Picture above: Rose-Marie Bruno and Lou Coppola, accordion champions, with their proud teacher Rudy Molinaro, 1955

Rose-Marie Bruno Coppola passed away the night of November 28, 2020 after bravely battling a long illness. Born in Connecticut in 1939, beautiful, petite Rose-Marie spent almost her entire life performing, promoting and teaching the accordion. 

Picture left: Mother and son John performing together 2010.
Brochure for the Coppolas’ accordion school in Washington, DC in the 1960s.

An award-winning musician, she performed on the stage at Carnegie Hall in her teen years, and for US Presidents and other dignitaries, for decades, with her group The Strolling Strings.  When her illness prevented her from playing, Rose-Marie joyously supported the accordionists in the Washington, DC area and at the AAA festivals. 

A lovely, kind, inspirational person to the end, Rose-Marie will be sadly missed!

The AAA extends its deepest sympathy to the Coppola family.  Sons John and Kevin lost both parents in less than one year. 

The accordion world lost two of their finest, Lou Coppola and Rose-Marie B. Coppola.  May they rest in peace.

Picture below: The Coppola family 1972. Both sons were award-winning accordionists. L to R: Addie Cere, John Coppola, Maddalena Belfiore, Kevin Coppola, Rose-Marie and Lou Coppola.