This year’s 2020 International Digital Electronic Accordion Society (IDEAS) Symposium was a very special breakthrough virtual event, all of which couldn’t be demonstrated any more clearly than with the attached Symposium Souvenir Book. Joe Natoli said, “Some folks have asked “What is this IDEAS Symposium I keep reading about?” This 90-page Souvenir book will answer that question on every level, going into great detail about our 50 workshops and 4 concerts! But you can also go to our web page (www.gr8ideas.org), or look at the Announcements section on our Facebook page (“GR8 IDEAS”) to learn more.

We normally provide this Souvenir Book in printed form only to our attendees each year. But since we are virtual this year, it is especially easy to share it globally. We encourage all of you to distribute it to your network of musical friends as well. Absolutely everything about the Symposium is found in these pages (artists, faculty, bios, 50 workshops, 4 concert listings and more). Also, all of the ads, email addresses, and web links are active from within the document. So enjoy!”

Did you miss the incredible IDEAS Virtual Symposium 3.0? Would you like to still experience it all, at your own pace and schedule? There are 103! perfectly recorded video hours of every single workshop, concert, and event that took place at this amazing 16-day Symposium. Joe said, “Michael Soloway and I would like to invite you to email IDEAS
 (thegr8.ideas@gmail.com) now for details on how to take advantage of this huge library of information, training, and entertainment being offered to paid members for $575 and/or if you are not yet a paid member, just purchase the membership for an additional $45. It will be just like being at the live Symposium! Based on the rave reviews the Symposium has received here, you will be thrilled with your investment! www.gr8ideas.org

Joe continued, “While all the symposium sessions were all fantastic the pinnacle in my opinion were the presentations given by Uwe Steger on the mfx processing abilities of the 8x/Bugari – the ability to make the sounds richer, fuller or enhanced using this section has been demystified by his sessions and something many of us all underutilize. His visual explanations along with with skillful editing style was clearly coupled with his creative abilities afforded us the a benefit of seeing what the instrument truly is capable of in a manner unparalleled by others. Just magnificent ! For those who didn’t attend – you missed something extraordinary – and that is an understatement!”

As a lifelong acoustic accordionist, but not formally instructed on digital accordions, I found the workshops and seminars at the IDEAS Symposium to be very user friendly and really a complete education on how to play and efficiently and accurately implement the infinite possibilities on the digital accordion. I look forward to the near future when I plan to own one and play! The IDEAS Symposium was informative, interactive, and as you read this article, you will realize that it will continue to enable you to learn more at your own pace. I thoroughly enjoyed the seminars, workshops, and the excellent virtual concerts that showcased the digital accordion. If you consider investing in the IDEAS symposium and you calculate the total fee divided by the number of hours, your final cost is $6.00 per hour for professional and entertaining instruction! Less than a cup of coffee!

To briefly mention some of the special people and events: Michael Bridge presented a world premier look at his new sound sets structured around the Roland FR8X and Bugari Evo; Tris Gour broke new ground by broadcasting live episodes of his Whole Note series dedicated to both acoustic and digital accordions and how to get optimal use out of them; Cory Pesaturo provided two sessions of his highly successful CPEZ Academy from within the context of the Symposium; Joe Natoli headed a session on the Future of Digital Accordion which was an in depth discussion and presentation on where we will be going next.

Marco Cinaglia (of Proxima Digital Accordion) and Uwe Steger participated in this discussion and there was interaction with the audience; Uwe Steger’s discussions on Effects and Master Effects usage on digital accordion in his first session, and in his second session, “Foray through unique sounds, adapting programs to personal style and other weird stuff!”;Bob Donovan getting into the specifics of the Ketron SD90 arranger as well as helping get to the basics of the FR-8X and the Bugari Evo; Markus Baggio demonstrated the incredible capabilities of the Roland BK-7M arranger as well as making forScore music display software for the iPad easy and understandable; Michael Soloway, Kevin Solecki, & Alex Chudolij took beginners through the basics of the Roland FR-4X and accompanying editor, as well as an advanced class;Tris Gour & Michael Soloway taught and demonstrated the use of the Roland Editor for both the FR-4X and FR-8X.

Joe Natoli & Kenn Baert taught the FR-8X Bugari Evo advanced Level 2 class “Programming like a Pro” so that those users could learn all the best tricks for making the FR-8X and Bugari Evo sound great; Eddie Monteiro shared his special jazz genius and the many stories along the way that helped shape his incredible talent; Lenny Feldmann had a special treat for all of your BK-7M users with his customized playlists from which you will benefit from his hundreds of hours of work. plus much more.

Additional comments on the Symposium:
Joan C. Sommers said, “Happy Thanksgiving to all the new and old friends I met during the GR8 IDEAS Symposium. It was such a wonderful event and very welcoming to those of us attending for the first time! Thank you so much! Be safe until we get our vaccinations!”

“WOW! What an AMAZING couple weeks its been with Michael, Joe, presenters and attendees! As Symposium 3.0 comes to an end, I’m already looking forward to next year 2021!! I’m sure Michael and Joe first need at least one good night’s sleep before they already start planning for next year though”

“Thank you for inviting me to be both a presenter and performer this year. Congratulations on a GR8 job done this year transitioning to a virtual event”

Rebecca Jane: Joseph Natoliand Michael Soloway and the rest of the faculty have done an impossible job on this GR8 IDEAS Symposium. The preparation, detail and execution were fantastic. We were not able to watch every workshop when aired but no problem they were all recorded for future viewing. We will catch up in a few days and watch again tin he future. I think you are up to something great.”

“Looking forward to his next one with great anticipation! The Symposium has been worth every moment and more than worth the cost! This is my first but it won’t be my last; I am enjoying it and really learning so much! Congratulations to Joe and Michael for your efforts!”

Joseph Natoli, “Thanks to all for the humbling and positive feedback. It’s very encouraging that we hit the mark with this first attempt at going virtual. Glad you are loving it as much as we enjoyed creating it. Brings an otherwise tough 2020 to a more uplifting close. Thanks again everyone”

We all look forward to the next IDEAS Symposium organized by Joe Natoli and Michael Soloway.

For further information: thegr8.ideas@gmail.com