Mrázek, Richard Jágr, Václav Bastl, Czech Accordion Ensemble, Jakub Dvořáček - piano, Michaela Palová - soprano, NeoKlasik orchestra (cond. Václav Dlask).
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| Date: | Two Concerts by Aotango Quintet accordionist Grayson Masefield, 5th May and 7th May |
| Venue: | 5th May Aotango In partnership with Chamber Music NZ in Whakatane, Church of St George and St John 7.30 7th May Aotango In partnership with Chamber Music NZ in Rotorua, Sir Howard Morrison Centre, 7pm. |
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| Date: | Sunday, the 3rd of May, 2:00 pm |
| Venue: | Bishopdale Seventh Day Adventist Church, 74 Breens Road, Bishopdale, Christchurch 8051. |
| Contact: | Craig Williamson, Canterbury Accordion Association |
Information:
Canterbury Accordion Association - Jam Session to celebrate World Accordion Day. There are a lot of celebrations coming up in May, like Star Wars Day on the 4th of May. However, there is a much more important date in the May calendar that everyone puts their light sabres away for and that is World Accordion Day on the 6th of May.
So, next Sunday, the 3rd of May, we are jumping the gun and having a celebration of World Accordion Day by having a Jam Session with everyone who can make it. It will be held at 2:00PM at the Bishopdale Seventh Day Adventist church at 74 Breens Road, Bishopdale. After the jam session we will be having an afternoon to wind down the afternoon, so please bring a plate of food to share that doesn't need heating.
If you have any questions about the Jam Session let me know otherwise we all hope to see you all there. Take care and have a great week.
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| Date: | March 21, 2026 All-Russian Day of Bayan, Accordion and Harmonica – Moscow |
| Venue: | Gnesin RAM Concert Hall in Moscow |
| Contact: | Dr Herbert Scheibenreif Manager of Friedrich Lips Productions |
Further Info:
The All-Russian Day of Bayan, Accordion and Harmonica is celebrated each year (on the third Saturday in March) at the Gnesin RAM Concert Hall in Moscow, Russia. The Department of the Bayan and Accordion of the Gnesin RAM established the event with project manager, Friedrich Lips. The aim of the event is to become part of a national cultural project.
The All-Russian Day of Bayan, Accordion and Harmonica is also Russia’s contribution to World Accordion Day (May 6th) because that date clashes with a Russian National Holiday, so for that reason, the All-Russian Day of Bayan, Accordion and Harmonica is held in March annually.
The initiative began in 2010 and demonstrated great enthusiasm in all regions of Russia, both from amateurs and professional musicians, and resulted in a truly national celebration.
Saturday, March 21
Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Concert Hall
All-Russian Day of Bayan, Accordion, and Harmonica
Part 1
Performing: Gnessin musicians – winners of the 1st All-Russian Competition of Folk Instrument Performers (St. Petersburg, 2025)
Robert Alevetdinov
Alexey Loganov
Maksim Kuznetsov
Laureate of the 2026 All-Russian Competition for the Best Performance of Baroque Music on Bayan and Accordion
Part 2
Pages of Our History
Honored Artist of the RSFSR Anatoly Shalayev – on the 100th anniversary of his birth (1925-1997)
People’s Artist of Russia Anatoly Belyaev – on the 95th anniversary of his birth (1931-2025)
The concert features the State Academic Russian Folk Ensemble “Rossiya” named after L.G. Zykina.
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor: Honored Artist of Russia, Professor Dmitry Dmitrienko
Conductor: Sergey Kornyakov, winner of national and international competitions.
Soloists:
Laureates of national and international competitions:
Olzhas Nurlanov
Timur Galinurov
Kirill Rusinov
Maxim Kuznetsov
Mikhail Chernov
Project Director: Professor Friedrich Lips
Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Concert Hall
March 21, Saturday
All-Russian Day of Bayan, Accordion, and Harmonica
Part 1
Performing Gnessin Orchestra members – laureates of the 1st All-Russian Competition of Folk Instrument Performers (St. Petersburg, 2025)
P. Tchaikovsky – Prelude and Fugue from the cycle “Six Pieces on One Theme,” Op. 2
P. Roffi – Enigma-Etude
Performed by Alexey Loganov
A. Kholminov – Concert Symphony for Bayan
Performed by Maxim Kuznetsov
P. Tchaikovsky – November
V. Semenov – Sonata No. 3, 1st movement
Performed by Robert Alevetdinov
Laureate of the 2026 All-Russian Competition for the Best Performance of Baroque Music on Bayan and Accordion
Part 2
Pages of Our History
State Academic Russian Folk Orchestra L.G. Zykina “Russia” Ensemble
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor: Honored Artist of Russia, Professor Dmitry Dmitrienko
Conductor: Sergey Kornyakov, winner of national and international competitions
A. Shalaev
“On the Mountain, There’s a Viburnum”
“Volga Refrains”
“Moldavenyaska”
“Russian Snowstorm”
Soloists: Timur Galinurov and Kirill Rusinov
A. Belyaev
“Duma o Donbasse”
Performed by the “Moskovsky Izvozchik” Orchestra
“Tsyganochka”
Soloist: Mikhail Chernov
G. Shenderev “Volga Pictures”
Soloist: Olzhas Nurlanov
Project Director: Professor Friedrich Lips
| Date: | Saturday May 9, 2026. |
| Venue: | The traditional Golden Accordion Bled Competition will take place in the Bled Festival Hall. Festivalna dvorana Bled, Cesta svobode 11, 4260 Bled, Slovenia. |
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Information: The competition will be held in eight age group categories
with each contestant playing own choice music and will be live streamed. The
deadline for applications is: May 5th, 2026. This event is held in conjunction
with World Accordion Day (WAD) and is organised by Javni zavod Turizem Bled.
Download competition rules and entry form here: 2026Bled
| Date: | 3pm Sunday May 3rd, 2026 |
| Venue: | Drostdy Theatre in Stellenbosch, South Africa |
| Contact: | Accordion Shop Cape Town (run by Stanislav Angelov) and SAFRA (South African Free Reed Association). Email: president.safra@gmail.com |
“From Paris to Stellenbosch” Celebration 2026
A World Accordion Day “From Paris to Stellenbosch” celebration will be held at the Drostdy Theatre in Stellenbosch, South Africa on May 3rd, 2026 from 3pm.
The concert, organized by Accordion Shop Cape Town (run by Stanislav Angelov) and SAFRA (South African Free Reed Association), will feature the accordion and other members of the free reed family, such as the bandoneon, concertina, harmonica and more.
“You can expect music from various genres, performed by top professional accordionists from the Cape Town area and some young, upcoming accordion students. Monika Stuchlik from Zamar, Stanislav Angelov, Loren Ehlers, Andre van Vuuren, Louis Verwey to mention a few. Accordion players will be joined by a few other top professional musicians as well.”
Performers will “present music that reflects a musical journey between these two cultural landscapes—whether through French repertoire, South African influences, or works that artistically bridge these worlds.”
One performance only. For further details email: president.safra@gmail.com
| Date: | 6th May, 2026 |
| Venue: | Internet publication |
| Contact: | Zekiye Yilmaz, Istanbul, Turkey. website: zekiyeyilmaz.com |
Further Info:
For some people, this date may be just an ordinary day on the calendar; but for me, it is a very special day that reminds me of a sound, a passion, and a dream I never gave up on—something that touched the deepest part of my soul.
My story with the accordion began when I was only a two-year-old little girl.
I may not remember many things from those early years of my life, but I still hear that sound as clearly as if it were yesterday. A sound echoing through our home—both melancholic and joyful, distant yet familiar. The sound of an accordion.
My father had bought a small accordion for my older brother and enrolled him in lessons. While he practiced at home, I, as a little child just learning to speak, would listen in complete admiration. It may seem unusual for a child that young to be so deeply affected by an instrument, but some sounds touch the soul regardless of age.
The first sound that ever touched mine was the breathing of the accordion.
I do not know exactly how, but that sound was engraved into my memory. Throughout the years, whenever I heard an accordion—on a crowded street, at a festival, in a film scene, or hidden inside a distant melody—I always recognized it instantly.
Because somehow, that sound was also me.
As I grew older, life changed. Childhood fascinations are often replaced by the realities of life, and for me, it was no different. I never had the opportunity to receive formal training for the instrument I loved so much—the one I would always describe by saying, “If an instrument could represent me, it would definitely be the accordion.”
Even though there was an accordion in our home, I did not truly have the chance to play it.
Life led me in another direction. I studied in a completely different field, built a profession, took on responsibilities, and watched time become smaller and smaller.
From the outside, everything probably looked exactly as it should.
But there are certain sounds inside a person that can never truly be silenced.
Inside me, the accordion kept playing.
As the years passed, that passion did not fade; in fact, it grew deeper. Telling myself, “One day, I will begin,” I bought myself a larger accordion. The day I held it in my hands, I felt as if I had reunited with a missing part of myself that had been waiting for years.
I was in my early thirties when I finally began my lessons.
For many people, that may have seemed like a late start.
But for me, it was exactly the right time.
Because some dreams do not have a clock.
Sadly, shortly after, I lost my teacher. With his passing, my lessons ended unfinished. During that time, I felt as if I had lost not only an education, but also a hope that had just begun to bloom.
There were moments when I thought, “Perhaps this is simply not meant to happen.”
But the things we truly love do not let go of us so easily. Even when we think we have let go of them, they continue to hold on to us.
Years passed again.
And sometimes, life gives the reward for patience when you least expect it.
I found another teacher and studied with him for two months. Then, finally, the door I had been searching for over the years opened.
I met the teacher who would not only teach me the accordion, but would also show me the true meaning of this journey.
From that moment on, everything changed.
I was no longer simply learning notes; I was learning a language.
The accordion was no longer just an instrument—it had become the voice of my soul.Every key, every breath, every melody became a translation of the emotions I had carried inside for years.
And then, everything followed one after another.
The World Accordion Competition…
National and international festivals…
Concerts, events, stages, new people, new countries, new stories…
The instrument I had once admired only from a distance was now carrying me around the world.
Throughout this process, I did not only perform—I also tried to create, contribute, and share. I worked to help the accordion gain greater recognition and appreciation in my country. I developed projects, organized events, and did my best to introduce people to this magical instrument.
I met extraordinary teachers and accordionists from all around the world. Each of them taught me not only music, but also the true meaning of dedication and passion.
Today, I have the honor of representing my country in the World Confederation of Accordionists.
And even as I say this, I still carry the excitement of that little two-year-old girl inside me.
Because it was never really about becoming professional.
I still see myself as someone who plays with love—an amateur in the purest sense of the word.
But sometimes, what takes a person far is not perfection; it is simply refusing to give up.
I did not bring the accordion into my life to play it perfectly.
I brought it into my life because I truly loved it.
And perhaps that is why the journey carried me to places I never imagined.
When I look back today, I see one thing very clearly:
If something truly touches your heart, time cannot stand in its way.
Age, circumstances, impossibilities, delays…
They are only curves on the road.
As long as you do not silence the voice inside you.
My story is about following a sound I first heard at the age of two for an entire lifetime.
It is about how an instrument can touch a person’s destiny.
It is about being able to say to everyone who thinks they are too late:
“No—you still can.”
And most of all, it is about the transformative power of love.
Even today, whenever I play the accordion, I feel the same thing:
It is as if life itself is breathing through me.
As long as I live, I will continue doing everything I can to promote this instrument, to help it become more recognized, and to allow more people to discover its magic.
Because some passions are not meant only to be lived—they are meant to be shared.
Perhaps I did not choose the accordion…
But I believe the accordion chose me when I was very young.
And years later, I was finally able to answer that call.
Now, every May 6th, on World Accordion Day, the same words pass through my heart:
I am so grateful I heard that sound.
I am so grateful I never gave up.
I am so grateful I listened to the voice of my heart.
Zekiye Yılmaz
İstanbul
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| Date: | 1-3 May 2026 |
| Venue: | A World of Accordions Museum Harrington Arts Center, 1401 Belknap Street, Superior, WI 54880. |
| Contact: | www.WorldOfAccordions.org |
Information: View poster for information and the website for the schedule.
| Date: | May 2, 2026, 12 midday to 4 pm |
| Venue: | Waller’s Coffee Shop, 240 Dekalb Industrial Way, Decatur, Georgia 3044, USA. |
| Contact: | Accordionology |
Information: View poster for information and the website for the schedule.
“Accordionology” will celebrate World Accordion Day (WAD) at Waller’s Coffee Shop in Decatur, Georgia, USA on May 2nd, 2026, from 12 midday to 4pm. Picture left, Kyle Turner, Accordionology duo.
The event will include accordion performances by Justin Thornburgh, Diane Marie, George Voorhees, Lisa Lancey, Jake Herzog, Mark Lamback, The Accordionology Duo which includes Kyle Turner (accordion) & Dan Coy (guitar) and more.
LEARN:
Mini Accordion Museum where you can see the inner workings and history of these unique instruments!
PLAY:
Open Jam Session - Bring your accordion, because everyone can join in on the jam session at the end of the event! CLICK HERE to access the Jam Session sheet music. Printed charts will be provided at the event, as well as music stands. We hope you come play along with us!
SHOW OFF:
Photo Wall where you can strike your best accordion pose (no experience required!)
$10 MERCH PACK & RAFFLE Ticket Option: This $10 includes our custom World Accordion Day 2026 Sticker and Merch pack + One Raffle Ticket for a chance to win an Excelsior Accordiana!
Admission is free of charge.
Bring your squeeze, bring your friends - we'll see you there!
| Date: | May 2, May 4, May 6 performances, details below. |
| Venue: | See information below. |
| Contact: | Leader Dee Langley email: squeezermn@yahoo.com |
Information:
Dee Langley and the Masked Accordions, a 20-member accordion ensemble will be performing the triumphant Star Wars theme, jaunty music of the Cantina Band and the menacing Darth Vader Imperial March at a May 2nd show at 6:30 pm at Waite Park Wesleyan Church in Minneapolis, USA.
The eclectic, irresistible, pay-what-you-can performance will also include a classic French musette, big band favorites, Simon & Garfunkel and one of the Monkees’ greatest hits alongside two fiery works by Rimsky-Korsakov. There will also be a special musical tribute to the Twin Cities inspired by the “St. Paul Waltz,” a hit for Minnesota polka legend “Whoopee John” Wilfahrt, and Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis.”
Celebrate World Accordion Day (May 6th) and Star Wars Day (May the 4th), with a special performance showcasing John Williams’ thrilling Star Wars music the way it was meant to be heard: On accordions.
The Masked Accordions are an accordion ensemble led by Dee Langley, an award-winning, professional accordionist and instructor from Minneapolis who has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, at the Guthrie Theater and with Theater Latte Da. She is a recipient of the McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians and an inductee of the American Accordion Hall of Fame. She is also the founder and coordinator of the NE Accordion Festival and a former orchestra director for Ethnic Dance Theatre.
| Date: | May 2, 2026 Workshop, 3 pm |
| Venue: | A World of Accordions Museum in Superior Wisconsin |
| Contact: | Dr Lynda Griffith |
Information:
Dr. Griffith will present a special workshop at A World of Accordions Museum in Superior Wisconsin as one of multiple offerings and performances to celebrate World Accordion Day and Dr. Willard A Palmer Festival on Saturday May 2nd, 2026 at 3:PM.
A new book, “Playing Your Hand”, written and illustrated by Dr. Lynda Griffith, presents a detailed strategy for musicians to use for strengthening their hands, with the express intent of extending the life and quality of music playing on accordion or other instruments.
Dr. Lynda Griffith, now retired, spent 50 years in the practice of orthopedic and sports physical therapy, with a special interest in biomechanics of movement and athletic training. She holds a doctoral degree in physical therapy (DPT), an advanced degree in physical therapy, an undergraduate degree in kinesiology, and has dedicated multiple years toward a degree in music performance with accordion as her primary instrument.
She is a certified as an accordion repair technician through studies at A World of Accordions Museum and was assistant curator there for a number of years, assisting Dr. Helmi Harrington. Dr. Griffith is the author of the books Playing Well, Prevention and Biomechanics of Musician Injuries (2012) and Playing Your Hand (2024).
“Playing Your Hand” is available through Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG) under the Shop tab ATG for USD$25 (postage included). All proceeds go to ATG.
“Playing Your Hand” is the printed and expanded version of the workshop titled “Hand Care for the Musician” presented at the 2023 ATG Festival. She donated all proceeds to the ATG. This book aims to teach the musician to build strength in the totality of musculature around the many joints of the hand so the accordionist might realize full potential as a musician, with decreased likelihood of hand pain or debilitating injury.
For more information please see A World of Accordions Museum.
Joan Cochran Sommers writes, “Playing Your Hand” is the perfect book for musicians who play the accordion and for others who need to keep their hands in good condition. The many exercises accompanied by clear photos of the hands and fingers are easy to understand and will serve the reader well as they learn about these important exercises.”
