Accordionist Dee Langley of Minnesota has released her latest CD, “From the Edge of the Prairie” which is a new CD of original music inspired by not only her pioneer ancestors but also more recent additions to the cultural richness of Minneapolis.
Dee said, “The songs included in this album celebrate the lives of people who have come from the farthest corners of the earth to live together and make a new life. It represents the blending of old and new, preserving and creating the heritage and gifts of the pioneering spirit still vibrant today.”
Dee specializes in both solo and ensemble works on the accordion with a focus on Balkan and classical music. of Polish, Celtic, German, Scandinavian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cultures blend with Dee’s American heritage in this new CD creating living folk music with the accordion as tis driving force.
Dee Langley is a recipient of the 2011-2012 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians. Dee is also an invited Artist of the USA Projects, another prestigious award.
What is USA Projects? Launched in December, 2010 by United States Artists, USA Projects is a dynamic new creative community at www.unitedstatesartists.org that connects people with great artists and helps them to make tax-deductible contributions to projects in the performing, visual, media, and literary arts. United States Artists is a public charity dedicated to investing in America’s finest artists and illuminating their value to society. Through the USA Fellows program, it has put $12.5 million directly in the hands of living artists since 2005. Now, United States Artists has created USA Projects to foster direct connections between artists and the public, catalyze new funding for artists, bring creative projects to life, and build community around the most accomplished artists in America.
As a professional, Dee has participated in seminars and symposiums on accordion styles and techniques in Chatel, France and Klingenthal, East Germany. She also has performed with the Dolina Polish Folk Dancers and Ethnic Dance Theatre as well as officiating as Director of The EDT Folk Orchestra. Concert tours of Poland, France and the Czech Republic, respectively, being a few of the highlights of her tenures with these companies. On several occasions, Dee has been asked to perform accordion works not only with the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, but also the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, Philomusica, The St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra and the Northwoods Classical Players (members of the Chicago Symphony).
She has also premiered compositions with the Ancia Quartet, the Minneapolis Philharmonic and Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and has worked with contemporary composers including, Peter Blauvelt, Mary Ellen Childs, Becky Dale, Shelley Hanson, Mark Hellem, Carleton Macy, Carole Saline and Kim Sherman to expand the visibility of classical accordion with other instruments.
Dee Langley currently is the President of the Mill City Accordion Association and a past President of the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG). Dee lives in Minneapolis where she performs with the Balkan band Orkestar Bez Ime and the classical group Wild Hollow. Ms. Langley is founder of the NE Accordion Festival and teaches accordion for Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
For further information:squeezermn@yahoo.com
