Chris Gorton will be a featured guest artist performing at the 2011 New England Music Festival which will be held from April 8-10 at the Boston Marriott in Newton, Massachusetts. He will perform in the Ballroom on Sunday, April 10 at 1:30 PM. Chris is the winner of the 2010 Roland U.S. V-Accordion Festival.

On Sunday, March 27, Chris was a featured performer at the 9th Annual Carmen Carrozza Scholarship Fun Event at the Magnanini Winery in NY. Chris presented a challenging and varied program which included:
“La Valse a Margaux” by Richard Galliano
“Flambee Montalbanaise” by Gus Visuer
“Four” by Miles Davis
“Chiquilin de Bachin” and “Oblivion” by Astor Piazzolla
“Winter” by Vivaldi
He was very enthusiastically received by over 175 attendees.

Chris Gorton, from Providence RI.,has been playing the accordion since the age of seven, taking lessons from Bob Paolo, at Paolo music in Johnston Rhode Island. He began competing at seven years old, winning first place for 2 years. He continued to compete and won the New England Championship for three consecutive years, making him the first person in the history of the competition to do so. In 2001 and 2003 Chris traveled to the American Accordionists Association competitions and won the United States Championship for classical accordion. He was also the New England jazz Accordion Champion from 2000-2003, as well as the United States Jazz Accordion Champion for 2001 and 2003.

In 2003 Chris received an invitation to the Coupe Mondiale (World Cup) accordion competition representing the United States in Sturovo, Slovakia/Estergom, Hungary. He also participated in the World Cup again in 2007, representing the USA in Washington D.C in the classical music division.

In September 2010, Chris won the US Roland Digital Accordion Competition in LA. receiving a new Roland FR7x digital accordion, and the privilege to represent RolandUS at the International Competition held in Rome Italy, October 2010.

He is now an official Artist for Roland Corporation. He has also played Vivaldi’s “Winter” with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Dr. Emilian Bedea), and won the AAA Carrozza Scholarship Category (2010)

Chris is a graduate of Classical High school in Providence, RI. In 2007 he received his Associates in Science in Business from the Community College of Rhode Island. He is currently in his senior year at Rhode Island College, working toward a Bachelors degree in Computer Information Systems with a minor in music. His future plans include earning an advanced degree in music theory/composition.

In July 2011, Chris plans to enter the Carrozza Competition at the AAA Festival in Charleston. He will also be a guest artist at the Roland Competition in July 2011 in Orlando, Florida.

For further information : csgorton@yahoo.com