I started playing the accordion at the ripe old age of 7. I will not divulge my age at the moment, but needless to say, I have played for all of my life, and well over 50 years.

It all started when my half-brother Michael Fernino offered my sister Julie and I accordion lessons (Julie was a year younger than me – 5 at the time). Julie immediately said yes, but I decided it looked like too much work and declined. About a year later, when Julie would have a good lesson Mike would give her money to get an ice cream cone on her way home from the lesson, and I rethought my position on the lessons. Yes, the ice cream cones really hit home for me!

I worked really hard to catch up to Julie – after all, she was my little sister and I couldn’t have her playing more than me.

Music has been an incredible experience for me. The accordion was quite popular when I was young, and lots of children took lessons making the studio experience feel more like a family than an individual task. We had ensemble and band rehearsals every week lasting a minimum of 2-3 hours each and all our “partners in crime” became our musical family. We traveled together to competitions and performances all over Connecticut and most of the United States. Great memories!!!

Every time we would come home from a competition, our elementary school teachers would ask us to play for the students . . . usually we played in EVERY room in the school separately. The experience was incredible and so appreciated by the teachers and students.

Our first professional concert was as an ensemble for the Titano Accordion Company Grand Concert in New York City – I think I was around 11 or 12. We had made quite a mark at the competitions for our excellent performances in the ensemble category, so it was quite an honor for us.

The girls dressed in blue gowns (Julie, me and our friend Terry Prestiano) and the boys were all decked out too (Mike Hamulak and Frank Baranowski). We performed Antonio Vivaldi’s Sonata in Re and Preludio by Johann Sebastian Bach alongside Bill Palmer and Bill Hughes. An amazing experience for such a young group.

I won the Connecticut State Championship at age 13 performing an arrangement of George Bizet’s Carmen Fantasie. That began a continuous participation in the U.S. Championship Competitions for many years. Each time playing in the elimination round, being chosen to play in the semi-finals, and eventually taking the championships . . . Julie did it 3 times, I did it twice. That of course meant that we would represent the U.S. and the AAA for the Coupe Mondiale World Championships in various countries . . . Julie went to England, Holland and represented the U.S. in New York City – I participated in Belgium and France. What a great way to experience the world.

Helping others to learn the accordion was a natural goal for me. I enjoyed helping others to learn, understand, and appreciate music, and started teaching actual students at age 15. Have been doing it ever since . . . no time off for good behavior! Dedicating my entire life to helping others learn good accordion skills seemed to “fit” for me. Presenting workshops, master classes, and individual lessons has kept me busy and getting to see many countries around the world. I have also enjoyed being an adjudicator at countless events and festivals, and getting to watch some of the competitors actually grow in age and musicianship over the years. One of the joys of my music was touring China with the Mantovani Orchestra as the accordionist. A delightful and rewarding experience!

I thoroughly enjoy a challenge, which is why I have always preferred classical and semi-classical genres of music – including the accordion standards by Deiro, Frosini, Ettore and so many more. Even as a teenager I resisted playing the pop music of the day. It simply didn’t challenge me in any way and I became bored with it quickly.

There were so many great accordionists that I looked up to in my formative years. Artists were easily accessible and we went to many, many concerts in the day. Charles Magnante, Carmen Carrozza, Dan Desiderio, Eugene Ettore, Palmer/Hughes, Maddalena Belfiore, Joe Biviano, Anthony GallaRini, Joan Cochran, Tony Dannon, Pietro Deiro, Jr., Art Van Damme, Andy Arcari, Leon Sash and the list goes on and on.

As I matured into a young adult all these people became my personal friends. Although we have lost a majority of them, they hold a special place in my heart and memories. Especially my dear friends Carmen Carrozza, Bill Palmer, and Tony Ettore. We would sometimes sit for hours discussing music (and life) experiences, helping me to keep my own concerns and goals intact and headed in the right direction.

There are so many precious memories of these people as artists and adjudicators. They always had lots of encouraging comments on the score sheets returned after the competitions.

I was not privileged to attend a university when I graduated high school since I started teaching right after graduation. My education was elevated with the addition of tutelage by Dr. Asher Zlotnik as a youngster. Mike became good friends with Asher. He spent many hours at our school, with both Julie and I as his private students. We learned an abundance of advanced theory so early in life that the lack of the university experience really didn’t affect my teaching skills. In fact, I think it made me much more aware of the research and analytical skills necessary to be a successful teacher.

The thing that I am most proud of in my life are the hundreds and hundreds (maybe even thousands) of students that I have helped over time. Searching for the reasons behind all the trouble spots and finding solutions for them has truly brought great joy to my life.

Many thanks to the accordion . . . and the music . . . for a life like no other.

Photo of Mary and Julie as CT Representatives to US Championship
Photo up: Mary and Julie in the 1960’s