Picture above: Conductor Joan Grauman with the WMAS Holiday Orchestra
Picture right: Nina Harris and Herb Frederickson dance at the WMAS Holiday Concert and Potluck Dinner

The Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society (WMAS) celebrated the holidays in style once again. On Sunday, December 16, the Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church in Falls Church, Virginia was packed with an audience of over one hundred happy, festively-dressed folks for the annual Holiday Concert/Potluck Dinner.

Every year, they come to sing along with our Holiday Orchestra, enjoy the solo and group performances, dine with us and dance to the lovely accordion music that is played throughout the evening. We were pleased and honored to have the Busso Music School Ensemble join us for the concert, as well as our good friend and excellent accordionist from New Jersey, Rita Davidson, who joined us in the orchestra.

Our emcee, Ken Kunec, delighted the audience with his jokes, wonderful music and also his duets with the talented accordionist and singer, Silvia Eberly. The musical variety of the groups, soloists and guest percussionists (accordionist Robert Ford’s young daughter, Rocio, a gifted classical castanets virtuoso; Dan Grauman and Luis Uribe on bells, etc.), helped to make the whole event perfect!

Thanks to all who helped out and came to support the accordion in the Washington, DC area.

WMAS’s own Potomac Accordion Ensemble performed at the Holiday Concert, as well as at two local venues, where they are invited back annually to enhance the Christmas spirit: Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland and Dublin Roasters Coffeehouse in Frederick, Maryland.

The Graumans, along with WMAS members Pat and Connie Racioppa, went down to Virginia Beach, Virginia in early December to celebrate the season with two recently formed accordion clubs in the area: “The Accordion Lovers of Virginia” of Virginia Beach and the Williamsburg-based “Accordion Revolution” club.

A lovely, well-attended event was held in the home of Anthony “Tip” and Carol Ciotti of Virginia Beach. It’s wonderful to see so many new clubs forming all over the country.

WMAS invites everyone to join us whenever you are in the area for our monthly events. For further information email: peter@musicisforever.com

Picture below: Tip Ciotti performs Irish tunes with his trio at the Accordion Lovers of Virginia’s Holiday Concert