DAILY REPORTS by Kevin Friedrich online at Sata-Häme Soi.

The international VII Primus Ikaalinen Accordion Competition was held at the Sata-Häme Soi Festival. The competition was organized for the seventh time and the final was broadcast live on Finland´s National TV and live on the internet.

The winner of Primus Ikaalinen is Cory Pesaturo (USA) and Giorgio Albanese (Italy) placed second.

The first round of the competition ended with four players (three on the same mark) going into the finals. The finals ended with equal marks for Cory and Giorgio with a judges decision awarding the first prize to Cory.

The tight competition culminated in an exciting musical duel between Cory Pesaturo and Giorgio Albanese as they played ’Libertango’ by Astor Piazzolla.

Results:
1. Cory Pesaturo, USA
2. Giorgio Albanese, Italy
3. Matthias Matzke, Germany
4. Marko Kotilainen, Finland
5. Julie Blocher, France & Alexander Veretnnikov, Russia
7. Natanael Teixeira, Portugal
8. Danijel Stankovic, Austria

Members of the Jury were: Gary Daverne (New Zealand/Jury President), Kevin Friedrich (USA), Renzo Ruggieri (Italy), Julien Gonzales (France), Alexander Shirunov (Russia), Satu Sopanen (Finland).

The winner of Primus Ikaalinen 2011
Cory Pesaturo, USA (24 years old)
Competition pieces:
1. Caravan-Cherokee
2. World-Mix

Cory Pesaturo, an internationally known 24-year old musician, studied in the USA at New England Conservatory, where he was the first person ever to graduate with accordion as his major instrument. He is a dazzling improviser, whose specialty area is jazz. He performed as early as the age of 12 at the White House for President Bill Clinton.

Second prize
Giorgio Albanese, Italy (25 years old)
Competition pieces:
1. Cherokee-Donna Lee (Ray Noble/Charlie Parker, arr. R. Ruggieri)
2. Italian Medley: Tango en tres-Grande Jo

The Italian representative Giorgio Albanese is a 25-year old musician, who has become familiar to an international public with customized accordion performances – and the handsome dreadlocks. A skillful player who is equally at home in different areas of popular music from jazz to tango, and various world music styles. He studies at the Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA). In Italy, in the last two years, he has won almost ten different competition and music awards.

Further information is in the Daily Reports by Kevin Friedrich online at Sata-Häme Soi.