Alexander French Wins Texas Folklife “Big Squeeze Contest” Polka Category
June 1st 2021
Rita Davidson Barnea, Editor Accordion USA News


Video: Texas Folklife Big Squeeze on NBC5 TV DFW. The video includes three of Elena’s students: Elayne Dogged who is the youngest of the North Texas finalists in Texas Folklife’s Big Squeeze accordion contest. Also included are Nick Heatly and Alex French.
14 year old Alex French is one of the champions of Texas Folklife’s 2021 “Big Squeeze” accordion contest Texas in May 2021. His accordion teacher is Elena Fainshtein. Three of Elena’s students have become finalists and were on NBC5 news on May 9, 2021 and one of them – Alex French won the first place and became an Accordion champion in the Polka Category. Now Elena has three champions of the “Big Squeeze”:
Peter Gresser in 2018.
Elijah Clements in 2019.
Now Alex French is wearing the same title.
Alexander French, 14, has completed the 8th grade at the Strike Middle School, The Colony, Texas. He loved music since he was five. He first started piano lessons at the age of six with Elena Fainshtein. He also loved the drums, guitar, ukulele. Then, at the age of twelve, his grandmother gave him an accordion which came from a friend’s father who passed away. Alex became very interested in playing an accordion and started to play on his own. When his parents asked him if he wanted to take lessons with Elena on Accordion – he gladly agreed. He has been playing for almost a year now and really enjoys this. He likes the fact that it is close to his Russian heritage.
Elena said, “I am really proud of each of my students.”
For further information:
elena.fainshtein@gmail.com