Video Published on Mar 31, 2014 when Jim Vandelly was the Honoree of the 2014 American Accordion Musicological Society Festival. This slideshow was created by Joan and Dan Grauman in honor of Jim’s award and was shown at the Festival banquet on March 29, 2014.
Jim Vandelly was the featured soloist at the Accordion Renaissance concert in Williamsburg VA on Dec 5, 2015. He presented a Bayan workshop before the full concert.
Jim shared, “I mailed one of my CD’s to the little town in Russia where Poludnytsin grew up (Ognyeva Zaimka) near Novosibirsk. He became blind at a young age from TB in the eyes. Stalin found out about his condition and did a lot to help him and promote him as a model Bayanist who played authentic Russian folk music. I have a long-play LP of his music, and listen to it nearly every day. I played several of his renditions at the Renaissance concert. The Russians in the audience were thrilled, and all others loved the Russian music, too.”
Jim has played the piano accordion since age 6 when he began lessons at Rosita Lee and Georgine Studios in Fitchburg, Massachsetts under master accordionist Georgy Janis from 1948 until 1955.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1955, he continued taking lessons from Sam Petome. He played at the Officer’s Club and River Club in San Angelo, Texas while serving in the US Air Force.
In the early 1990’s, he began studying the Russian Bayan from several visiting Russina and Ukrainian bayanists. He played in the Washing ton Balalaika Society Orchestra from 1989 to 2001.
Over the years he also played at the Smithsonian Institution and private venues as a soloist. In 1993, he accompanied the Balalaikda Domra Association Orchestra to Russia performing in Moscow and St.Petersburg.
He was also guest accordionist with the Kazbek Russian Orchestra in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2001, as a member of the ensemble Beltway Balalaikas, he played at one of the Inaugural Balls and at the British and Russian embassies in Washington, DC. In 2004 Jim joined the Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society. His repertoire on the piano accordion consists of semi-classical and American Standards going back to the 1920s. Jim’s repertoire on the Russian bayan consists primarily of Russian and Ukrainian folks songs but also familiar American and international tunes.
For further information:
Vandelly@verizon.net
703 915-2425 (c)
