Over 100 people have registered to join the celebration for Maestro Anthony Galla-Rini as he celebrates his 99th Birthday in a weekend of friendship, music and celebration sponsored by the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG) of which Mr. Galla-Rini is the President Emeritus.

Included in the celebration will be a Festival Birthday Orchestra which is now over 80 strong. The orchestra will be directed by Galla-Rini himself as he conducts several arrangements that he has made for the event.

The orchestra will rehearse on Friday evening and Saturday morning with the performance following Galla-Rini's 99th Birthday Banquet on Saturday evening.

For late registration and further information, please contact the ATG President:

Joan Sommers, ATG President
2312 West 71st Terrace,
Prairie Village, KS 66208 USA
(913) 722-5625 or E-mail: sommersj@umkc.edu

Accordionist Jeremiah McLane will be performing in Florida in January with his band "Big Table". from January 24 - 26th, 2003 at the Snow Ball Dance Weekend in St. Petersburg, FL at the Tampa Friends of Old Time Dance.

Big Table features prominent players from both the southern and northern dance music traditions. From this blend emerges a strong rhythmic groove over which the fiddle and accordion dance together.

Big Table plays for contra and square dances and presents concerts of original and traditional instrumental music and songs. Big Table also offers workshops in old-time fiddle, celtic tunes, blues guitar, contradance backup piano, and guitar backup styles (swing, cajun, Irish, old-time, Scottish, and more).

From his home in Sharon, Vermont, Jeremiah McLane has traveled throughout the United States and Europe as a performer and teacher. A full time musician since 1989, Jeremiah holds a Master's degree in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory. He has composed music for theater and film (including Sam Shepard's "A Lie Of The Mind"), and performed at such prestigious venues as the Royal Festival Hall in London, England; the Picolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina; the St. Chartiers Festival in St. Chartiers, France; and at the Memoires et Racines Festival in Jolliet, Quebec.

He is a founding member of Nightingale, The Clayfoot Strutters, and Big Table, three pivotal and popular bands with traditional roots. His solo recordings, including Smile When You're Ready, have been widely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. His musical contributions can be heard on over 25 albums, including Jay Ungar and Molly Mason's Harvest Home. He has performed on numerous live radio shows including Radio Wales, BBC, CBC, WVPR, and WNHPR. New World Festival organizer and radio host, Mark Hauser, has said "Jeremiah plays and composes with originality, grace, and unbounded spontaneity."

Jeremiah will also be performing a solo concert on January 5th at the Fort Orange Club in Albany, New York from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM.

For additional information, please see the Future Events page located in this site.

The 56th Annual Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships will be held in two cities this year, Sturovo Slovakia and Esztergom Hungary from October 23rd - 27th, 2003.

These cities were once one city connected by a bridge across the Danube River until 1944 when it was torn down during war times.

Finally in 2001 the Maria - Valeria Bridge was rebuilt allowing Sturovo, Slovakia and Esztergom Hungary to be reunited by a quick trip across the Danube. The focus of the Coupe Mondiale will be reuniting the two cities with music with some classes being held in Hungary and some across the River in Slovakia.

The World Accordion Championships will be held in six categories including:

1) Coupe Mondiale
2) Junior Coupe Mondiale
3) International Piano Accordion Competition
4) Virtuoso Entertainment Music Competition
5) Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Music Competition
6) International Chamber Music Competition

Contestants wishing to qualify for any of these competitions should contact the USA members of the Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA) the American Accordionists Association or the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International who will each hold qualification competitions at their national festivals this summer.

The Will Holshouser Trio featuring Ron Horton, trumpet, David Phillips, bass and Will Holshouser, accordion will be performing

Will Holshouser (pictured with teacher Dr. William Schimmel) plays accordion with David Krakauer, Brock Mumford, the Raymond Scott Orchestrette and others. His trio features his own compositions, somewhere between jazz and the world of accordion-based musics. Trumpeter Ron Horton is known for his work with Andrew Hill and the Jazz Composers Collective as well as his own music. Bassist David Phillips combines classical training with a wide-ranging improvisational voice, taking after his father Barre.

The "All Music Guide" says: "Accordion virtuoso Will Holshouser fashions an offbeat, richly textured trio concept on Reed Song . . . sparks fly . . . Holshouser knows how to eschew categories, refurbish old-world sounds, and grab the ear with airy, attractive melodies."

The "Time Out New York" calls Will "The squeezebox king of downtown." while the Village Voice says "Will Holshouser plays as much accordion as there is to be played."

For further information, please contact Will at: WILLHOLS@aol.com and for information on his recently released CD "Reed Song" available on Clean Feed label please visit www.cadencebuilding.com

The American Accordionists' Association invites you to join them as they celebrate their 65th Anniversary from July 9-13, 2003 at the Marriott Hotel at Philadelphia International Airport

Festival highlights will include: Competitions for all ages, Sight Seeing Tour and Massed Band Performance, Exciting workshops & Exhibits, Luncheon Concerts, World of Accordions Traveling Museum, Endless Performance Ballroom, Club Pub - Polka Fest a Gala Banquet plus much more!

Philadelphia is known as "The place that loves you back!" The fifth-largest city in the United States and the second-largest on the East Coast, Philadelphia is one of the world's most dynamic destinations. In Philadelphia, you will be at the crossroads of big city excitement and hometown hospitality where the promise of the future meets old world charm. Most famous as the birthplace of American independence and home of the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia offers a unique variety of attractions, culture, entertainment and activity that is sure to bring a smile to your face and the desire to return soon. A tour of the city's diverse neighborhoods brings the best of Philadelphia to life, and keeps you wanting more.

Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn, an English Quaker. King Charles II of England granted him a parcel of land that included 1,280 acres between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Penn's chief surveyor, Captain Thomas Holmes, devised a grid pattern for the city that included five public squares, all of which remain, to realize Penn's dream of a "green countrie towne." Due to its excellent location on the Atlantic Coast and accessible port facilities, Philadelphia grew rapidly in the 18th century until it was the second largest English-speaking city in the world. It was called the Athens of the Americas as the cultural center of the New World.

Today, with a population of approximately 1.4 million Philadelphia is the fifth-largest city in the United States and the second-largest on the East Coast. The city's recent renaissance in the last decade has brought national attention. In recent years, Philadelphia has been named the "number one restaurant city," "America's friendliest city," and "the safest large city."

Please contact the Festival Committee for further information:
AAA Executive Office
580 Kearny Avenue
Kearny, NJ 07032 USA

Phone: 201-991-2233 - Fax: 201-991-1944
E-mail: ameracc@aol.com or LSoleyReed@aol.com

Accordion duo Dee Langley and her duet partner Greg Dagoumas settle into their new time slot for the winter at the Kramarczuk's Deli.

Popular entertainers in the Minneapolis area, they invite you to join them in staying warm and cozy tucked inside Kramarczuk's with good music and the best Eastern European food in town! On the 2nd and 4th Saturday you are invited to bring your accordion, or your friend with the for the "Open Stage" from 6 PM - 6:30 PM!


Kramarczuk's Deli is located at 215 E. Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis and performance dates are January 4, 11, 18 and 25 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.

When Dee Langley first played the accordion at the age of four, she could not have known that her love for the instrument and her passion for music would eventually reap her numerous first place honors, take her to Europe, and earn her several guest appearances as accordionist with the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

As a professional, Dee has participated in seminars and symposiums on accordion styles and techniques in Chatel, France and Klingenthal, East Germany. She also has performed with the Dolina Polish Folk Dancers and Ethnic Dance Theatre as well as officiating as Director of The EDT Folk Orchestra. Concert tours of Poland, France and the Czech Republic, respectively, being a few of the highlights of her tenures with these companies. On several occasions, Dee has been asked to perform accordion works not only with the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, but also the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, and the Northwoods Classical Players (members of the Chicago Symphony).

She has also premiered compositions with the Ancia Quartet, the Minneapolis Philharmonic and Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and has worked with contemporary composers including, Peter Blauvelt, Mary Ellen Childs, Becky Dale, Shelley Hanson, Mark Hellem, Carleton Macy, Carole Saline and Kim Sherman to expand the visibility of classical accordion with other instruments.

Dee Langley currently lives in Minneapolis, performs with her accordion duet partner, Greg Dagoumas, as "Just Duet", and is a member of the Bulgarian group, "Traki". She is on the Board of Directors of the Accordionists' and Teachers' Guild, Int., and the American Accordion Musicological Society as well as a member of the American Accordionists' Association. Ms. Langley is also co-founder the Minnesota Accordion Club and teaches accordion in the Metro area.

Greg had private accordion lessons for five years before attending the Miguel School of Music in Lowell, MA, under the direction of Donna Michael. Miguel School of Music was probably the best thing that could have happened to me at a young age says Greg. "I was able to interact with other accordion students, play duets, as well as in ensembles, bands, and the Lowell Accordion Orchestra. I competed in state, regional and national competitions for many years. At 13 years old I was playing professionally with a 4-piece band, prior to playing in a 6-piece polka band for many years on the east coast. I began teaching accordion by the age of 15, as well as piano and guitar shortly after."

Between 1975 and 1987, he entered many accordion competitions and won approximately 100 trophies from beginner to virtuoso categories including: 1985 -Massachusetts State Accordion Champion, sponsored by the ATAM (Accordion Teachers Association of Massachusetts) 1986 - US Virtuoso Accordion Champion, sponsored by the AAA (American Accordionists Association).
Career highlights include performances at New York City's famous Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center, the SS Galileo cruise ship sailing to Bermuda and playing with the Minnesota Orchestra.

He has conducted several award-winning ensembles and bands at state and national competitions. I was the sound technician at Miguel School of Music and for the Lowell Accordion Orchestra. He has appeared as "Greg the Accordion Player" on the KS95 Morning Show with Van and Cheryl.

For more information on the duo, please contact: Air Accordion, P.O. Box 68012, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55418-8012 or e-mail: info@airaccordion.com

New York accordionists Dr. William Schimmel will perform in Chaya Czernowin's work Die Kreuzung on Thursday January 23, 2003, 8:30 PM at Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City located at 43A West 13th Street between 5/6 Aves. The performance will be presented as part of Sospeso's yearly concert "American Voices." The annual event brings a diverse selection of living American composers, some celebrated, some emerging, to the intimate loft space of the Tenri Cultural Institute in New York's Greenwich Village.

Die Kreuzung will be performed by Taimur Sullivan - Saxophone, Mark Menzies - Violin, Robert Ingliss, Oboe and William Schimmel on Accordion.

Chaya Czernowin has been a Professor at the University of California, San Diego since 1997. She has also taught composition at the Yoshiro Irino Institute, JML, Tokyo; and at the Darmstadt Ferienkurse, from 1990 to 1994 and again in 1998.

Chaya Czernowin studied with Abel Ehrlich, Izchak Sadai, Dieter Schnebel, Eli Yarden, Joan Tower, Brian Ferneyhough, and Roger Reynolds (also her doctoral chair).

Her work has been performed and broadcast in Israel, Europe, Japan, the United States, and Mexico by ensembles such as the Arditti Quartet, ELISION, Ensemble Recherche, the Nieuw Ensemble, SurPlus, Sonor, the Helsinki Philharmonic, and the Orquesta Nacional de México.

Her awards include UNESCO's '81 Rostrum; the Gaudeamus Composer's Workshop Scholarship; a DAAD Scholarship; Stipendium Preis and the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis; Darmstadt Ferienkurse; Asahi Shimbun Fellowship; Japan Foundation Artist Scholarship; NEA Composition Award; ISCM World Music Days (selection and performance of Amber for orchestra); a year's residency at the Akademie Schloß Solitude, Germany; and three Heinrich Strobel Stiftung Fellowships.

Her recent work includes an opera commissioned by the Munich Biennial 2000, and works for the ORF Austrian Radio Orchestra and Ute Wassermann, the Munich Philharmonic, Ircam, and the Donaueschingen Festival

Dr. William Schimmel earned his doctorate of Music from Julliard. A composer, author, lecturer, philosopher and virtuoso accordionist, he performs in a wide variety of styles from classical to pop and has appeared with many major symphony orchestr as and recorded with such noted performers as Sting and Tom Waits, whose celebrated remark, “Bill Schimmel doesn't play the accordion—he is an accordion,” has entered accordion legend.

An authority on Kurt Weill, Dr. Schimmel has recorded all of Weill's music with accordion. He is a prolific composer from the concert stage to Broadway theater and is founder of the renowned Tango Project. In 1992 he was named “Best Accordionist” by Keyboard Magazine and recognized as the figure who has done the most to elevate the accordion's otherwise tawdry image.

The Saturday night Concert (June 28th, 2003) of the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG) will feature the Milwaukee Municipal Orchestra under the direction of Janet Millard where they will present several works for accordion and symphony orchestra.

The feature work will be the Concerto No. 2 by ATG President Emeritus Anthony Galla-Rini which will feature Stas Venglevski as soloist.

Janet also conducts the Concord Chamber Orchestra where she is in her 8th Season as music Director and conductor.

Janet Millard enjoyed a distinguished career as a flutist, performing as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She held the principal flute post with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra from 1973-1991.

As a conductor, Ms. Millard has recorded with Julius Baker and the Flute Force, as well as the San Francisco Women's Philharmonic. She has been conductor of the University Community Orchestra of UW-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Municipal Orchestra, as well as assistant conductor of the Lincoln Opera (Chicago).

In 1995, she conducted a concert of the professional flute choir at the National Flute Association Convention. She has conducted the Waukesha Symphony Orchestra, the Waukesha Area Symphonic Band and was also a guest conductor of the Columbus (Ohio) Women's Orchestra.

For more details on this concert and others as they become available, please visit: www.accordions.com/atg