• Andrea Caruso
• Christopher Gorton
• Shanxi Upsdell
• Christine Jarquio
  

 

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CIA Awards to US Recipients

Trio Punchinello debut Concert in Canada

Moscow Duo Concerts in Midwest

Third Annual Florida Smash Festival

New York accordionist Dr. William Schimmel will appear in concert on Sunday, November 9, 2003 at 3:00 PM at Our Saviour's Atornement Lutheran Church located at 178 Bennett Avenue @ 189th Street in New York City.

The concert is part of the 'Music at Our Saviour's Atonement' 2003-2004 Concert Series.

The concert will also feature a guest appearance by Allyssa Lamb, vocals and melodica. (Pictured are Dr. Schimmel and Allyssa Lamb at a recent New York concert.)

Tickets are $8.00 and $12.00 for the concert which will be followed by a reception. For information on tickets please call (212) 923-5757 or e-mail asa@unidial.com

Dr. Schimmel has been featured with the Minnestoa Orchestra, TomWaits, Odeon Jazz Ensemble and The Tango Project as seen with Al Pacino on the hit movie "Scent of a Woman."

The Florida Accordion Association will celebrate its Third Annual Smash on November 14, 2003 beginning at 4:30 PM and on November 15 from 8:30 AM - 10:00 PM at the Holiday Inn Select, 12125 High Tech Ave, Orlando, FL 32817 (UCF area). (Picutred right are members of the Florida Accordion Association.)

Among the lineup for the festival are The "K" Trio who will headline the 2003 SMASH, and do a workshop. Tony Lovello (Liberace of the Accordion & King of the Bellow shake) will bring the house down and in addition Andy "Accordion Man" Bakke will be featured playing German, Scandinavian & Cajun!

Jimmy Bubaloni "MR. VERSATILITY" will play it all, plus do a workshop and Maricarmen Vazque, the Latin Diva of the Accordion from Miami will have you dancing in your seats with her Latin numbers! Michael Greenspan is scheduled to perform International Folk & Gypsy and Carmen Vitanza of Lake Worth will appear in concert. Joe Zalewski "Mr. Orlando" is also scheduled in thelineup.

Other performers include Vince Aleandri playing classical pieces and play it again "Mirko Roknich" will also be there! Nancy Seibert, John Kolbrich, Bonnie Birch from Seattle and MUCH, MUCH MORE!

Friday night will feature "CAFÉ ACCORDEON" in the lounge and back by popular demand will be Jerry Tramontozzi.

Enjoy strolling accordionists during lunch & dinner, and learn from the the workshops, spend some time at the dealer displays, and play in the massed band, conducted by Linda Soley Reed, VP of the AAA!

For further information, please visit http://www.accordions.com/florida

Russian accordionist Nikolay Sivchuk took the top honors of the 56th Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships held in both Slovakia and Hungary this week. A student of Viatcheslav Semionov at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow, the 23 year old edged out fellow Gnessin student and duet partner Alex Peresidly also of Russia to win the competition.

NB. Former USA-ATG Champion and concert accordionist, the late Robert Sattler was also a student of Mr. Semionov during his many visits to Moscow. After his passing, his instrument (Jupiter Bayan) was sent back to Moscow to Mr. Semionov to be used for his students at the Gnessin Institute of Music. This years winner Nikolay Sivchuk was the recipient of this beautiful instrument and he is pictured here performing on it during the final round of the Coupe Mondiale before being judged the 2003 winner.

Another Semionov student - Pavel Mangasaryan from Russia took top honors in the International Competition for Piano Accordion. This makes two years running that Semionov students have won both categories.

Tibor Racz, Artistic Director of the Teaching Center of Accordion "Marta Szokeova" in Bratislava, Slovakia and Panna Grigoncza, President of the Hungarian Accordion Association based in Budapest, Hungary jointly hosted the 56th Coupe Mondiale from October 20-27, 2003. (Pictured above right are Ms. Grigoncza, CIA President Kevin Friedrich and Mr. Tibor Racz.)

Held under the auspices of the Confédération International des Accordéonistes (CIA) founded 1935 in Paris, this years Coupe Mondiale marked the first time it had been held with categories being split between two countries. The opening session was held in Stúrovo, Slovakia and the closing section across the Danube in Esztergom, Hungary (town pictured above right) with a final Gala Concert held in Budapest. (pictured below are Maddalena Belfiore, Faithe Deffner and CIA General Secretary Walter Maurer.)

Contestants came from as far afield as Vietnam, China, New Zealand, USA, Ukraine and throughout Europe to compete during the six days of competitions which featured solo competitions in classical and entertainment music in both junior and senior categories as well as the new International Competition for Chamber Music.

To conclude the festival, the Hungarian Accordion Association organized a Gala Closing Ceremony Concert in the famed Pesti Vigado Hall in Budapest featuring the CIA Winners as well as famous Hungarian accordionists and the 2002 CIA Coupe Mondiale Champion Alexander Poeluev who performed a solo program as well as presenting the world premiere of the new work 'Osbemutato' by Hungarian composer Mate Hollos.

For full details including daily reports and results, please visit www.accordions.com/cia. (pictured below are Professor Bogdan Dowlasz from Poland, Joan C. Sommers - USA and Mr. Tibor Racz - Slovakia in front of the famous Esztergom Cathedral.)

Winners from the 56th Coupe Mondiale are:

Coupe Mondiale:
1st: Nikolay Sivchuk - Russia
2nd: Alex Peresidly - Russia
3rd: Milan Lazic - Serbia & Montenegro

Junior Coupe Mondiale:
1st: Anton Torbeev - Russia
2nd: Nemanja Drzic - Serbia and Montenegro
3rd: Ivan Saric - Serbia and Montenegro

International Competition for Piano Accordion:
1st: Pavel Mangasaryan - Russia
2nd: Nenad Ercogovcevic - Serbia and Montenegro
3rd: Nadejda Gouseva, Russia

Virtuoso Entertainment Music:
1st: Amelie Castel - France
2nd: Philip Bouvier - France
3rd: Jeremy La Fon - France

Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Music:
1st: Maria Convertino - Italy
2nd: Camille Privat - France
3rd: Simon Gachet-Mauroz - France

International Chamber Music Competition:
1st: Bayan Trio Meisl - Czech Republic
2nd: Duo Krzyzanowksi - Poland
3rd: Duet Cadence, Ukraine

Among the team of accordionists attending from the USA were Christopher Gorton from Rhode Island, Shanxi Upsdell and Christine Jarquio from the Kansas City area and Andrea Caruso from Detroit.

Christopher Gorton represented the American Accordionists Association (AAA) in the International Competition for Piano Accordion, Shanxi Upsdell, who is still a citizen of New Zealand represented the New Zealand Accordion Association in both the International Competition for Piano Accordion and the Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Category, Christine Jarquio represented the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG) in the Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Category and Andrea Caruso represented the ATG in the Junior Coupe Mondiale.

For full results in all categories and further information on the 56th Coupe Mondiale, please visit the CIA website at: www.accordions.com/CIA

The Graduate Center of CUNY's Center for the Study of Free-Reed Instruments in conjunction with the American Accordionist's Association presented an accordion concert entitled: The "Other Accordion" the contemporary Music Scene in New York City. Additional funding was provided by Meet the Composer.

The concert was preceded by an informal panel discussion with Robert Young McMahan as moderator with panel members James Lengini and William Schimmel (above left) whose works were featured on the concert.

The concert featured works by Paul Creston, Pietro Deiro, Pietro Frosini, Ernst Krenek, James Lentini, Robert Young McMahan, William Schimmel, Alexander Tcherepnin, and others. Among the aritsts were accordionists Carmen Carrozza, Robert McMahan, Beverly Roberts, Christopher Gorton - above right (Recipient of 2003 Carmen Carrozza Scholarship Award) and William Schimmel with as well as cellist Madeleine Shapiro of Modernworks (pictured left with accordionist Dr. Robert Young McMahan) and soprano Alyssa Lamb.

Top classical accordionists from all over the world will assemble in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 22 to 25, 2004 to participate in The Galla-Rini Centennial Competition sponsored by The Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG).

The competition will celebrate the 100th Birthday of noted accordionist, arranger, composer, conductor and President Emeritus of the ATG, Anthony Galla-Rini.

• FIRST PRIZE - $3,000
  Promotional Web Site ($500 value)
• SECOND PRIZE - $1,500
• THIRD PRIZE - $500

The Anthony Galla-Rini Centennial Competition for Classical Accordionists will be held in two rounds, consisting of the following program requirements:

Round I

• One complete original work for the accordion (a large concert work such as a Sonata, Suite, or similar)
• Playing Time: No time limit 

Round II

• Own choice program consisting of three (3) or more pieces of different styles and characters
• Playing Time: Minimum of 20 minutes to a maximum of 30 minutes

For further details, please visit: www.accordions.com/atg

Kansas City based accordionist Shanxi Upsdell won $1,000.00 in a competition at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC).

Funded by the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, the scholarships were offered in the form of scholarships from the Community Academy of Music and Dance, the continuing education program affiliated with UMKC.

Required to perform an eight minute program, Shanxi performed a Bach Preslude and Fugue BWV 856 and the Finale (4th Mov.) from the Suite for Accordion by A. Cholmonov. The adjudicator was particularly impressed with Shanxi's poise and musicality which combined with her dazzling technique made for an outstanding performance.

Shanxi, a New Zealand citizen residing in Kansas City with her family, likes reading, writing and playing the accordion. Although home-schooled, Shanxi attends Johnson County Community College part-time through the Quickstep program, which enables students to earn college credit before graduating high school. She will explore either a communications or journalism major in college.

Shanxi has been very active in the area of debate and won national honors last year. She has been studying accordion with Joan Sommers for several years and is also a member of the UMKC Community Accordion Orchestra. Shanxi has just returned from her first international competition where she competed in the 56th Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships under the auspices of the Confederation Internationale Des Accordeonistes.

Winner of the 2002 CIA Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships Alexander Poeluev (Russia) will appear as a special International guest artist in the Boston area (July 14-18, 2004) as part of the American Accordionists Association (AAA) Celebration and then in Milwaukee (July 21-25, 2004) as part of the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG).

Alexander won the 2002 Confederation Internationale Des Accordeonistes (CIA) 55th Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championship and the International Competition for Piano Accordion, two of the categories held as part of the Coupe Mondiale hosted by the Danske Harmonikaspilleres Landsforbund (DHL) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

While different CIA categories have been won in subsequent years when Jerome Richard won the Virtuoso Entertainment Category (1997) and then the Coupe Mondiale (1999), Alexander became the first contestant to ever win two categories in the same year - the "Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships" and "International Competition for Piano Accordion".

Alexander, a student of Viatcheslav Semionov recently appeared as a guest artist at the Australian Accordion Teachers Association National Festival in Sydney, Australia, the New Zealand Accordion Association Championships and Festival held in Auckland, New Zealand and in a tour of Denmark.

More recently Alexander featured as a guest artist at the Coupe Jenuesse in Bratislava, Slovakia and the 56th Coupe Mondiale held in Stúrovo, Slovakia and Esztergom, Hungary and on the final Gala Concert held in Budapest where he presented the world premiere of the work 'Osbemutato' by Hungarian composer Mate Hollos, the winner of the Bartok and Erkel-Pastory Award and the President of the Hungarian Composers Association. This work was commissioned by the Hungarian Accordion Association for the 56th Coupe Mondiale Gala Concert.

Additional Concerts are being arranged, so if you would like to have this outstanding young musician perform in your area, please contact tour organizer Faithe Deffner at fdeffner@aol.com

South East Michigan's own Accordion & Bandoneon virtuoso and international recording artist Peter Soave, returns as our soloist to perform Astor Piazzolla's Tres Tangos para Bandoneon y Orquesta and the ever famous Napoli by Hermann Bellsted-the new twist being that Mr. Soave will be performing the song as Variations for Accordion & Orchestra.

Rounding out the program of folk dance music are the Farando" from Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 and from Eastern Europe, the Symphony No. 7 in D Minor by Antonin Dvorak.

Peter Antonio Soave is a dedicated, focused musician. His life aspirations include the desire to develop, to the fullest extent possible, the musical talents he was born with, thereby furthering the recognition and acceptance of the accordion family of instruments.

Soave was born in the USA on March 4, 1964, to parents recently arrived from Italy. His earliest memories are of Italian music played on an accordion, and he insists that by age three, he was certain of his life's work. When he was five, his Mother and Father finally allowed him to begin lessons. He used a piano accordion, which is to Americans the most familiar accordion type. He discovered jazz as a youth, using as mentors both accordion jazz greats such as Art Van Damme and Leon Sash, and also great musicians such as Davis, Bird, and Diz. He quickly broadened his horizons to include classical music of many composers; he has deepened his classical ambitions and skills over the intervening years so that his chief musical interests now are classical.

By age sixteen he began to enter international accordion competitions and quickly learned the limitations of his instrument. An instrument called the bayan, which was being used by most of his competitors, had superseded the piano accordion. So Peter, with the coaching and support of his instructor, Lana Gore, decided to switch instruments. This meant relearning both the left and the right hand keyboards and adding 50% more range for the right hand and 300% more for the left. The bayan enabled Peter to extend his repertoire to include compositions which were impossible to play on a piano accordion. And, of course, Peter Soave returned to Europe playing a bayan and swept the competitions. Four times.

Soave has long been fascinated and inspired by the innovative compositions of Argentinean Astor Piazzolla. He arranged Piazzolla's music for his bayan, performed it at every opportunity and included two Piazzolla selections on his first CD, Pride and Passion. Recently Soave decided to interpret Piazzolla as authentically as possible and is now performing with the tango accordion called the bandoneón, the instrument Piazzolla used. He performs extensively in both the United States and Europe. His recent schedule included concerts with the Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Phoenix and Detroit symphonies and with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra. He has completed a recording of the Piazzolla Tango Sensations with the Klima String Quartet of Zagreb and a recording of the Piazzolla Concerto for Bandoneón and Orchestra with the Moscow Philharmonic.

The concert will take place November 15, 2002 at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $17.00 adult, $15.00 Senior and children free with paid adult. The concert will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, North Territorial at Beck in Plymouth, MI.

For information visit: www.plymouthsymphony.org or contact: Linda Alvarado: plymouthsymphony@aol.com or Phone: 734-451-2112.

The Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society announces its Christmas Concert followed by a pot luck dinner on December 7th at 4:00 PM to be held at the Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, 3534 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church, VA.

For more information, please contact: Karen Denice, mexico1968@aol.com or phone 703-671-5395 www.washingtonaccordions.org

Flaco Jimenez appears on Chrysler Dodge Ram television commercial and in addition was recently inducted into The International Latin Music Hall of Fame in New York.

For information, please contact: flaco@flacojimenez.com or for information on his new CD, please visit: www.compadrerecords.com

American concert accordionist Henry Doktorski will perform Carlos Gardel's "Tango from Scent of a Woman" with violinist Gil Shaham and the Pittsburgh Symphony on November 28 and 29. Doktorski said, "It's always a pleasure for me to perform with such a world-class orchestra as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It will be an added treat to accompany the great violinist Gil Shaham."

Violinist Gil Shaham is internationally recognized by audiences and many noted critics as one of today's most virtuosic and engaging classical artists. He has recorded concertos by Mendelssohn, Bruch, Paganini, Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius; Wieniawski's Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 and Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen"; and solo discs devoted to music by Schumann, Richard Strauss, Elgar, Ravel, Franck, Kreisler, Paganini, Saint-Saëns and Sarasate.

Shaham plays the 1699 "Countess Polignac" Stradivarius and lives in New York City. Doktorski plays a 1978 Victoria convertor/free-bass piano-accordion which some reviewers have dubbed "The Stadivarius of Accordions."

The concerts begin at 8 pm at Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts and will be conducted by PSO music director Mariss Jansons.

For more information, contact Customer_Service@pittsburghsymphony.org or visit: http://henrydoktorski.com

During the 56th Coupe Mondiale held in Slovakia and Hungary from October 20-26, 2003, the CIA held its 110th General Assembly of Delegates.

During the General Assembly several nominations were accepted for the CIA Merit Award honoring Outstanding Contribution to the International Accordion Movement as well as the recipients for the newly established award "Honored Friend of the Accordion."

Among the recipients were Dr. William Schimmel (pictured right) who received the CIA Merit Award and Steve and the late Vivian Stolarek who received the title "Honored Friend of the Accordion".

Recipients of the CIA Merit Award:

• Christine Adams, New Zealand
  for her development of the Accordions Worldwide International News
• Dr. William Schimmel, USA
  in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the annual Masterclass and Concert series held in New York
• Jacques Mornet, France
  in recognition of his development of internationally recognized teaching standards and pedagogy classes

Honored Friend of the Accordion:

• Gary Blair, Scotland
  in recognition of his promotion of the traditional Scottish Music
• Marie Jones, New Zealand
  in recognition of her many years of work coordinating the New Zealand Accordion Association activities
• Vivian and Steve Stolarek
  in recognition of their support of numerous accordion activities in the United States

Next year at the Kimberley International Old Time Accordion Championships to be held from July 5 to 11th, 2004, they will attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the most accordionists playing together at one time.

To break the record, they need more than 566 accordions playing together for more than 22 minutes.

If you would like to be part of this attempt, please contact Jeany Irvin at: kiotac@monarch.net or send your name and address to receive further information to:

KIOTAC
PO Box 473
Kimberley, BC V1A 3B9
Canada

Accordionist Joe Soprani made his 5th appearance with Luciano Pavarotti on October 27 at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ.

Soprani appeared with the 75 members of the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra while accompanying Pavarotti where they played to over 10,000 people.

Joe Soprani is a noted accordionist, educator, arranger-composer whose reputation among professionals places him in the first ranks of contemporary accordionist. He has dominated the accordion scene in Philadelphia for over forty years playing in major concert halls, theaters, TV Shows and Hotels. He holds the distinction of being the only accordionist in the history of the Philadelphia Orchestra to appear as a featured soloist under Eugene Ormandy.

While accordion soloist with the USAF Band in Washington, DC under Col. George S. Howard, he won the "The Air Force Roger", the most prestigious entertainment award in the US Air Force.  He also was the first accordion soloist with the PA Army National Guard Band "The Adjutant General's Own" for over eight years. 

In addition to Soprani's five appearances with opera singer Luciano Pavarotti he has also performed for President Eisenhower at the White House and England's singing sensation Russell Watson.  To add to his impressive list of credentials, Soprani was invited to arrange the opening selection for Rock star Jon Bon Jovi's 1996 world tour and has also written the official song for the International Rotary Club. 

Louisville-based classical chamber accordion ensemble AKORDEONAM performed three consecutive public concerts on October 24, 25 and 26, in Springfield, Normal and Peoria, IL.

The complete performance schedule included Mozart's Overture to the The Magic Flute and the aria "Zum Leiden bin ich auserkoren" from The Magic Flute; Mahler's Two Songs from the Ruckertlieder - "Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder" and "ich bin der Welt abhenden gekommen"; Mozart's Fugue in C Minor K. 546; Bizet's Menuet from L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2; Villa-Lobos' Dansa (Martelo) from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5; Ravel's La Vallee Des Cloches; and Hans Brehme original work for accordion the Pastorale e fuga giacosa (on a theme from Suite I, No. 2 in F Major for Keyboard by Handel). Above, the members of Akordeonam are pictured with Dr. Michelle Vought (center), Assistant Professor of Voice and )pera at Illinois State University, while performing in in ISU's Kemp Hall.

All of the transcriptions for AKORDEONAM are by Dexter Haynes. The accordion troupe was joined by soprano Dr. Michelle Vought, Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at Illinois State University, Normal, IL, and harpist Charles W. Lynch III, doctoral student in harp performance at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

The October 24 Springfield performance was hosted by District 4 of the Illinois Federation of Music Clubs in the Thorne Deuel Audtorium of the Illinois State Museum. October 25 AKORDEONAM performed in Kemp Hall of the Illinois State University Music Department. October 26, they were hosted by the Peoria Area Accordion Club in the Lakeview Arts & Sciences Museum Auditorium, Peoria, IL. The combined audience attendance approached 200 for all three free, public concerts.

Also featured on the Springfield program was Jay Landers, AKORDEONAM's member "in absentia" and president of the Peoria Accordion Club. There was an explanation and "show and tell" of accordion reed blocks and the treble switching system from an Excelsior 960. And the second half of that evening's program contained accordion solo's by Landers alternating on his Excelsior Model 960 accordions (LMMMH and LLMMM) in arrangements and original works by Gary Dahl, Frank Marocco, Charles Magnante, Roberto Carreno, Eugene Ettore...and the Beatles!

AKORDEONAM's purpose is to promote the accordion as a viable instrument for the presentation of serious art music. Performers include Dexter Haynes, composer/arranger; malinda Rawls, music educator; Linda Klein, registered nurse; Todd Hildreth, jazz keyboardist (who could not make the Central Illinois Tour); Paulette Venhoff, adult education instructor; Jay Landers, broadcast media and public relations specialist; and Thomas Blandord, physician.

For more information or to purchase one or all three of AKORDEONAM's concert CD's of classical transcriptions and original works for accordion, contact Jay Landers, jllanders5214@msn.com.

Trio Punchinello will present its debut concert on Saturday November 1st at 8:00 PM and Sunday November 2nd at 2:30 PM at the White Rock Playhouse, 1532 Johnston Road (152nd Street) in White Rock, BC. Tickets are $15.00 adults and $12.00 student and seniors. After the debut concert the neighboring Art Gallery across the street from eh Concert Theatre will host a celebration reception.

Trio Punchinello was formed in 2001 to bring a rare blend of classical and folk music to the Vancouver area audiences. The trio comprises Jason Hall on Clarinet, Paul Domby on Cello and Barbara Ann Martindale on accordion. The group was formed to satisfy their own souls as much as provide culture and entertainment to their audiences.

Barbara Ann and Paul were part of the orchestra for the musical “Cabaret” under Jason’s baton in the summer of 2001. A few months later the three of them got together to experiment playing chamber music with their unique instrumentation, each doubling on instruments.

Soon thereafter in search for intriguing repertoire, they realized that idiomatic arrangements are necessary. Commitment to music par excellence and humor evident in their personalities and interaction influenced them in choosing the name for the trio.

Punchinello’s character has inspired many literary figures and composers, as well as performers of diverse genres. While continually refining and expanding repertoire, Trio Punchinello’s 2003-04 agenda includes a full length CD, TV appearances and a busy concert schedule.

Jason Hall - Clarinets, Tárogató and Soprano Saxophone
Barbara Ann Martindale - Accordion and Voice
Paul Domby - Cello and Double Bass

For more information, please visit: www.punchinello.ca or call (604) 224-0798

The UMKC Community Accordion Orchestra under the direction of Joan C. Sommers will take part in a recording project on Saturday the 15th, November at 8:00 AM.

Rachel Mason, a Doctoral student at Yale University contacted the Professor Sommers and the orchestra concerning her project entitled 'A MODEL ANTHEM' which involves putting many national anthems into a computer and then coming up with text and music based on the words, pitches and rhythms that appear the most.

Rachel has had several recordings made of A Model Anthem, and was interested in another medium so contacted the UMKC Accordion Orchestra concerning the possibility of recording her work, which they agreed to do.

The composer will fly in for the recording session which will also be filmed by a crew flying in from Los Angeles.

The Moscow-Duo comprising of bayanists Alexander Ushakov and Eugene Grechov just completed a successful tour with concerts for the Milwaukee Accordion Club, the Chicago Accordion Club, the University of Milwaukee in Wisconsin and in Green Bay, WI for the North East Wisconsin Accordion Club. Each concert was standing room only and extremely well received. Winners of the 1998 duet category in the Citta de Castelfidardo Competition, this was their first appearance in the United States as a duo team.

Alexander Ushakov was born in a suburb of Moscow. At a very young age he started playing the violin, but at the age of 6 he replaced the violin with the bayan. In 1989 he graduated from the music school and entered the music college - in the town of Elektrostal near Moscow.

After graduating from the college in 1993 he entered at the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow as a pupil of Professor Friedrich Lips. Aleksandr graduated form the Academy in May 1999. Alexander Ushakov regularly participated in international festivals and contests in Russia as well as abroad. Besides his engagement in the duo Aleksandr teaches at music college and music schools.

Eugene Grechov was born in 1969 in Tsheljabinsk by the Ural Mountains. He began his musical career when he was 7 years old, and at an age of 13 he graduated from the school of music in Tsheljabinsk. At the age of 15 he went to Moscow to continue his musical education at the Gnessin Institute of Music. After four years education he finished college and subsequently began his studies at the Gnessin Institute as a pupil of Professor Friedrich Lips.

Eugene Grechov graduated from the Academy in 1996. In addition to his participating in the Moscow Duo he is now working as a music teacher at one of the many music schools for children in Moscow. Evgenij Grechov has previously played as a soloist in Germany, United States and Denmark and has also participated in numerous contests and festivals.

The duo has recorded two CD's which are available in the USA by contacting Stas Venglevski.

The Florida Accordion Association presents its Third Annual Smash on November 14, 2003 - 4:30 PM - November 15, 2003 - 8:30 AM - 10:00 PM. The festival will take place at the Holiday Inn Select, 12125 High Tech Ave, Orlando, FL 32817 (UCF area). To receive the special discounted rate, please mention Florida Accordion Association for discounted room rate of $72.00 plus tax.

Highlights include:

• The "K" Trio to headline at the 2003 SMASH, and do a workshop!!!
• Tony Lovello (Liberace of the Accordion & King of the Bellow shake) will bring the house down. In addition: Andy "Accordion Man" Bakke, playing German/Scandinavian & Cajun!
• Jimmy Bubaloni "MR. VERSATILITY" will play it all, plus do a workshop)l! Maricarmen Vazquez of Miami will have us dancing in our seats with her Latin numbers! Michael Greenspan to perform International Folk & Gypsy, Carmen Vitanza of Lake Worth will thrill us again! Joe Zalewski "Mr. Orlando" is also in our lineup.
• Vince Aleandri will mesmerize us with his classical pieces! Play it again "Mirko Roknich" will also be there! Nancy Seibert, John Kolbrich, Bonnie Birch from Seattle (pictured right) AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
• Experience the Friday night "CAFÉ ACCORDEON" in the lounge. And back by popular demand … Jerry Tramontozzi of MA!
• Enjoy strolling accordionists during lunch & dinner, and learn from the the workshops, spend some time at the dealer displays, and play in the massed band, conducted by Linda Soley Reed, VP of the AAA!

For information and online registration, please visit www.accordions.com/florida

October 17, in the auditorium of Springfield High School, Springfield, IL, accordionist Jay Landers joined organist Mark Gifford on-stage in four duets of "traditional Italian" selections...and one requisite polka! They performed "Funiculi, Funicula" and "O Sole Mio", arranged by Gary Dahl, a piano/vocal of "That's Amore'" (which included a vocal by organist Gifford) and Charles Magnante's arrangement of "Pennsylvania Polka".

Landers has either co-produced or promoted the theatre organ concerts in Springfield going back to February, 1998. He has appeared on-stage on four occasions in duets with the "Mighty Barton Theatre Organ", a magnificent pipe organ dating to 1927, when it made its debut in Springfield's ornate Orphem Theatre. When that building was razed in 1965, the Barton Pipe Organ was donated to the public school system in Springfield and installed in the community's oldest high school, which as constructed to accommodate such an instrument, but had never had one.

Mark Gifford has celebrated eleven consecutive concert seasons as the principle soloist at the Barton Organ's console. He and Jay Landers are shown following their October 17 concert. Landers has also provided a solo "pre-concert" program for the past two years. On this most recent concert outing he featured both of his Excelsior Model 960 instruments (LMMMH and LLMMM).

For more information contact Jay Landers at jllanders5214@msn.com

The accordion picture in The New York Times article (page one of The Arts Section), is captioned "An Artist Makes Music Touchable". It is one of two Titano accordions built especially for American artist-musician Christian Marclay's exhibitions, by the Titano Accordion Co., International in New York.

The first instrument was an accordion of white pearl celluloid with gold trim boasting a 20-foot bellows. The second, shown in the Times, is black and has bellows which extend an incredible 30 feet.

Marclay's concept of making music touchable led him to these accordions of unique proportions. The model he chose was the Titano Virtuoso, an instrument played by many accordionists. His creativity dictated arranging the accordion in a long, serpentine curve, with the accordion conveying both realism and fantasy which Mr. Marclay describes "As if it were an impossible transformation which somehow jumped into the real world."

His merger of art with pop culture alluding music as a vision, has been exhibited in a number of museums throughout the US and Europe. Referencing the visual statement of his accordion creation, Marclay says, "By pleasant coincidence, this make of accordion carries a name inspired by the giants of classical myth: Titano."

Christian Marclay is a New York based visual artist and composer whose innovative work explores the juxtaposition between sound recording, photography, video and film. Born in California and raised in Geneva (Switzerland), he studied sculpture at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and at Cooper Union in New York.

As performer and sound artist Christian Marclay has been experimenting, composing and performing with phonograph records and turntables since 1979 to create his unique "theater of found sound." Marclay has collaborated with musicians such as John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Fred Frith, Zeena Parkins, Shelley Hirsh, Christian Wolff, Butch Morris, Otomo Yoshihide, Arto Lindsay, and Sonic Youth among many others. A dadaist DJ and filmmaker his installations and video / film collages display provocative musical and visual landscapes and have been included in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art New York, Venice Biennale, Centre Pompidou Paris, Kunsthaus Zurich, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.