The American Accordionists’ Association (AAA) is pleased to invite you to register for participation in its Youth Jazz Ensemble, which will perform during the 2012 Annual Competition and Festival at the Sheraton City Center Hotel in Baltimore, MD, from July 11-15, 2012. The AAA has been in existence since 1938 and enjoys a long, rich history of promoting the accordion and assisting in the development of many fine accordion musicians.

This is the second year an invitation is extended to a select group of young musicians who play instruments other than accordion to participate in the annual festival. This unique musical jazz ensemble will consist of a combination of young, highly skilled accordionists, along with other young, jazz instrumentalists ages 13-25. Participants will be included based on the recommendation of their teacher, the particular instrument they play, the amount and types of musical experiences they’ve had to date, and their willingness and availability to participate fully in this ensemble.

This experience will involve a day and a half of rehearsal which will culminate in a performance for an audience of several hundred festival participants, the general public and the media. During this time, participates will become part of a world largely unexplored by young non-accordionist musicians. You may have heard accordion music before. You may even recognize it, since it’s becoming more popular with young people again. But this will be different, and you will be part of making that new and different sound!!

This will likely be a once in a lifetime opportunity for you! The conductor, Eddie Monteiro, is one of the finest jazz accordionists in the world. He has performed with Bobby Rosengarden, Skitch Henderson, Peter Duchin, Ray Bloch, Michael Lavin and Marty Ames. Eddie has served as a Product Specialist for the Roland Corporation, promoting a line of the latest digital Accordions. Eddie currently occupies the accordion “chair” in the Broadway production of “Evita.” Above all, Eddie is a fun guy, a brilliant musician and teacher who will bring your talents to new heights.

Don Gerundo has arranged the pieces for this year’s ensemble. Don is an active accordionist and pianist performing in the New York metropolitan area. He has performed and accompanied Lenny Welch (hit record “Since I Fell For You”), as well as Joe Piscopo, and has performed at Swing 46 in New York City, White Plains Theatre for the Arts, Coney Island Park and other large venues. Don is also an experienced user of Finale (music notation software) and has used it since 1992 almost from its inception. He uses it to create arrangements, generate materials for students, create transcriptions as well as composition. See more info about Don in another article in this issue.

Also included in this year’s program is a workshop on improvisation, delivered by Gabe Hall-Rodrigues, US Accordion Virtuoso Champion and veteran of last year’s Youth Jazz Ensemble.

Since non-accordion participants in this ensemble are guest artists, there will be no charge for participation. Simply fill out the attached registration form and return it to Marilyn O’Neil, and Marilyn will contact you by phone or e-mail. Once your registration process is complete, music will be sent to you so you can be ready to rehearse with the ensemble on Friday, July 13, and deliver a performance on Saturday, July 14.

Please note that if you are under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must provide permission for you to participate in this event, and you need to be available both days to participate. There is no cost for scheduled meals and any other festival related activity, such as workshops, during these 2 days. We do not provide overnight accommodations or transportation to and from the festival site.

For further information: Marilyn@ctaccordion.com