The Accordion Pops Orchestra directed by Al Terzo will present their Spring Concert on Sunday June 10, 2012 at 2:00 PM to thank their generous practice hall hosts at the
Imperial Music Center
48 Appleby Ave.
South River, NJ 08882
Tickets $10.00, available at door
Renowned accordion champions Beverly Curnow and Mary Tokarski will perform as guest artists. Also featured are Albert Manginelli (accordion) and Nicole D’Angelo (piano), champions from the recent 2012 Mid Atlantic Music Teachers Guild competition.
Al Terzo is a teacher, conductor and arranger and has been a member of the orchestra since it began in 1970. He is a member of the New Jersey Music Teachers Association and National Association of Music Educators. He is also on the governing board of the American Accordionists’ Association an a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Music Teachers Guild. As an accomplished accordionist, he has given performances at the Garden State Arts Center and Newark Symphony Hall. He also teachers accordion and piano in New Jersey.
The orchestra’s roots can be traced to 1970, when it was organized by the Accordion Teachers’ Association of New Jersey. Over the next ten years it performed at various community functions throughout the state under the direction of its first conductor, Dr.Jacob Neupauer of Philadelphia.
In 1980 the orchestra members took a leave of absence, but four years later the membership was reorganized under the direction of the late Eugene Ettore of Livingston, New Jersey. In 1985, Daniel Desiderio was invited to act as a guest conductor of the orchestra and a few years later the A.T.A. of NJ appointed him as conductor in residence. The name of the orchestra was formally changed to the Accordion Pops Orchestra and its membership was expanded beyond the original members from New Jersey to include performers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Rhode Island. Maestro Desiderio retired as conductor in May 2011 and turned over the baton to Al Terzo.
The largest professional accordion orchestra of its kind on the East Coast, the group consists entirely of accordions plus percussion instruments. In addition, the orchestra often accompanies guest soloists including pianists and vocal artists.
For further information: webmaster@accordionpops.com if you are interested in engaging the orchestra for a concert or for more info about future concerts or join the orchestra.
