From the start, Accordion Heroes was designed to be a unique event. The defining characteristics were to sustain the very special North American heritage of the Accordion and to provide opportunities for young players – tomorrow’s Accordion Heroes. The young players were the most important part of the event.

Accordion Heroes 2012 planned an extensive variety of artist performances as a way to engage the accordion community in this endeavor and to provide financial support for the young artist program. However, due to a combination of the economy and other factors, support fell far below expectations. To remain true to the commitment to the young players, especially those anticipating the event, Accordion Heroes 2012 was revamped into an event exclusive to that purpose.

Hosted at the home of Dale and DeAnn Wise, seven young players gathered under the mentorship of William Cosby, Michael Bridge, Esther Lanting, Jim Rice, and Dale for two intensive days of hands-on sessions. The kickoff included an individual video recording of each participant before segueing into topics that included Winning Colors, instrument position and posture, tension and release & the phrase renewal, basics of Galla-Rini’s tone production, learning how to learn, basics of rhythm, how to book and successfully play jobs, conversations using only the accordion, music and the brain, bass patterns, fundamental accordion care and repair, the five types of bellow shakes, and playing music for dancers. In addition to working with mentors, each of the young players had a Bellows Buddy. The events wrapped with a second video recording at the end of the event.

The mentors were amazed at the young player’s diversity of talent, but perhaps even more amazed at their enthusiasm and true love of the accordion. Even at the end of a long day that was already an hour over schedule, they didn’t want to stop.

Local enthusiasts were invited to Saturday’s picnic where they joined the young players in an informal accordion ensemble, a variety of solo performances, and an abundance Accordy-Inn hospitality and great food.

But perhaps the real magic of Accordion Heroes happened on the Friday evening before the picnic. It was here where the Accordion Heroes concept came together in a way that might never have been possible in the originally scheduled venue.

The original event invited enthusiasts to observe the mentoring process with the young players. At the revamped program, the sessions were closed to all but participants and parents. This created a uniquely personal atmosphere, not only with the mentors, but among the young players. We sat around Dale’s large dining room table, sharing personal dreams, experiences and hopes that would never been discussed with the distractions of a catered event. Everyone assisted in preparing food and in clean up. I watched a fellowship that had developed among the young players, parents, and the mentors, realizing that the most the most important goal of the original concept had been realized.

At that point the young artists asked that the mentors play for them – and we did. It was our turn to validate, a term that in the earliest discussions of Accordion Heroes terrified almost everyone. But in one of my favorite Gregory Stone quotes, “We don’t talk about music, we play music.” It was our command performance and it was just for them.

It was my turn to go beyond basics of tone production: time to bring Galla-Rini’s musical vision to life with several of his big transcriptions, which unfortunately, are rarely played. Esther played for them on Galla-Rini’s last accordion, including his arrangement of The Lord’s Prayer which she performed at his memorial service. But nature provided a special surprise as Michael played, when the quiet backdrop of the Northern Virginia countryside was interrupted with a fierce thunderstorm. Michael is likely one of the few players with the virtuosity and musical passion to successfully engage in such a competition; willing to take on nature one-on-one.

Congratulations to Nikitas Conrad, Darla Eaton, Joel Stokes, Hannah Jane, Liubov Pak, Vince Demor, and Dena Monticone – seven of today’s young Accordion Heroes!

Center Photo:Jim Rice, Liubov Pak, Michael Bridge, Darla Eaton, Dale Wise, Vince Demor, Hannah Jane, Esther Lanting, Dena Monticone, William Cosby, and Stokes.
Outside pictures (clockwise from upper right corner): Michael and Bill, Darla, Michael, Esther Lanting & Heidi King, Liubov, Vince, Hannah, and Dale