Cody McSherry just turned thirteen last week. He is a seventh grade student at Resurrection Catholic School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He began his musical studies with piano at age four and accordion at age six.

Cody also studies button accordion, pipe organ, theater organ, saxophone, viola, and voice. He enjoys performing regularly throughout the Lancaster area as a soloist and also with his band, Polterabend.

He has performed onstage with the renowned Alex Meixner Band and the Walt Groller Orchestra, and he is the youngest member of the Accordion Pops Orchestra under the direction of Al Terzo.

Very active in his church, Historic St. Mary’s in Lancaster, Cody is an altar server, sacristan, plays in the instrumental ensemble and sings in the adult choir. Last year, Cody played the role of Gavroche in Les Miserables and Flick in A Christmas Story, The Musical, both at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre in Lancaster.

He was recently cast in Servant Stage’s Old Time Gospel Radio Hour, where he sang and played accordion.

Last Saturday, Cody gave his first house concert performing on piano, button accordion and piano accordion for over an hour. The 35 guests in the audience enthusiastically received Cody’s efforts on the three instruments and were amazed at his virtuosity, versatility and his ability to engage an audience.

This concert was held at our home as he and his parents were staying with us for the weekend. Cody wanted to learn Balkan rhythms on the accordion, so they drove to Maryland where I demonstrated Balkan melodies and educated Cody on the mathematical patterns of the Balkan meters.

I was shocked and delighted as he learned one after another: 7/8, 9/8, 5/8, 11/16, 15/16, with total ease and surety. In thirty minutes, he could play all of the above accurately and he even learned a few Balkan melodies – and one was in 15/16 – no problem at all for Cody!

It has been a joy for us to watch Cody grow musically (and physically – he is now taller than Joan) over the years. Join us for the 2016 AAA Festival in Buffalo, NY where you can watch Cody play in the Youth Jazz Ensemble, the Youth Orchestra, and hear him play his competition pieces.

Cody recently started studying the piano accordion with former US Virtuoso Accordion Champion and current AAA President, Mary Tokarski.

Cody and his band will be performing at the 2016 Reading Liederkranz Button Box Festival, which will take place in Reading, Pennsylvania on September 17, 2016.