Accordionist Alex Chudolij, band leader, accordion designer, and owner of Music Magic USA based in Clifton, NJ. will be the featured artist of the Massachusetts Accordion Association at its free Oct. 28 meeting at 2 PM in Newton, MA.

Music Magic Accordions USA’s founder and President, Alex Chudolij, started his musical career on October 8, 1964 at the age of 6. For the next 10 years he studied the piano accordion as a student of well known professor, teacher and performer Tulio Gasperini in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. During the latter part of his formal training Alex earned numerous awards in solo, band and ensemble categories at Rhode Island state competitions as well as national American Accordionists Association championships held in Pittsburgh, PA, Washington, DC and Springfield, MA.

As a teenager Alex was already making numerous concert and festival appearances, pleasing the crowds with classic showpieces and his own concert arrangements.  
At the age of 15, Alex became the summer resident accordionist/entertainer at a resort area located in upstate New York’s Catskill Mountain “Borscht Belt” region. The following summer Alex became the resort’s summer bandleader and assistant Social Director. He held this position for the next 5 years. As he became known to the thousands of vacationers, the demand for his band began to grow. In addition to the house band playing 3 or 4 nights per week, Alex also provided lounge strolling, lunchtime, campfire and concert entertainment each week.

At the age of 16, Alex teamed up with the resort’s drummer, and formed a unique 2-piece ensemble. The pair performed for the next decade all over the Eastern United States including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Florida. The band played dances, weddings and festivals including the National Polka Festival at Hunter Mountain, NY and the Ukrainian Festival USA at the Garden State Performing Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. After the duo recorded their first LP, they added two new members – a sax and trumpet – to the band. Their next album was a live recording entitled, “At the Dance”.

As Alex continued on to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and later to Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts where he received his Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, he continued his musical appearances as much as his schedule would allow. In Cleveland, Alex was enamored with the degree to which the accordion was still a very popular instrument – especially among the large local Slovenian population.  At Tufts, his performance at the Student Union playing his arrangement of a Ukrainian Folk Song Fantasy won him first prize in a university wide talent competition – beating out competing rock groups, folk singer/guitarists and other more typical types of college entertainment.

In 1991, Alex recorded a unique one man band instrumental album, “Electric Kozak” which was recorded using a midi accordion. This recording made its debut at the Garden State Arts Center, where it sold over 200 copies in its first day of sales.  For the next four years Alex’s Electric Kozak Band had been providing entertainment for crowds of all sizes and for all occasions, including a gala reception for then Olympic gold medalists Oksana Baiul and Victor Petrenko.  Alex’s wife, Lillianna, performed as the band’s lead singer until 1996, when Alex retired from regular band engagements and subsequently founded Music Magic USA. Presently Alex, Lilliana, and their son, Peter, travel with their accordion business to many accordion festivals including the AAA, AAMS, and Florida SMASH among others.

In addition to being a composer, having composed several of the songs on his popular Electric Kozak album, Alex has been instrumental in promoting the accordion with library lectures, grade school appearances and other goodwill affairs where he has showcased the beauty and uniqueness of the accordion to audiences of all types.In addition to performing, he will also explain the three categories of accordions commonly available today – traditional acoustic, acoustic with MIDI, and all electronic (conventional reedless models and Roland V-Accordions) – and discuss the features, playability, advantages and limitations of each.

The Massachusetts Accordion Association, a not-for-profit organization, encourages the enjoyment of the accordion by its members and the larger state-wide community both by sponsoring three free guest artist appearances per year at its Newton location and by offering several free community outreach concerts throughout the year.

Alex Chudolij’s program takes place at the Ciociaro Club at 144 Bridge Street in the Nonantum section of Newton beginning about 2:PM. Please bring your accordion and join in the group Play-Along at 1:30 preceding Mr. Chudolij. The event is free and parking is available on Bridge Street.

For further information:
888-887-0975
info@MusicMagicUSA.com