The Accordion Association of Calgary, celebrating over 25 years, presents their Music Festival and Competition on June 24 and 25, 2017 at the Montgomery Community Hall, 5003 16th Avenue NW, Calgary, Alberta T3B 0N2, Canada.

Their annual music festival is a competitive opportunity for amateur accordionists and pianists. Each class is divided by age and music level of study. Participants need to be a member of the AAC in order to compete, and then fill out an entry form and pay their registration fees.

The adjudicator for the 2017 festival is Elizabeth (Liz) Finch) from California, USA. She was the 1st Vice President of the ATG (Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International), holds Baccalaureate and Master’s music degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Wyoming. Liz Finch studied accordion with Professor Joan Sommers, who led the first accordion department at a university in the United States.

Liz Finch has worked for many years as a professional music copyist and orchestrator in Los Angeles, California as well, where she works with many of the best-known musicians and composers in the TV, film, and recording industries. Some of the films she has served as an orchestrator are “Shrek”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” “The Dark Knight”, and “Interstellar”, to name a few.

From the website: The Accordion Association of Calgary is a registered non-profit association established in 1989. We are a group of teachers, students, parents, and accordion enthusiasts who encourage the playing and development of the accordion. We work together to create performance opportunities for our musicians and listening opportunities for the public.

Through recitals, concerts, and an annual music festival, the accordion is alive and well in Calgary! We represent all genres of music played by soloists, groups and orchestras alike. Ethnic or Folk, Jazz, Classical, Pop, or Modern musical styles are embraced by our members and teachers. The AAC also maintains a set of guiding principals and standards for grade levels and exams for it’s students. We have also established a music “library” to help maintain the original scores and selections needed for our students to continue to learn.