Sergei Teleshev who was selected as the 2013 US Roland V Champion received the grand prize of a new Roland FR-8XB button accordion and a paid trip to Rome, Italy representing the USA in the world competition in mid October.
Sergei is the accordionist with the internationally known Trio Voronezh, a group known for performing modern compositions and also using traditional Russian instruments. They are based in Eugene, OR.
When Teleshev won the Roland Corporation U.S. V-Accordion Festival competition in September, he was playing a digital accordion.The purpose of the competition is to introduce and promote the latest electronic models. Teleshev played a digital accordion he had less than a week.
He explained, “I had four days to prepare the program using that new instrument, since I had a really busy concert schedule. But I did that and finally I won.”
The World title went to a German accordionist, Matthias Matzke, but Teleshev received a prize for most online votes on the festival’s webcast.
The instrument lets Teleshev play his usual style, but it also allows him to explore his classical repertoire with over a thousand digital sounds.
U.S. contestants entered the contest one of two ways: YouTube® video submission or participation within the 66th Coupe Mondiale. Both amateurs and professionals were eligible and encouraged to participate. Audition videos were accepted online this summer for the U.S. “pre-selection round,” and entrants performed on either an acoustic or digital accordion during this round. U.S. contestants chosen from the top U.S. video submissions and the top-placing U.S. contestants at the Coupe Mondiale then advanced into the “final selection round.” $300 individual scholarships were also awarded to the top U.S. contestants at the Coupe.
Since stakes were much higher during the “final selection round,” the U.S. finalists were loaned V-Accordions and required to use the instrument exclusively during this round. Roland V-Accordions combine the familiar nuances of a traditional accordion with the versatility of a modern digital musical instrument and faster response, higher sensitivity and precision.
With the growing number of accordion enthusiasts in the U.S. and around the world, competing in this one-of-a-kind annual event sponsored by Roland gives unique musicians a chance to share their music across borders.
