Video 1: Twilight of Shadows for Accordion and Clarinet by David Carovillano
Video 2: ”Perpetual Light” Premiered December 16, 2019

Canadian accordionist David Carovillano and clarinetist Rebecca Sajo-Carovillano have been making music together since 2003 as the duo, Acclarion. Rare in the world of classical music, they’ve had to carve out their own path the entire time. After 16 years performing throughout North America, releasing 4 albums, and pioneering new repertoire for their combination, Acclarion is still pulling audiences into the magic of music for accordion and clarinet, shattering expectations. On concert stages as far north as Canada’s Yukon and Northwest Territories and into the southern United States, Acclarion has proven the versatility of the accordion as a chamber music instrument.

Alongside commissions from Canadian and European composers, David Carovillano has composed and arranged over 20 works for the duo – works that are artistically rewarding to perform while engaging and entertaining audiences – challenging them to think beyond an old-fashioned, clichéd image of the accordion. The positive response from Acclarion’s audiences encouraged David to compose for other instrumentalists and in the past 5 years he has created over 100 works for chamber ensembles, media productions. He is an instrumental storyteller, weaving a tapestry of poignant lyricism, rich harmonic language, inventive contrapuntal dialogue, and earnest emotion. Along with Acclarion’s premieres, David’s music has been premiered by the Windsor Symphony, members of the Calgary Philharmonic, musicians of the Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra, and CBC Radio’s Music Around Us.

In 2019, David received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council to compose a double concerto for accordion and clarinet, “Indomitable Spirit”. It is Acclarion’s first piece to perform with orchestra, after more than a decade of collaborations with other chamber musicians, including Erica Goodman (harpist), Order of Canada bassoonist, George Zukerman, Angela Park (pianist) among numerous others. This piece will promote the accordion as a serious, classical instrument to wider audiences and will be an important contribution to Canadian concert accordion repertoire. The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) provides grants to Ontario-based individual artists and arts professionals, ad hoc groups/collectives and organizations. Grants support a range of arts activities and disciplines.

Excerpts from their websites: David Carovillano holds a Masters degree in performance from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music. He is a student of Canada’s accordion pioneer Joseph Macerollo. Having competed in various music festivals throughout North America, David has received over 140 awards for his playing and he has received several scholarships from the University of Toronto.  David participated in master classes held in Venice Italy, studying under noted German accordionist, Hugo Noth.  He has performed on numerous television, radio shows and theatre productions, including City TV’s Breakfast Television, Insight Productions’ Ready or Not, HGTV’s Design for Living, Global TV/MTV, a solo concert in 2001 with CBC’s Music Around Us, the Stratford Festival’s production of Fiddler on the Roof and the “new Mozart musical”,  The Magic of Love for which he appears on the original cast recording, conducted by Charles Cozens.  David has performed in various chamber capacities with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Toronto Winds, and I Furiosi, as well as being featured in new music concert series presented by Collaborations and Array Music.  In addition to performing, he is active as a music educator, festival adjudicator, and clinician.  As a composer and arranger, his music has been featured on radio, recordings, and live concert performances in North America and Europe.

Clarinetist Rebecca Sajo-Carovillano holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music.  She is the first person in the university’s history to major in multiple woodwind performance.  Rebecca is proficient on all clarinets, bassoon, saxophone, and flute. She has studied with clarinetist Peter Stoll, saxophonist Alex Dean, and bassoonist Kathleen MacLean as well as playing in master classes for James Campbell and Sabine Meyer.  She was a finalist for two years in the Canadian Music Competitions, is Royal Conservatory silver medalist on clarinet and saxophone and earned her ARCT in clarinet performance when she was just 16.  Rebecca has played with the National Youth Band, the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Toronto Philharmonia.  Rebecca participated in the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles where she played with musicians such as Paul McCandless, Randy Newman and Arturo Sandorval. Her musical versatility was displayed through performances of classical, jazz, pop and film music with some of LA’s finest musicians.  As a teaching-artist, Rebecca maintains a private music studio, is frequently sought after by schools to coach wind and chamber music ensembles, and has developed music programs for schools in three Canadian provinces.

To listen to more of David’s compositions visit www.dearvillainmusic.com and www.acclarion.ca. In the past 5 years David and Rebecca have also been honing their skills programming virtual instruments to create high quality performances. The first recording of “Indomitable Spirit” will combine David and Rebecca’s live accordion and clarinet with this virtual orchestra. To appreciate the capabilities of these virtual instruments listen to one of David’s newest compositions, “Perpetual Light”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

David shares: “Perpetual Light for Violin and Orchestra” is a single movement tone poem that captures the essence and energy of fire, through the perspective of a lone candle. As the flame dances around the wick, it remains stoic against the forces that seek to extinguish it, continuing to shine its beam of light proudly. Just when the smoldering flame appears to have dissipated, it roars back to life with renewed vigour. The candle’s fire dramatizes the struggle between the light and the dark; the energy that is all around us, waiting to be unleashed. In our moments of deepest despair, the Perpetual Light will bring us hope.”

For further information: acclarion@yahoo.ca