18 year-old college freshman, Austin Troutt, has been studying the piano accordion with Donna Douglas Massey for the past five years. He decided to audition for a part in the play “The Servant of Two Masters” at his school, Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. During the callbacks, the director learned that Austin plays the accordion and she asked if he could play during the show. Austin was thrilled. “I had been hoping to get a worthwhile part in the play, and through the accordion, I was able to secure a fulfilling role for myself.” The play takes place in Venice, Italy, so Austin played Italian folk music as well as “sound effects” on his accordion.

Austin says that he absolutely loves playing the accordion. “It is an incredibly flexible instrument when it comes to different music genres. It can play country, folk, orchestral, jazz – it is a wonderful instrument to play,” says Austin.

Donna says that “Austin is a pleasure to work with; he has a great ear for music, and he is also an honors student. It was a joy for me to see Austin having so much fun promoting the accordion in a college play. He has another play coming up, where he will again be featured on the accordion.”