Co-directors Walter Martella and Karina Inkster are excited to bring you the qathet region’s fifth annual Accordion Fest including two concert performances, workshops for beginners and advanced players alike, and a wide range of musical genres for audiences to enjoy. Mark your calendars for Friday to Sunday, May 1-3, 2026!
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The 5th Annual qathet Accordion Festival will include the following activities: Concert with special guests, accordion 101 workshop, Tango workshop, accordion cabaret, Klezmer workshop, Open Mic, Accordion repairs and sales, and song circle at Willingdon beach.
What is the origin of the festival? Karina Inkster started studying the accordion with Walter Martella in 2018, and they soon became performance partners. In 2021, Walter and Karina came up with the idea for the region’s Accordion Fest. They’ve worked together to expand the stereotype of accordion music, including performing diverse pieces by Astor Piazzolla and Richard Galliano, teaming up with other instrumentalists, leading accordion workshops for beginners, and coaxing local closet accordionists out of the woodwork. An Accordion Fest seemed like the next logical step to combine these endeavours into one weekend of serious squeezebox shenanigans.
Photo of Walter Martella, Karina Inkster, Anthony Schulz.
Walter Martella is a Conductor and Music Director of the qathet Academy of Music & Arts. Walter is an accomplished pianist, accordionist, and trumpeter. He earned a Diploma in Jazz Trumpet from Malaspina College (VIU), a Bachelor of Music Degree from UVic, and attended the Banff School of Fine Arts.
Karina Inkster is a fitness and nutrition coach, author of 5 books, magazine writer, and host of the No-B.S. Vegan podcast. Founder of K.I. Health & Fitness, she and her online coaching team work with vegan clients all over the world. Karina holds a Master’s degree in Gerontology, specializing in health and aging.
When she’s not working (or working out), Karina attempts to make time for her musical pursuits. She started taking piano lessons at the age of 5, has been playing Australian didgeridoo for over 2 decades, and picked up the accordion in 2013. She’s been studying accordion with Walter Martella since 2018 and teaching accordion and didgeridoo at the qathet Academy of Music & Arts since 2023.
2026 guests and performers include Anthony Schulz, Ronen Segall, Guillermo Anad, Faye Bendrups, Budge Schachte, Stephen Nikleva, Boyd Norman, Terry Martyniuk, Martin Hergt, and the Victoria Accordion Club Band!
See future USA publications for more information.
