Chinese accordionist Guoping Zhang was born in 1960 and began learning to play the accordion when he was ten years old. It was perhaps inevitable that he chose to play accordion, as his entire family - parents, brothers and sisters are all professional accordionists.

At the age of fifteen, Guoping Zhang took the first step in his musical career by joining the Chinese Broadcasting Art Company. On November 26, 1983 he gave his first accordion recital in the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. It was a great success and the China Record Service published a record and cassette tape of his performance.

At the 1987 Klingenthal International Accordion Competition in East Germany, Guoping Zhang was placed sixth and received high praise for his performance. He was the first Chinese accordionist to play in this important event in the international accordion calendar. Guoping Zhang has performed in Germany, USA, Canada, Poland, Switzerland and France as well as appearances in China's Beijing Music Hall and other major city auditoriums. He has appeared regularly on radio and television.

Mr. Zhang has recorded a series of exciting CDs which include the following:

(1) Scarlatti Keyboard Sonatas
(2) Peking Opera - Accordion Solo recorded in 1980 & 1994
(3) Accordion Magical
(4) Zhang Guoping Golden Accord Music

For information on ordering the CDs, please visit his website at www.petosa.com

Guoping Zhang will be performing a series of recitals in the United States as follows:

USA accordionist Peter Soave and French accordionist Jean Louis Noton have released their first CD together "Accordéon Sans Frontière".

The CD includes a track dedicated to Francesca Pigini (owner of Pigini Accordions) entitled "Francesca".

Peter Soave is an internationally recognized teacher and performer who currently specializes in the music of Astor Piazzolla. He has performed many of his works with leading orchestras around the world.

This new CD is available on Jean Louis Noton's website.

The "Manny Bobenrieth Ensemble" has received positive reviews in the Washington Post Newspaper and the Washington Times this month. The reviews featured the ensemble's new CD "Tangata" and Manny's life as an accordionist.

The Washington Post included the following: "The arrangements of Piazzolla's compositions are challenging and intricate, the performance level is exceptionally high, and the dramatic, occasionally dissonant thrust of the music, if not exactly scary, is certainly a bit unnerving at times.

All but three of the album's compositions were written by Piazzolla, and Bobenrieth has careful preserved their lyricism, passion and mysterious charm".

Born in Concepcion, Chile, Manuel Bobenrieth began studying the accordion at age five. He studied at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland and received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Performance from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., becoming the first accordionist to graduate with such a degree from that institution.

Mr. Bobenrieth has performed in many different musical contexts including Broadway musicals, Contemporary Music Forum and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. He has appeared with legendary jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd in a tribute to the music of jazz accordionist Art Van Damme. He can also be heard on the soundtrack to the Discovery channel television series, "The Great Chefs" as a guest artist with the Charlie Byrd Trio.

Recently , The Manny Bobenrieth Sextet was featured at the world famous Blues Alley Jazz Club and performed to a sold out audience.

As accordionist for Norwegian Caribbean Lines from 1984-1986, Mr. Bobenrieth toured Europe and the Caribbean aboard the SS Norway. In 1986, Mr. Bobenrieth became a member of the United Stated States Army Band.

As the accordionist with the Army Strolling Strings, he has performed for three Presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton at numerous White House State Dinners in honor of foreign dignitaries such as Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Boris Yeltsin, King Hussein, the Emperor of Japan and Nelson Mandela. In addition to his performing duties, Mr. Bobenrieth has written many arrangements for the Army Strings, which have been featured at the State Department, the Vice President's residence and The White House.

Upcoming performances include a concert on February 28th, 2001 at The Corcoran Art Gallery Washington D.C and on April 27th, 2001 Roanoke College Virginia.

For information on ordering the CD, please visit www.mannybobenrieth.com

Don Grzanna from Caledonia, WI has just released a new CD featuring his original compositions entitled "Holiday for Accordion."

Don, an accomplished entertainer both on piano and accordion, has several recordings available, as well as numerous sheet music publications of his original compositions. For a complete list of pieces and recordings available, please visit: www.accordions.com/dongrzanna

"Holiday for Accordion" CD includes tracks: