The American Accordionists’ Association (AAA) is sponsoring the Elsie M. Bennett Composition Competition for acoustic accordion. The general purpose of the Elsie Bennett Composition Competition is to add to the solo concert repertoire of the acoustic accordion.

The AAA under the guidance Elsie M. Bennett, who was AAA President from 1973-1974, funded and commissioned more than 50 works in a body of noteworthy literature. Elsie’s desire to promote the accordion and original accordion literature inspired her to help launch the AAA Composers Commissioning Committee which she chaired from the beginning until she retired in 2004. The prestigious array of composers Elsie enlisted reads like a “Who’s Who” of contemporary giants of the twentieth century.

This is the link to the list of works that were commissioned by the AAA:
http://www.ameraccord.com/aaacommissions.html

Among the AAA commissions were works by (alphabetically) Robert Russell Bennett, Joseph Biviano, Henry Brant, Joel Brickman, Henry Cowell, Paul Creston, David Diamond, Nicholas Flagello, Lukas Foss, John Franceschino, Karen Fremar, Louis Gordon, Jose Halac, Ernst Krenek, Normand Lockwood, Otto Luening, Robert Young McMahan, Paul Pisk, Riegger Wallingford, William Schimmel, Elie Seigmeister, Jose Serebrier, William Grant Still, David Soldier, Carlos Surinach, Alexander Tcherepnin, Timothy Thompson, and Virgil Thomson.

Elsie’s additional professional affiliations included membership in A.S.C.A.P., as well as The Brooklyn Music Teachers’ Guild, The Affiliated Accordionists of New York State, The Long Island Music Teachers Association and the Accordion Teachers Guild. For a number of years she edited the AAA Newsletter and archived the organization’s publications.

Competition Information and entry form download at:
2016Bennett.pdf
The closing date for entries is June 1, 2016.

A panel of prominent accordionists and composers will be assembled by the AAA to judge all submissions. There will be first, second and third place awards presented when entries merit them. The winning compositions will receive a cash prize and be featured at this summer’s exciting AAA Festival, ‘Buffalo Squeeze Fest’, in Buffalo, NY, July 6th to 10, 2016,

For further information: ameraccord1938@gmail.com