On the AAA GoverningBoard since 2001, MannyBobenrieth has been an adjudi-cator and Master of Cere-monies for the AAA festivalsand has worked on numerouscommittees. He brings hiswarmth and delightful humorinto every meeting and eventand, this year, he will onceagain bring his superb skills onthe accordion to our annualfestival. Manny Bobenriethand the U.S. Army StrollingStrings will be performing atthe AAA Festival banquet inBaltimore, Maryland on Satur-day, July 14.

Born in Concepcion, Chile,Manny is one of eight children,

most of whom studied music intheir youth. Manny began tak-ing accordion lessons at age 5.When the family moved to theUnited States and settled in theWashington, D.C. area in 1968,Manny and all of his siblingsbegan studying at CarmeloPino’s Biviano School ofMusic in Silver Spring, MD.His siblings studied guitar, ac-cordion and trumpet. Nine-year old Manny stayed withthe accordion and studied withCarmelo Pino, who became hislifelong mentor and friend.

In 1970, with Carmelo’s en-couragement, Manny beganentering accordion competi-tions, first in the Accordion

Association of Greater Wash-ington (AAGW) and then inthe AAA. He enjoyed the hardwork and discipline and did

AMERICAN ACCORDIONISTS’ ASSOCIATION

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association JULY 2012

Here’s What’sHappening atAAA in 2012

JULY 11-15AAA Annual Festival

Sheraton City CenterBaltimore, Maryland

Workshops • ExhibitsConcerts • Competition

Guest Artist:Stas Venglevski

Coordinators: Frank Busso,Mary Tokarski

and Linda Reed

JULY 27-29Master Class and Concert

Series – The SeminarsRedemption: The Radar –

Off the RadarSee page 2

Tenri Cultural Institute43A W13th Street, NYC

Moderator/Curator:Dr. William Schimmel

SEPTEMBER 8Noon to 5:00 pm

Valtaro CelebrationWine tasting, dinner

and dancingMagnanini Farm Winery

172 Strawridge Rd. Wallkill, NY

See paes 8&9Chairman: Mario Tacca

Join us as we pay tribute tothe Magnanini Family for

their continued support oflive accordion music!

Welcome to the July 2012 edition of the AAA Newsletter. My sincere thanks to youall for your continued support and submissions of information highlighting the won-derful accordion activities across the USA. My special thanks to Rita Davidson, Editorof the online USA National Accordion News, for her wonderful collaboration and shar-ing of information for the AAA publications.

In this Newsletter we have launched a new section called “Coast to Coast” profilingsome of the diverse accordion activities being held across the country.

I wish you a wonderful summer highlighted by the 74th AAA Competition and Festival in Balti-more, and I look forward to hearing from you all very soon with your accordion news.

Sincerely, KevinKevin Friedrich – AAA Newsletter Editor

From the Editor

Spotlight on AAA Governing Board Member, Manny BobenriethCompiled by Joan Grauman, AAA Historian

Newsletter

continued on page 2

Philadelphia presented anArt Exhibit of Philadelphia'sown Martin Varnedoe. Varne-doe's recent collection at-tempts to capture moments ofvibrancy, intimacy and mys-tery of Italy, everyday situa-tions of ordinary activity inextraordinary settings as seenthrough the eyes of the artist.

Varnedoe's works may befound in both private collec-tions and in public spacesthroughout the United Statesand abroad. Varnedoe has aMaster of Fine Arts from PrattInstitute of New York andamong his most notable por-

traits are his paintings ofrenowned pianist Lili Krausthat were show at the Lincoln

Center and now hang in theKraus family permanent col-

Joe Soprani Entertains for Artist Martin Varnedoe

Joe (center) is pictured here with Martin Varnedoe amd Joseph Robert Colletti.For further information, please visit www.joesoprani.com

continued on page 2

well in the competitions.Manny has very fond memoriesof being judged by such greatsas Charles Magnante, Mad-dalena Belfiore, Dr. Jacob Neu-pauer and Joe Biviano. Onememory that stands out for himwas the 1976 Coupe Mondiale,a huge gala event that tookplace at the historic ShorehamHotel in Washington, D.C.Manny played in Carmelo’sstudent ensemble, competed inthe duet category and truly en-joyed being a part of the accor-dion world.

In 1982, Manny graduatedwith a Bachelor’s degree inMusic Performance fromCatholic University of Americain Washington, D.C., becomingthe first accordionist to gradu-ate with such a degree from thatinstitution. He performed inrestaurants, on SS Norway’sCaribbean cruise lines, with thelegendary jazz guitarist, CharlieByrd, in Broadway musicalsand with the Kennedy CenterOpera House Orchestra.

In 1986, Manny became theaccordionist for the U.S. ArmyBand “Pershing’s Own”Strolling Strings. With theStrings, he has performed for

five presidents at numerousWhite House State Dinners, inhonor of foreign dignitariessuch as Margaret Thatcher,Mikhail Gorbachev, PrinceCharles and Princess Diana,Boris Yeltsin, King Hussein andmany others. In 2001, MasterSergeant Manny Bobenriethwas promoted to SergeantMajor. In 2004, Sergeant MajorBobenrieth became a non-com-missioned officer in charge ofthe U.S. Army Strings. He isresponsible for, and oversees allof the commitments for this 22member group. Manny has alsowritten many of the arrange-ments that are performed by theStrolling Strings.

Manny and his wife, Mau-reen, live in Potomac, MD andare very proud parents of twogrown children, Emily and Vin-cent. Emily is a 2011 WestPoint graduate and is now 2ndLieutenant with the 82nd Air-borne at Fort Bragg, NC. Vin-cent is going into his senioryear at the University of Pitts-burgh, majoring in English.Vincent enrolled in ROTC andwill be a Commissioned Officerin the U.S. Army next year. ■

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 2 JULY 2012

18th Annual AAA Master Class and Concert SeriesManny Bobenrieth, continued from page 1

lection. The artwork of RobertColletti, also a Philadelphian,were also on display.

Joe provided entertainmentthroughout the evening and ac-companied tenor Tony Affi-gato in a variety of Italianselections including "Parlamid'Amore Mariu" and "On AnEvening in Roma" as well asclassic Neapolitan songs andother Italian favorites.

In addition to performing inBroadway shows such as "Fid-dler on the Roof", "Zorba","Cabaret" and "Irma laDouce", Joe has performed inworld premieres of "Frida,” amusical that called for a virtu-oso accordionist and "AnotherKind of Hero,” a musicalwhich featured him on stagefor an entire scene.

Joe, who appeared on the EdSullivan Show and won theArthur Godfrey Show, ap-peared with TV Star NellCarter in a "Colors of Free-dom" production at the Con-

vention Center in Philadelphiain 1995. He also appeared withPeter Nero and the Philly Popsplaying a special arrangementby Nero with Soprano Evelynde LaRosa. In November of1997, Soprani became the firstaccordionist to perform in "LaTraviata" by Verdi presentedby the Opera Company ofPhiladelphia, at the Academyof Music in Philadelphia.Klaus Arp, the opera conduc-tor from Germany, decided touse the accordion in the smallensemble on stage during "LaBanda" sections.

Joe has also performed withRussell Watson on GoodMorning America, and contin-ues to promote the accordionas a serious instrument at vari-ous clubs and organizations.His workshops at schools andcolleges, where he demon-strates his skills as performerand arranger to young com-posers and arrangers, havebeen well received. ■

Joe Soprani, continued from page 1

Remember to mark July 27-29 on your calendar. Those are thethree days for the 2012 Accordion Master Class and Concert Se-ries “The Seminars” sponsored by the American Accordionists'Association (AAA). It will be moderated by Dr. William Schim-mel at the Tenri Cultural Institute of New York located at 43AWest 13th, Street in New York City.

This year’s event is Redemption: The Radar off the Radar. Cu-rator and Moderator of the event Dr. William Schimmel tells us“it's a new kind of Radar!! Yes, and trust me, it's a new way ofRedemption! It's the Radar off the Radar! The Seminars are 18years old this year and they have found their own place in themarketplace of ideas in a new zone – off the Radar!! Yes, I sayagain – The Radar off the Radar!! It's a new kind of Radar – andit's looking for you!! It really is!! Yes!”

The weekend events will include Master Classes at 3 p.m. andConcerts in evening at 7 p.m. featuring a distinguished lineup!Installations in the lobby include Books, CDs, DVDs and othermerchandise. ■

A sampling of Concert and Master Classpresentations include:

Concert No. 1 on July 27, 2012 at 7 p.m. includes:• "New interactive video" by Micki Goodman with Ms. Good-

man, video, dance and choreography, music, Dr. Schimmel• "Star Twinkle - Mix" by Mozart, Cage, Telstar, Doo Wop and

"Sonata for two pianos (accordion and piano)" by Mozartperformed by Dr. Hugo Goldenzweig, piano and Dr. Schim-mel

• "St. John Coltrane!" by Dr. Mark Birnbaum/William Schim-mel, performed by Dr. Birnbaum, piano – Dr. Schimmel

• "Kensington" by Dr. Art Bailey "Romp III" by Robert YoungMcMahan performed by Dr. McMahan - Johanna Cho,piano

• "The Minimal Accordion" by Michael Century• Plus more!Master Class No. 2 on July 28, 2012 at 3 PM includes:• Accordions Occupying Wall Street• Song Writing at the Accordion• Don't Just Get Them, But Keep Them (Julio Giulietti)• How I Achieved Salvation Through The Accordion Without

Playing It• A Bellows Pleated World/Full of Ins and Outs• Merton/Bhudda/Pussycat (William Schimmel)• The Reality Chord/Money/Exhibit• Fire And Worship• Installation In Lobby – Please Don't Go Away (William

Schimmel)• Music: Gregorsphere (William Schimmel)

It's May 6th, 2012, and the ac-cordion world is celebrating the183rd anniversary of the day theaccordion was patented. I am ina tiny corner of the world,Philadelphia, PA., celebratingWorld Accordion Day and me-morializing the life of my cousin,accordionist Sam Fire, alongwith his wife, Ruth, his niece,Teresa, Teresa's husband, andseveral very special friends. Bornon December 14, 1931, Sam hadpassed away a mere 8 weeks agoon March 5, 2012.

Nine years prior, at this very timeof year in 2003, I'd bought a newaccordion and reconnected with my cousin on the phone. I, likemany of us, had been away from my beloved instrument since Iwas 16. Now, at age "50 something," and remembering that Samwas a professional and a family member, I called him.

Thus began a series of conversations during which Cousin Samgently ushered me back to my first musical love; encouraging, edu-cating and sharing his life history with me.

Sam started playing the accordion at age 9, studying the originalPietro Deiro method with Silvio Micucci for about 5 years. He re-called that the Junior Band was rehearsing on the day Pearl Harborwas attacked in 1941. When he was about 13, Sam met Deiro atSilvio's school and shook the Maestro's hand.

He noted that his teacher placed him on a trailer at a war bondsrally playing a 48 bass accordion. By the age of 15, he was playinga 120 bass instrument with his name on it. Silvio got Sam his firstpaying job in a bar on Frankfort Avenue in Philadelphia. Thiswould be the first of many gigs with a mix of various musicians.

Sam played accordion in his high school band, but had to stopbecause his father wouldn't allow him to play his new accordionin the rain. He was studying Academic Music in high school.This involved 7 hours of music training in addition to regularacademics. There he met John Felice, a man Sam would eventu-ally teach for at Felice'sMusic School. Sam her-alded Felice as the "bestplayer of all time." Samgraduated high school in1949, one year before theKorean War began.

After high school, Samcontinued accordion les-sons with Andy Arcari, anentertainer in Philadelphia.He described Mr. Arcari asa "Dick Contino type."He'd also begun work as asurveyor, first privately andthen for the City ofPhiladelphia.

At the age of 20, CousinSam was drafted into theArmy. He went on toKorea, which he consis-tently described as a "hell-hole." He spent 16 months

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 3 JULY 2012

Tribute to Sam Fire, by Marilyn O’Neil

The June 5th edition of the Long Island Accordion Alliance fea-tured the internationally acclaimed concert accordionist and AAABoard of Director Mary Tokarski.

Mary performed a wonderful program of concert solos which in-cluded “Ave Maria” by J. S. Bach / Charles Gounod, “March of theToys” by Victor Herbert, “Malaguena” by Ernesto Lecuona and “Teafor Two” by Vincent Youmans. The packed house of accordionistsand accordion music lovers treated Mary to a rousing standing ova-tion at the conclusion of her performance. The videos and picturesfrom the event are posted at: trietsch.smugmug.com

The July 3rd event featured Don Gerundo and guitarist DaveHirschman. Don is an active accordionist and pianist performing inthe New York metropolitan area. He is a versatile keyboardist whoplays various styles ranging from popular standards from the Ameri-can Songbook, jazz and rock ‘n roll. He works with the Bensen-ScottBig Band, an 18 piece jazz band and has also worked with a rocka-billy small group as well as society combos and “top 40 groups.” Hehas performed and accompanied Lenny Welch (hit record “Since IFell For You”), Joe Piscopo and has performed at Swing 46 in NewYork City, White Plains Theatre for the Arts, Coney Island Park andother large venues.

Don starting playing the accordion at age 10. During his later teenshe studied with Tony Mecca (a native from Waterbury, CT.) Tony in-troduced him to popular and jazz music and worked with him on har-mony, theory and improvisation. During this time he started toperform club dates with some of the local leaders in the New Yorkmetropolitan area as well as work at resorts in the New York Catskillarea. This “on the job” training helped hone his jazz skills, as well asbuild his repertoire.

For the last several years Don has focused on the “free bass accor-dion” and exploring its use in the pop and jazz Idioms by utilizing itsflexibility in chord voicings, bass lines and general accompaniment.

Don is also an experienced user of Finale (music notation software)and has used it almost from its inception (1992). He uses it to createarrangements, generate materials for students, create transcriptions,as well as composition. Don will be presenting a workshop on theuse of Finale at the upcoming AAA Festival in Baltimore.

The LIAA holds their events at La Villini Restaurant, located at 288Larkfield Road in East Northport, NY, phone: (631) 261-6344. ■

Long Island Accordion Alliance (LIAA) Summer Concerts

Ronny Setnicker

continued on page 4

Sam FireThe accordion "is more than a polka instru-

ment. It's anything you want it to be."

Sam Fire in Korea

Pictured are from left to right: Mary Tokarski, Dominic Karcic and Don Gerundo

AAA 75TH ANNIVERSARYAUGUST 14-18, 2013

The New Yorker Hotel

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 4 JULY 2012

of a 2 year Army stint in Korea.There, he worked in a prisoncamp, guarding prisoners andpreparing them to be exchangedfor U.S. Prisoners of War. Even-tually, he was promoted to Divi-sion Artillery. The last 6 weeksof his tour of duty, he got hold ofan accordion. Joined by a bassand clarinet player, the youngsoldiers played in the officers'club that he described as a"MASH-like" atmosphere. Theywere treated "like gold." Nomore guard duty! Sam spoke ofthose last 6 weeks as a "niceending to a really bad experi-ence." He often said he wassaved by the accordion at thattime.

One of the highest points ofhis Army career came when hehappened upon another accor-dionist, Mr. Joseph Soprani, whowas playing with a USO show.Sam introduced himself to So-prani, and the 2 boys realizedthey were both from Philadel-phia!! Sam, full of excitementand awe, wrote to his parentsabout the meeting.

Soprani had made it throughhis own trials while on tour, hav-ing survived a plane crash carry-ing a group of musicians overJapanese waters, nearly losinghis life. Soprani's accordion, aswell as all of the other instru-ments on that plane, were lost inthe sea. Luckily, the musiciansmade it to shore, Soprani hold-ing on to a lifeboat that towedhim 4 miles in freezing waters tosafety. Joe went on to enlist inthe Air Force and, with the AirForce Band, enjoyed a stellar 4year long career as a musicianplaying the accordion. He alsocontinued accomplishing, com-peting in world events and play-ing for famous singers andmusicians, among them LucianoPavarotti and Bon Jovi.

After Korea, Sam returnedhome and continued his musicalstudies with Lenny Payton,learning chord structure, arrang-ing, harmonies, etc. He marriedthe love of his life, Ruth Drasdis,a woman he described as some-one who calmed him, just like

the accordion did. Sam enjoyedmany years playing with variousbands, some formal combos thatlasted for years, others just onenight stands that he played whileserving as a union musician.Among the formal bands werethe "Viscounts," "Four Menfrom Swing," and the "Regals."We spent hours laughing to-gether at the mishaps and unex-pected occurrences that heencountered during his variousgigs. He was also self taught asan accordion repairman.

Sam was a proud member ofthe American Accordionists' As-sociation since the 1970's, andwas honored by The AmericanAccordion Musicalogical Soci-ety in 1997 for his contributionto the accordion. He said manytimes that he played to pleasepeople, portraying emotion inhis music that would make aroom go silent. He preferred"pure accordion" over synthe-sized music, and always stressedthat the accordion "is more thana polka instrument. It's anythingyou want it to be."

He encouraged me to "get theaccordion out there" as I, alongwith Mary Tokarski, started theConnecticut Accordion Associa-tion (CAA) in 2004. He wrotean arrangement of "In TheMood" that the CAA orchestraplayed at its debut concert in2005.

Back to May, 2012. Amongthe group gathered in Sam's liv-ingroom are two belovedfriends. One is Joseph Soprani,who Sam reunited with in 2003.The other is a former devotedstudent of Sam’s, Kurt Martin.The two men picked up two ofSam's most prized instrumentsand, in the presence of peoplewho loved him, played an im-promptu concert in his memory,a compilation of classical, jazzfavorites, and familiar Italiantunes. I realized that while thewhole world celebrated WorldAccordion Day, I celebrated thelife of a man, my cousin, whoseworld was the accordion. ■

Rest In Peace, dear Cousin.Love, Marilyn

A Tribute to Sam Fire, cont’d. AWAM Museum Corner - An Early American Free-BassPiano Accordionby Helmi Strahl Harrington, Ph.D.

A World of Accordions Museum had a very happy Thanksgivingcelebration when we brought home 74 accordions and concertinas,40+ harmonicas, and a bass myrba (sansa). A well-known instrumentmuseum had invited us to accept their de-acquisitioned free reed in-struments that included rare, beautiful, and valuable examples of alltypes of accordion-family instruments obtained over decades fromaround the world. To accommodate our new pieces, ten additionaldisplays were erected, our previous 140 racks became crowded withmore dazzling examples, and our number of exhibited instrumentsrose to over 1,300.

Particularly fortunate inclusions among the piano accordions aretwo nearly identical, entirely complete instruments apparently con-structed in close sequence, allowing a rare opportunity for compari-son. The one presumed older is finished with a dark brown woodfaçade, retains a trumpet horn, one shoulder and bass strap, blackcheesecloth lining fabrics, and is generally less well preserved withevidence of water damage. Its partner is finished with black woodveneer and has undergone modernizing effects. These include re-taped and patterned bellows, silver lame grill cloths, bellows framescrews and strap closures (instead of latches), pressed aluminum dec-orations which cover trumpet-horn holes, and newer shoulder andbass straps. It weighs 16 lbs. 2 lbs. less than its brown partner, pre-sumably resulting from use of newer aluminum reed plates.

Dr. Helmi StrahlHarrington

continued on next page

JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE AAA’s 75th ANNIVERSARY IN 2013!

Both instruments share certain features: unusually narrow width ofthe 54 treble keys set diagonally for easy view by the player, closespacing of 31 single-pitch bass buttons positioned as insets to thebass-plate and arced to fit fingers of the hand without more thanwrist angle movements, a spring-held air lever near the left handthumb, simple polished wood veneer, Viennese style scroll-cut décor,a box-like structure of 16”x7.5” size and wood bumpers that serve asfeet.

Both instruments are outfitted with octave couplers affecting the ir-regular five treble and four bass reed banks. The treble sections havetwo coupled sliders on the grill that engage the LMMM(M) reedbanks; the bass sections have one pincer-action shift at the palm thatcontrols the C1 C2 C2 C3 reed banks. Double-tongue reed plates areattached by turnstiles over leather sealant strips; zinc and steelpalates and rods have an unrefined presentation suggesting small-workshop assembly.

In researching the origin of these instruments, no maker’s name,logo, internal script or stamp identifies company or country of origin.No reference books found in the museum library came close to iden-tifying the salient features. But there are clues yet to be tracked, such

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 5 JULY 2012

In 1686, the area now known as Bryant Park in the heart of NewYork City, was designated public property by New York ColonialGovernor Thomas Dongan. After being routed by the British in theBattle of Long Island, at the start of the Revolutionary War, GeneralWashington's troops raced across the site. In

AWAM Museum Corner, continuedas, where the colorful abstract design of the bellows lining paperwas made. Clearly some German connections exist: penciled on thereed block spines of both instruments are pitch names written in old-German script by the same hand. The word “Oben” (above) is foundon the older example along with entirely German spellings ofpitches. On the spines of the younger, names are mixed betweenGerman and English. Perhaps the writer was becoming American-ized.

In our patents library we found U.S. patent No. 268,819, taken byKarl Stiegelmayer of New York on April 10, 1928, to describe an in-strument named “Jazz Organ” as follows: The main object of this in-vention is to provide a musical instrument of the accordion type…having an inclined keyboard on which a full set of keys may bemounted. The keys, due to the shortness of the key-board, are quiteclose together and are specially constructed … so that they may beeasily manipulated by the fingers.

With this accordion design I think we see yet another convergenceof elements from different accordion-family instrument types thatrun throughout the history of our organology. The Encyclopedia ofNew York City mentions that by the 1920s thousands of immigrantGerman families had settled in the area, including musical instru-ment makers and performers. From German sources we are told thatboth the Franz and Arnold families emigrated from Germany andsettled on the East Coast; both were known to produce experimentalinstruments of concertina/bandoneon square-box types with single-tone bass sections. It was also the time and place that spurred Piaz-zolla’s bandoneon style. With the area’s strong influence on jazz,and from the patent name, we may presume these accordions wereintended to participate with a free-bass order familiar to players.

Some of the pitches of our piano accordions’ bass sections are yetdifficult to determine and will require careful reed restorations be-fore accuracy of the sequence can be asserted. At this point, the logicof bass pitch arrangement remains unclear, but comparison to chartsdeveloped by Maria Dunkel on the evolution of bandoneons andconcertinas appears promising.

Readers with additional insights are encouraged to contact us. ■

Music Under New York (MUNY) features AccordionistsAt present, more than 350 individual performers and music ensem-

bles participate in over 7,500 annual performances in approximately25 locations throughout the New York City transit system. ThroughMusic Under New York (MUNY), a variety of performances are

available to the public withinthe transit network in a varietyof genres, with instrumentsranging from Gambian kora andKorean drum to our beloved ac-cordion.

Some 75 soloists and groupsauditioned to join the roster forMUNY at the recent open audi-

tions held at Grand CentralStation. Among the hope-fuls were accordionistsMarin Ciotoi, Matt Dallow(pictured) and MellisaElledge. Fox News Channel5 News Anchor Julie Changwho delighted in taking Mellisa’s instrument during coverage of theevent to try her hand at the accordion.

Starting in 1985, MUNY is one of the many visual and performingarts programs administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Au-thority’s Arts for Transit office that increases the attractiveness oftransit facilities for customers. Performers accepted into the programare scheduled at locations in subway and commuter rail stations in-cluding the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), and Metro North. Siteshave been selected with the approval of the station managers, policeand NY City Transit Stations and system safety departments. Cur-rently on the 2012 MUNY roster are accordionists Yuri Zak and MituBusuioc. ■

Pictured above, Matt Dallow atGrand Central Station. At right,Julie Change, Fox News Anchor

New York Also Features Accordion ‘Above Ground’At Bryant Park

continued on next page

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Accordion at Bryant Park, cont’d.1807, the grid system of streets was laid out in what is now consid-ered midtown, expanding north from the already cosmopolitandowntown Manhattan. Fifteen years later, in 1822, the land cameunder the jurisdiction of New York City, and one year later, wasturned into a potter's field. The city decommissioned the potter'sfield in 1840, in preparation for construction of the Croton Reser-voir on the adjacent plot of land (now the Central branch of theNew York Public Library).

Jump forward some 150 years, and in 1992, Bryant Park Corpora-tion (BPC) completed one of the world's most dramatic urban pub-lic space transformations. Now in 2012, celebrating the 20thanniversary of being New York City's town square, Bryant Park at-tracts more than 6 million annual visitors featuring hundreds of freeevents, programs, activities, and year-round amenities.

Some of those 6 million visitors enjoy the sounds of accordionmusic during its summer Bryant Park Accordion concert serieswhen New York accordionists are featured from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.in the main Plaza at the peak lunch hour. Upcoming performancesinclude: July 2, 3, 6, 2012: Tony Kovatch, August 6, 7, 10: SuzanneDavenport and August 13, 14, 17: Bob Goldberg. Other performerson the Bryant Park Accordion Lunchtime Concert Series are Ben-jamin Ickies, Rachelle Garniez, Matthew Fass and Harlan Muir.

Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library inmidtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth andSixth Avenues. For more information, please visit: http://bryant-park.org/plan-your-visit/accordion.html ■

Studio Jams to Visit AAA Festival in BaltimoreStudio Jams is a creative, up-close and inside look at the art of

making music. It’s a program that is dedicated to presenting interest-ing and innovative music education. Each 1-hour episode features adiverse group of talented musicians.

Their upcoming featured festival will be the AAA Competitionand Festival in Baltimore, MD (USA) where they will film and in-terview participants of the four day gathering profiling the manyworkshops, exhibits, seminars, competitions and concerts given byaccordionists of all ages.

The AAA will view and approve the program prior to release andis very excited to have this opportunity to work with Studio Jams fortheir upcoming presentation.

For more information on their work, please visit: http://studio-jams.com ■ Eddie Monteiro

Cory Pesaturo Joins Boston Red Sox for New CD2012 is the 100th anniversary of

the Boston Red Sox’s famousFenway Park. The baseball teamhas put together a festive and funalbum of songs recorded by cur-rent and former players, alongwith the help of some notableguest musicians including CoryPesaturo, accordionist.

Officially sanctioned and li-censed by MLB, the recording isa collection of songs familiar toRed Sox fans, the type of musiccommonly heard at games, as well as some songs from iconicBoston-area acts.

Red Sox players who participated in the project include David“Big Papi” Ortiz, who provides background vocals and improviseson “Sweet Caroline.” Ryan Kalish and Darnell McDonald can alsobe heard on background vocals. Additionally, Clay Buchholz playsacoustic guitar on the track. Jarrod Saltalamacchia lends some addi-tional guitar licks to “Dream On” and Alfredo Aceves handles co-lead guitar on “Dirty Water.” Also on the CD are Jacoby Ellsbury,Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis who provides percussion on thetrack, “2007 a musical celebration of the team’s most recent WorldChampionship. Daniel Bard plays acoustic guitar on the album’sdebut single, “Let the Good Times Roll,”

Former pitcher and fan favorites Curt Schilling and Kevin Millar,both key members of the team’s 2004 World Series run, are on theCD. Musical guests include one-time Van Halen vocalist GaryCherone, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, Ken Casey of theDropkick Murphys, International Accordion Champion Cory Pesat-uro, J. Geils Band keyboardist Seth Justman, Mike Mushok ofStaind, Dicky Barrett of Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and MLB jour-nalist Peter Gammons.

Cory won the CIA International Competition for Digital Accordionin Auckland, New Zealand in 2009 while representing the AAA andmore recently the International Primus Ikaalinen VII, a live televisedinternational competition held in Finland. For further information:CoryPesaturo@corypesaturo.com ■

USA Provides Most Viewers For Live WorldAccordion Day Broadcast

The Confédération Interna-tionale des Accordéonistes(CIA) World Accordion DayLive Video featuring 24 hours ofaccordion music from aroundthe world was a huge successwith viewers from around theworld watching contributionsfrom many different nations,performers, teachers and associ-ations. The show was directedand produced by Grayson Mase-field, Frédéric Deschamps andMike Rossi, and is available forviewing in 24 separate hours ofarchived video coverage.

Coordinator and Co-PresenterGrayson Masefield and co-hostFrédéric Deschamps offer theirsincerest thanks to all the partic-ipants of this year’s World Ac-cordion Day 2012, including the

AAA. "Whether you were inter-viewed, a performer, sent in avideo, commented on the livechat or even just watched, thisevent couldn’t have been possi-ble without you. Thank you tothe Confédération Internationaledes Accordéonistes (CIA) forcreating World Accordion Dayin 2009 and their continuoussupport and promotion of the ac-cordion around the world. Alsowe must mention the membersof the CIA Executive Board thattook part with in this event:Raymond Bodell, KevinFriedrich, Kimmo Mattila, JoanSommers, Herbert Scheibenreif,Harley Jones and Mirco Patariniplus members of the CIA MusicCommittee: Viatcheslav Semi-

continued on page 7

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 7 JULY 2012

onov, Andreas Nebl and Li Cong. There must of course be a verysincere thank you to our technical director Mike Rossi. His effortsand improvisation are greatly appreciated, especially as we werereceiving videos throughout the live 24 hours and thanks to HarleyJones (creator of www.accordions.com ) for his promotion and sup-port of the event.

The mammoth undertaking, the first of its kind in the accordionworld, was a worldwide success with over 310,365 minutes viewedand over 20,160 connections from over 87 countries. Congratula-tions must be given to the countries with the highest viewers: 1.USA, 2. France 3. UK 4. Chile 5. Russia 6. Germany 7. Canada 8.Italy 9. Greece and 10. Finland. It proves that the accordion worldis a real family no matter what level, whether beginner or profes-sional or what genre they choose to play (Classical, Traditional,Jazz, Arabic, Contemporary, Ensemble etc.)

The videos are available for viewing atwww.accordions.com/cia/cia_wad_directory_2012.htm ■

World Accordion Day, cont’d. from page 6

In May, Dr. Robert YoungMcMahan performed on stageand in costume with thePhiladelphia-based Center CityOpera, in the East Coast pre-miere of Il Postino (“The Post-man”), by Daniel Catán(1949-2011). The productiontook place at the Prince MusicTheater, near City Hall.

The opera is based upon apopular 1994 Italian film di-rected by Michael Radford. It isa fictional story in which the reallife Chilean poet Pablo Neruda(temporarily exiled from hiscountry) forms a relationshipwith a simple Italian postmanwho learns to love poetry. Thescreenplay was adapted by AnnaPavignano, Michael Radford,

Furio Scarpelli, GiacomoScarpelli, and Massimo Troisifrom the novel “Ardiente pa-ciencia” by Antonio Skármeta.Skármeta himself had previ-ously adapted his novel for thescreen in 1985 as “Ardiente pa-ciencia” ("Burning Patience").

Pauline Oliveros Receives $50,000 Award!

Dr. Robert Young McMahan in ‘Il Postino’(The Postman)

“Through Pauline Oliverosand Deep Listening, I finallyknow what harmony is… It’sabout the pleasure of makingmusic.” - John Cage, 1989

As she celebrates her 80thbirthday year, accordionist andcomposer Pauline Oliveros hasbeen named the winner of the2012 John Cage Award, givenbiennially by the Foundation forContemporary Arts (FCA). Thisprestigious $50,000 award wasestablished in 1992 in honor ofthe late composer, who was oneof FCA’s founders. Selected byFCA’s Directors, the John CageAward is made in recognition ofoutstanding achievement in thearts for work that reflects thespirit of John Cage. Pauline re-ceived the award in a ceremonyin New York City. "FCA ispleased to honor Ms. Oliveros'many accomplishments inmusic/sound with the 2012 JohnCage Award,” says Stacy Stark,executive director of FCA. “Shejoins a distinguished and smallgroup of artists who have beenrecognized for their ground-breaking work in the performingarts and who reflect the spirit ofJohn Cage." Founded andguided by artists, FCA’s missionis to encourage, sponsor and pro-mote innovative work in the artsand the nonrestrictive award isavailable for use at the recipientsdiscretion.

“I am honored and delighted toreceive the John Cage Award,”says Pauline Oliveros. “May thefreedom that Cage inspired withhis work continue to spread, sus-tain and open minds throughoutthe world.”

Oliveros is a senior figure incontemporary American musicand founder of the Deep Listen-ing Institute of Kingston, NY.Since the 1960s, Oliveros hasworked with improvisation,

meditation, electronic music,myth and ritual. In addition tothe John Cage Award, Oliveroswas honored with the WilliamSchuman Award in 2010. Shewas honored in 1985 with a ret-rospective at the Kennedy Cen-ter for the Performing Arts inWashington, D.C., and repre-sented the United States at the1970 World’s Fair in Osaka,Japan.

Oliveros has built a loyal fol-lowing through her accordionconcerts, recordings and publica-tions, and musical compositionsthat she has written for soloistsand ensembles in music, dance,theater and inter-arts companies.She has also provided leadershipwithin the music communityfrom her early years as the firstdirector of the Center for Con-temporary Music (formerly theTape Music Center at Mills), di-rector of the Center for MusicExperiment during her 14-yeartenure as professor of music atthe University of California atSan Diego, and acting in an ad-visory capacity for organizationssuch as The National Endow-ment for the Arts, The New YorkState Council for the Arts andmany private foundations.

Through her work at universi-ties and colleges, includingOberlin College Conservatory ofMusic and Bard College, she hasinfluenced generations of youngcomposers. Additionally, Oliv-eros is a Distinguished ResearchProfessor of Music at RensselaerPolytechnic Institute and a Dar-ius Milhaud Composer-in-Resi-dence at Mills College inOakland, CA.

Please visit http://www.pauli-neoliveros.us for the variety ofactivities held throughout 2012in celebration of her 80th Birth-day. ■

continued on page 8

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 8 JULY 2012

McMahan in ‘Il Postino’, cont’d from page 7The accordion appears in the last scene of Act 2, depicting the postman’s wedding

reception, and accompanies Neruda (portrayed by tenor Hugo Vera in this produc-tion) in a love song. This is followed by a tango played by both accordion and or-chestra in which the entire wedding party participates both in dancing and singing.Though the film was in Italian and the story takes plays in a remote island off thesouthern end of Italy in the mid-1950s, the libretto is in Spanish, reflecting thePrinceton University educated Catán’s Mexican origins and his desire to reachLatino-American audiences.

The world premiere took place in Los Angeles in 2010, with the famed tenorPlacido Domingo playing Neruda. Nick Ariondo was the accordionist for that pro-duction, which may be seen in its entirety on the PBS webiste, scroll to 1 hour, 31minutes to see the accordion scene). The Center City Opera production was asmaller-scaled, lower budgeted one than that of the Los Angeles one, again fulfillingthe late composer’s wish that his operas get out to more of the rank-and-file audi-ences on a wide scale via smaller companies. Catán’s widow was present at one ofthe Center City evenings to promote this passionate wish of her husband, who sadlydied suddenly in 2011.

As a classical artist, Dr. McMahan, a member of the AAA Board of Directors andChair of the AAA Composer’s Commissioning Committee, has dedicated a majorpart of his career to the promotion of the accordion in serious contemporary musicthrough recitals, concert appearances, teaching, recordings, publication of his music,journal articles, participation in contemporary music organizations, and including itin many of his own compositions. He has been instrumental in convincing othercomposers, such as Dr. Samuel Adler, Lukas Foss and Robert Hall Lewis, to use itin their music and has, himself, been commissioned to write works for it by variousindividuals and organizations, including the American Accordionists’ Associationand the New York State Council on the Arts. He will be contributing to the first-timechapter for the accordion in the new edition of Dr. Adler’s celebrated textbook onorchestration. He has recorded on the CRS and Orion labels, was accordionist forthe Baltimore Symphony during his years of residence in that region and has re-cently served in a similar way with the Princeton Symphony and the AmericanSymphony. ■

Following the very successful inaugural World Accordion Orchestra debut per-formance at the USA AAA/ATG hosted Coupe Mondiale 2007 under the MusicalDirection of Joan C. Sommers, the magnificent staging of the CIA World Accor-dion Orchestra (WAO) II in Scotland in 2008, WAO III in Auckland, NewZealand, WAO IV in Varaždin, Croatia, WAO V in Shanghai, China, the CIA isdelighted to announce that World Accordion Orchestra VI will be held during the65th Coupe Mondiale in Spoleto, Italy at the Gala CIA Concert on August 24,2012.

The World Accordion Orchestra VI, made up from members of the CIA Execu-tive and Music Committees, CIA member nation delegates and fellow orchestramembers of groups from Germany to Brazil, will perform two pieces: ParagonMarch by Anthony Galla-Rini and “Selections from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”)by John Williams, arr. by Joan Cochran Sommers.

The “Paragon March” is a 1947 original work by the renowned accordionist,one of the founding members of AAA and former CIA Vice President AnthonyGalla-Rini, while the magnificent blockbuster arrangement by current CIA VicePresident Joan Cochran Sommers of “Selections from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' isa large symphonic one and includes the main themes from the motion picturewith various reprises of the "Flying" Theme and the "Bike Race."

Joan C. Sommers has held positions in several music organisations, includ-ing the Accordionists & Teachers Guild International (ATG) and the Con-fédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA – IMC-UNESCO). Shecontinues to adjudicate, coach soloists, prepare accordion orchestra arrange-ments, and conduct accordion orchestras regularly, and currently proudlyserves as a CIA Vice President. ■

Joan C. Sommers to Direct World AccordionOrchestra VI in Italy

The AAA Valtaro Celebration on September 8th,2012, at the Magnanini Winery in Wallkill, NY, willhonor the Magnanini Family for their continuous sup-port of live accordion music at their establishment.

Great food, wine, company and great accordionmusic was the vision of Rick's father, Galba Mag-nanini. and he made it a successful reality. Today thefamily tradition is continued with devotion and dedi-cation by Rick and Rachel Magnanini along withtheir two sons, Robert and David.

The family background is fascinating. The Mag-nanini family is originally from the Emilia-Romagnaregion in Northern Italy. The Magnanini farm in Wal-lkill, NYwas obtained in 1951. It was originally anold apple orchard and dairy farm, on 35 acres . In1970, theland wascleared andthe vine-yard wasplanted.Richard,Galba'sson, whowas gradu-ated fromSUNYDelhi for

AAA Valtaro Celebration - Sept. 8thMagnanini Farm Winery

continued on page 9

Magnanini Winery Founder,Galba Magnanini

Coast to Coast…a sampling of accordion events across the USA!

New Feature. See pages 10 and 11

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 9 JULY 2012

agriculture, works closely withCornell University on Viticul-ture and Enology practices. In1976, Gov. Mario Cuomopassed "The Farm Winery" billwhich allowed small grapefarmers, who made wine, tosell it on their premises. In1976, Galba and Richardstarted making wine from theirown vineyards, for home andfriends and the rest was sold toBrotherhood Winery. In 1980,they started to build the restau-rant from a two car garage.Many people were skepticalbut they pursued their dream.In 1983, Richard obtained hislicense to sell wine thinkingwhat better way to sell theirwine than with homemade spe-cialties such as tagliatelle, ravi-oli, capelletti, and provisions;salami, coppa, sausage andcotechino.

Joseph Trombetti, a retiredexecutive chef from The PlazaHotel in NYC, a good friend ofGelso and Galba, was the Mag-

nanini's mentor over the years,helping them to acquire excel-lent kitchen skills and methodsof efficiently serving largegroups. The restaurant wascompleted and the wine wasready to sell. The first yearsproduction of 1000 gallons wassold out! More vines wereplanted. The second year 2000gallons were also sold out. Asthe vineyard grew so did thesales presently producing 6000gallons, which equals 25-30thousand bottles of wine each

year. Over the years, Richardhas won numerous awards forhis wines, of which he is veryproud. Today Richard's work atthe winery revolves aroundbottling, processing their ownmeats, preparing food for therestaurant, making their ownpasta and sauces, all vegetableslocally grown and hand picked.

The Restaurant opened onEaster Sunday 1985, with a fullhouse. There was live accor-dion music played by the"Good Time Band" consistingof Richard Magnanini andDanny Coan on accordion andJack Ragazzi on bass guitar.The music was from the Val-taro region. It is fascinating tolearn that Galba and Gelso Pel-ligrini were from the same partof Italy. Galba would hearGelso perform at differentfunctions in the NY area andthey became friends. Gelsosaw the winery being built andsaid that he would play there.In 1989, Gelso Pellegrini

began to perform at Mag-nanini's continuing until 2001.Gelso, one of the original Val-taro accordionists, would per-form there as did PeteSpagnoli, John Brugnoli, andPet DelGrosso. They would allmeet at the Magnanini Wineryand play together. Rick said,"Right from the beginning thefocus was on the accordion.The accordion and the foodmakes it a lively fun event. Theaccordion makes everyonehappy". Rick was introduced to

the accordion by his father,Galba, who played by ear. Ricktook lessons from Steven Harerof Clifton who had studiedwith Pietro Deiro and Frosini.

In 1990, the Valtaro reunionsbegan. Gelso Pelligrini was in-strumental in keeping the Val-taro heritage alive. Along withgood homemade foods of theEmila-Romagna region andValtaro music, everythingcame together. In 1994 the ad-dition of the dance area andbandstand was completed.Gelso continued to performwith his colleagues at the win-ery until his passing in Jan.2002. Through Gelso, theMagnanini's metMario Taccaand Mary Mancini. Other ac-cordionists who have per-formed there include FrankToscano, Frank Carozza,Manny Carallo, Angelo DiPippo, Charles Nunzio, RayOreggio, and Dominic Karcic.Carmen Carrozza , a closefriend of Gelso's, also playedthere. Rick said, "People reallylike the accordion. I, as domany other people, have veryfond memories of the accor-dion at family functions. Peo-ple really enjoy the focus onthe accordion at the MagnaniniWinery."

The Magnanini family con-tinues to keep the tradition ofthe Italian cuisine and the ac-cordion preserving the familyheritage. Mario Tacca, alongwith Frank Carozza, DominicKarcic and Frank Toscanopresently play at the winery.Rick said, "The Magnanini

Winery is a gathering place ofValtaro musicians and friendsof the accordion. Anybody thatloves the accordion wouldcome here. Many heard aboutit through the grapevine. It is avery relaxing way to spend anafternoon. We were fortunateto have all these wonderfulpeople as friends. And this iswhat makes the MagninaniWinery what it is today….Wecarry on the tradition of greatfood, music, friendship, andwine." Rick met his wife,Rachel, when he was playingwith his band and she waswaitressing for her nursing de-gree. The beautiful artworkdisplayed on the walls are alloriginals painted by RenzoMagnanini, older brother ofGalba. Renzo was also arenowned sculptor and artistfrom Bologna, Italy. Becausethe family is totally involved inevery aspect of the business,the result is an excellent,unique opportunity for all tohave a wonderful time. ■

Join us on Saturday,September 8th, to cele-brate the traditions ofthe Magnanini family

for an afternoon ofgood music, good food,good wine and good

times! See informationregarding this eventthat is included with

this newsletter.

Rachel and Rick Magnanini

Valtaro accordionists Gelso Pelligrini, Willy Brunelli, Ugo Nati, Peter Spagnoli . Circa 1989 Reunion

AAA Valtaro Celebration - Sept. 8th, cont’d.

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 10 JULY 2012

Coast to Coast…a sampling of accordion events across the USA!

The Accordionists andTeachers’ Guild, Interna-tional (ATG), the fellow USAmember of the Confédéra-tion Internationale des Ac-cordéonistes (CIA) with theAmerican Accordionists’ As-sociation (AAA), will holdtheir summer festival from inLisle (Chicago), Illinois - July25-29, 2012.

This year, the 72nd ATGCompetition and Festival willfeature renowned Russianaccordionist Ioisf Puritz,Jazz accordionist JeffLisenby, Roland artist AliciaBaker, University teacherMarko Petričić and popularMilwaukee based artist StasVenglevski. In addition, thefestival will showcase theGene Van Accordion Or-chestra, the UMKC Cham-ber Accordion Ensemble,the Soundscape Trio, BettyJo Simon, Amy Jo Sawyer,Tony Hermanek, Donna DeeAnderson, Esther Lanting,Gordon Kohl and Marion Ja-cobson.

The 2012 ATG FestivalOrchestra coordinated byJoan C. Sommers will uniteall attendees, and will bejoined in concert by therenowned Youth Choir fromChicago ‘ANIMA’. Just re-turning from an excitingConcert Tour of Europe,ANIMA will be featured withthe Festival Orchestra onthe magnificent arrange-ment of ‘Let There BePeace on Earth’.

The AAA and ATG re-cently co-sponsored the CIACoupe Mondiale in Alexan-dria, VA, organized byFaithe Deffner. This co-hosted event was the mostsuccessful International Ac-cordion Festival to haveever been held in the USA.Currently Faithe Deffner,Kevin Friedrich and MaryTokarski each serve asmembers of the Board of Di-rectors for both the AAA andthe ATG.

For more information,

please visit: www.accor-dions.com/atg

South River, NJThe Accordion Pops Or-

chestra directed by Al Terzopresented their Spring Con-cert on Sunday June 10, atthe Imperial Music Center inSouth River, NJ.

Renowned accordionchampions Beverly Curnowand Mary Tokarski per-formed as guest artists. Alsofeatured were AlbertManginelli (accordion) andNicole D'Angelo (piano),champions from the recent2012 Mid Atlantic MusicTeachers Guild competition.

The largest professionalaccordion orchestra of itskind on the East Coast, thegroup consists entirely ofaccordions plus percussioninstruments. In addition, theorchestra often accompa-nies guest soloists includingpianists and vocal artists.

For further informationabout engaging the orchestrafor a concert, future concertsor joining the orches- tra,please contact: webmas-ter@accordionpops.com

East Northport, NYThe Long Island Accor-

dion Alliance (LIAA) and LaVillini Restaurant presentsan evening of accordionmusic and featured guestartist vocalist ConnieShakalis accompanied byaccordionist Dominic Karcicon Tuesday, August 7, 2012at 7 p.m.

Connie Shakalis is anaward-winning vocalist fromHuntington Station, NY. Shehas sung in many of the topcabarets in New York Cityas well as performing 20lead roles in musicalsthroughout the U.S. Shehas performed with VanJohnson, Edie Adams, andRobert Morse (who currentlyappears as the ad agencyboss on the popular TV se-ries “Mad Men.” She is asoloist with the "Music on

the Sound" opera se-ries in Port Jefferson,NY. Her program onAugust 7th will featurea wide range of songsfrom opera, operetta,Broadway musicalsand ethnic folk melodies.Please join us for a terrificevening of accordion musicand song!

In addition, join us Sep-tember 4th for our Septem-ber-Octobeerfest! EinProsit! La Villini Restaurantis located at 288 LarkfieldRoad in East Northport, NY,phone: (631) 261-6344

Nashua, NHThe Fifth Annual ACCOR-

DIONS NOW! Music Festival,co-sponsored by New Hamp-shire Accordion Associationand Accordion ConnectionLLC, will be held August 17-18, 2012 at the beautifulCourtyard Marriott in Nashua,New Hampshire. It will be ahigh-spirited weekend filledwith warm friendship andgreat music. Sign up, bringyour accordion, and join thefun!

Artists and presenters in-clude: Tony Lovello, Christo-pher Gorton, Brent Buswell,Jeremiah McLane & Anne-mieke Spoelstra, Gary Morin,Donna Maria Regis, the AC-CORDIONS NOW! FestivalOrchestra, Dan Mackowiak,Sam Falcetti, and others tobe announced soon.

Be part of the musical ac-tion and bring your accordion!You have many opportunitiesto participate. For more infor-mation: Accordions Now!phone: (603) 216-9582 or e-mail: AccordionsNow@yahoo.com

Silver Falls, ORRose City Accordion Club

hosted their Accordion ClubCamp from June 10-15 atthe Silver Falls State ParkConference Center in Ore-gon. President Wayne Tiu-sanen and the Club hostedfive days of intense work-

shops, individual one-on-one instruction, playingmusic as part of an accor-dion orchestra, jamming andmaking new friends.

The Rose City AccordionClub of Portland, Oregon, anon profit organization wasformed in 1996 by a groupof people of all ages wholove playing the accordion.Many of the members goout into the community andvolunteer to perform at sen-ior citizen centers, schools,and retirement communities.

The Rose City AccordionClub is open to all accordionplayers, from beginners toprofessionals, their friendsand families, and to anyonewho enjoys music. Meet-ings are held monthly on thethird Saturday of eachmonth at the Milwaukie Pub-lic Safety Building, 3200 SEHarrison Street (SE 32ndand Harrison), MilwaukieOR, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.For further informationemail:squeezebox21@com-cast.net

Los Angeles, CASummertime in Los Ange-

les County features a di-verse array of accordionrelated activities as part ofthe popular program theJ.A.M. Sessions. This pro-gram allows participants ofall skill level to explore anart form as a community.Move to the beat or explorea new instrument as youconnect with diverse artistsand cultures at the J.A.M.(Jazzed and Motivated)Sessions. These free andinteractive events take placethroughout the summer andare centered around move-ment, music and drumming.All ages and levels of expe-rience are welcome and allevents are free.

LISLE, CHICAGO, IL

SOUTH RIVER, NJ

NASHUA, NH

EAST NORTHPORT, NY

LOS ANGELES, CA

SILVER FALLS, OR

A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association - page 11 JULY 2012

Accordion Night! on June25, 7 PM is titled ‘Long livethe accordion!’ where atten-dees are invited to join in afun night with accordion su-perstars Otoño Luján (ofConjunto Los Pochos) andGee Rabe (of Lisa Haley &the Zydekats). Participantshave the opportunity to tryout button and piano accor-dions and be part of a giantaccordion symphony! Ac-cordions are provided cour-tesy of Hohner, Inc. and thisevent is recommended forages 12 and up.

Big! World! Fun! FamilySeries: A Gaelic Gathering:Irish Music and Dance willbe held on Saturday July 7at 10 AM. This event fea-tures A Gaelic Gathering:Irish Music and Dance. Stir-ring melodies, intricate foot-work and the rhythmic stepand Ceili (group) dancesmake Gaelic Gathering afeast of exuberant Irishtunes and dances. Instru-mentalists including AliceRyan, who sings hauntingsongs and plays accordionaccompany the dancers andperform. Together theyguide the audience on anexploration of Ireland’s richcultural heritage.

J.A.M. Sessions at MayberryPark: Accordion Night,

July 10 at 6 PM J.A.M. Sessions at the Ford:

Klezmer Music, July 16 at 7 PM J.A.M. Sessions at East L.A.

Civic Center: Accordion Night,July 27 at 6 PM

J.A.M. Sessions at RecreationPark: Accordion Night,

August 4 at 6 PM Big! World! Fun! Family Series:

The Dustbowl Revival, August 25 at 10 AM

Concierto Fiesta Mexicana X:September 29 at 7 PM

For more information,please visit: http://fordthe-atres.org or contact SteveLozier, J.A.M. SessionsMarketing Coordinator,phone: 323-610-5912 or bye-mail: SLozier@arts.la-county.gov

Princeton, NJDr. Robert Young McMa-

han, AAA Board of Directorwill perform with the NewJersey Symphony Orches-tra, Mark Laycock, conduc-tor, and boys chorus, July26, 8:00 PM, RichardsonAuditorium, Princeton, NJ, ina performance of ArrigoBoito’s Prologue toMephistofele.|

Accordionist Bud Gramerperforms every Tuesdayevening from 5:30 PM – 8:30PM at the Village LanterneRestaurant, located at 143N. Wellwood Ave., in Linden-hurst, (LI) New York. Formore information and direc-tions, please phone (631)225-1690.

The Alex Meixner Bandwill in concert at the Har-rington ARTS Center and AWorld of Accordions Mu-seum, 1401 Belknap St.,Superior, WI 54880 on July5, 2012 6:00 PM (Doorsopen at 5:00 PM).

Alex Meixner hasreached star status amongmulti-generational audi-

ences as a Grammy Awardnominee and national enter-tainer on diatonic and pianoaccordions, brasses, andvocals. His repertory coversthe gamut between ethnicand pop music. Members ofthe band include Tom Joneson saxes, clarinet, flute, gui-tar and vocals, and MichaelMorris on drums and vo-cals. Paul Vargason (of Su-perior) will perform theopening act. Tickets: Ad-vance purchase: $20.00,www.brownpapertickets.com: $23.00 and at the door:$25.00. To reserve ticketsor for more informationphone (715) 395-2787.

On Monday - July 23,2012, Betty Jo Simon willperform as the featuredartist at the Milwaukee Ac-cordion Club (MAC). BettyJo brings endless enthusi-asm to the stage. A viva-cious performer who enjoysintimate concert settingswhere she can talk with heraudience, Betty Jo has awide repertoire from whichto choose. Her favorite?"Around the World with theMIDI Accordion." Betty Joperforms as a soloistthroughout the UnitedStates and internationally.In 2000 she appeared on aChinese satellite TV musi-cal variety program aired onChinese New Year andwent on to give concerts inBeijing and Shanghai. In2007 she won the AAAMaddalena Belfiore Enter-tainment Competition forFemale Accordionist andcurrently leads a Germanpolka band called TheAlpen Spielers. In August2009 she performed assoloist with the AucklandSymphony Orchestra atthree different venues, onebeing the opening concertof the 64th Annual CIACoupe Mondiale World Ac-cordion Championships.For more information,please visit www.accor-dions.com/mac ■

PRINCETON, NJ

LINDENHURST, NY

SUPERIOR, WI

MILWAUKEE, WI

You are invited to submit your news as soonas possible for the September edition of theAAA Newsletter. Our AAA members are in-volved in a diverse array of activities, and Ithank you in advance for taking the time toprepare the press information and pictures sothat we can share your work and events withour readership.

All material for consideration for the Sep-tember newsletter can be sent to me at goac-cordion@yahoo.com or to aaa1938@aol.com.Please include “AAA Newsletter” in the subject

box, so that we don’t miss any items thatcome in. Text should be sent within the e-mailor as a Word .doc attachment. Picturesshould be sent as a high quality .jpg file, andthe larger the file size the better. We can al-ways reduce/crop the picture if necessary,however we are unable to increase the qualityfrom smaller pictures. The deadline for theSeptember newsletter will be the August 15.zz

Thanks again for your help and support, andI wish you all a wonderful summer.

Kevin Friedrich, Editor – AAA Newsletter

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