Bachtopus happily released the first commission from their 2020 Composers Commissioning Fund on October 31, 2020. “Hymn” was composed for Bachtopus by Denise Koncelik, DMA, who said part of her inspiration came from a short story by Edgar Allan Poe titled “Morella.”

The Gothic horror story tells the tale of Morella, a woman who dies during childbirth. The father cannot bear to name the child until her tenth birthday. Her resemblance to Morella is so uncanny that father decides to baptize her to drive away the evil spirits within.

During the ritual, the priest asks for the daughter’s name. When the father responds “Morella,” the daughter cries out “I’m here!” and then dies. The father returns to his wife’s tomb to find nothing inside. In Poe’s short story, “Hymn” is a poem written by Morella to the Virgin Mary and sung to her husband.

The Bachtopus Accordion Ensemble’s 2020 Composer Commissioning Fund is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC). Contributors:
• Brooklyn Arts Council
• New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

Excerpts from their website: Bachtopus is a contemporary accordion ensemble from New York City that performs music by living composers and Johann Sebastian Bach. The ensemble was borne out of a fruitful musical duet between Robert Duncan and Mayumi Miyaoka, who partnered during the Winter of 2011. Denise Koncelik and Peter Flint, who were members of the Brooklyn Accordion Club, joined the duet to play Bach’s organ music, which is well suited to the accordion.

The group soon shifted focus to become one of the few accordion ensembles in the United States that plays new music. Having established a large repertoire in just a few years, Bachtopus seeks to play more original compositions, commissioned works, and contemporary music that is interesting, accessible, and grounded in traditional folk music.

The ensemble has performed for diverse audiences, and previous performance highlights include: Make Music New York, Bach in the Subways, The New Museum, Accordions Around the World, Meetup.com, and the American Accordion Association Seminars. Bachtopus performs music by and is inspired by Accordion Tribe, Motion Trio, the Kronos Quartet, Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Stas Venglevski, the Bang On a Can All-Stars, and Jacques Cousteau. The group features original compositions by Peter Flint and Sy Kushner, and arrangements by Robert Duncan and Denise Koncelik.

The members of Bachtopus are Robert Duncan, Peter Flint, Denise Koncelik, Jeanne Velonis, and Mayumi Miyaoka. Robert Duncan, is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the City University of New York and received a BA in Music Humanities at the University of California at San Diego. He is the founder and director of Bachtopus.

Peter Flint has degrees in electronic music, history, and composition from Oberlin College and Conservatory and New England Conservatory. He has studied accordion with Walter Kuehr, William Schimmel, and Rob Curto, Conrad Cummings, Michael Gandolfi, Scott Wheeler, and Lee Hyla. He is deeply interested in Afro-Cuban music and recently had an orchestral composition performed in Havana, Cuba by the Camerata Romeu.He is on the board of directors at the Third Street Music School Settlement.

Denise Koncelik, DMA, is a freelance musician and arranger with degrees in music theory/composition, pedagogy, and performance, and taught at Midwestern State University and Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Koncelik played piccolo/3rd flute and jazz piano with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra for 13 seasons, and has performed at Symphony Space, Joe’s Pub and le poisson rouge. She is co-director of the New York Flute Club Ensemble Program, a member of the Chelsea Musica, and plays bass accordion in NYC’s Main Squeeze Orchestra

Mayumi Miyaoka, is an Academic Librarian/Archivist by day, and accordionist by night. She is the founder/organizer of Brooklyn Accordion Club, and is the compiler/editor of a self-published magazine, SqueeZine! – Chronicles of Accordionists. Mayumi studied with Stanley and Joanna Darrow at ACME Accordion School in NJ, and with Dr. William Schimmel in NYC.

Jeanne Velonis is a classical recording engineer and the newest member of Bachtopus. Initially self-taught, she has studied accordion with Leah Barkan and Mary Tokarski.

For further information: sinolev@yahoo.com