Our Festival last year was so fabulous, as reported by you, our members, that I thought there was no chance we could ever equal or exceed that event. Well, I believe this year we ARE doing exactly that! ATG will present seven workshops, four concerts (all in the beautiful Armerding Center for Performing Arts at Wheaton College), our fabulous Festival Orchestra playing selections from musicals, Astor Piazolla’s Libertango and some classical (very familiar) selections!
Our featured artists are coming from all over the world – Grayson Masefield from New Zealand, The Polyphonia Orchestra from the French Island of Reunion, Cory Pesaturo from Rhode Island, and our own Stas Venglevski and the UMKC Accordion Ensemble, directed by Joan Sommers, will be with us as well. We also have a special treat this year with Kevin Friedrich presenting a new work for accordion, organ and timpani.
This is not the year to skip attending the ATG Festival. If you are sitting on the fence I encourage you to jump over to the side of attending the Festival.
Festival Pricing Information and Registration: 2023ATG-Festival
To make hotel reservations: 2023ATG-HotelRegistration
Description of the Concerts:
Thursday, July 20, 2023: The Accordionists and Teachers Guild International Festival presents the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) Accordion Ensemble, directed by world-renowned conductor, Joan Cochran Sommers, to open the program. This year’s group, assisted by Wheaton College graduates on percussion, presents an interesting and musically demanding repertoire which we know will be appreciated by all audiences! The UMKC Ensemble will be followed by Cory Pesaturo, an artist known for his versatility and improvisational skills. Along with a guest artist, Cory will present a concert featuring Brazilian music, Argentinian Tango and American Jazz performed on the Digital Accordion, sounding like a full quartet simultaneously with no backing tracks.
Friday, July 21, 2023:
The Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International Festival continues with the presentation of the dynamic energy of Stanislav Venglevski and Nathaniel Holman as they combine the warmth of the marimba and wide range and sparkle of the bayan to create an unforgettable performance. The visual and auditory elements of these two instruments present listeners with new and exciting ways of hearing both new and classic works. The duo will be followed by Accordionist Kevin Friedrich who will be joined by Wheaton College’s own Dr. Tony Payne, Associate Professor of Music, Director of Special Programs and Artist Series at Wheaton College, on organ; Ron Dake (bass accordion) and Nathaniel Holman (percussion) in a performance of a newly commissioned work titled ‘Dargaville Impressions’ by a well-known English accordionist and composer, Ian Watson. The program culminates with a performance by The Polyphonia Orchestra, from the French Island of Reunion, under the direction of Pierre Varo. This is an unforgettable group that combines accordions, singers, and multiple orchestral instruments made up of young musicians from the French Island of Reunion who have shared their eclectic program from classical to pop across four continents.
Saturday, July 22, 2023:
As a final concert to close the Festival, Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International, presents the ATG Festival Accordion Orchestra, directed by Joan Cochran Sommers, to open the program. This is a long-standing Festival activity involving accordionists from all over the USA plus other countries such as Canada, Austria and New Zealand and Australia. Assisted by Wheaton College graduates on percussion, the program will include classical selections, medleys from musicals and tango nuevo. This program culminates with soloist, Grayson Masefield, a New Zealand born accordionist, and the first person to win World Championships in Classical, Virtuoso and Digital accordion categories. He is currently the Instrumental Music Instructor for accordion at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and is regularly invited to perform concerts, give masterclasses and serve as an adjudicator at festivals and universities around the world. His program of classical transcriptions, original works, and nuevo tango will also include a world premiere of “Meditatio” (a meditation on the irrationality of human barbarish) from Spanish composer Gorka Hermosa, commissioned by the ATG.
Visit our website at www.atgaccordions.com to see the schedule and for addtional information. I look forward to seeing you in July!
Here is the link for tickets on the Wheaton College Artist Series: https://tickets.wheaton.edu
Best regards,
Mary Ann Covone
President of Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International
