On Sunday, May 19, 2019 at 3:PM, in celebration of WAD, World Accordion Day, Leslie and I will host a house concert in our home in West Orange, New Jersey featuring concert duo Elena and Gregory Fainshtein from Texas. Admission will be $20 per person with all proceeds going to the guest artist. There will be refreshments at the event.
Guests may arrive at 3:PM and you will have a chance to meet and talk with Elena and Gregory. The concert begins at 4:PM and lasts for about one hour. Please be early! It will be a beautiful day of music and friends, old and new. We can relax outside on the deck with delicious drinks and food.
Space in our home is limited, so if you wish to attend, it is important that you RSVP ASAP. Kindly respond to Ritabelll@aol.com, by May 10 indicating how many people will attend.These reservations will, of necessity, be on a first-come, first-served basis. I will then send details with address, directions, parking, public transportation details etc. to those who have confirmed they are coming.
Video 1: In this Talk, Elena explains how she lost her voice as a child and regained it through the gift of music. Elena and her husband Gregory, who are a part of the accordion movement, share their musical expertise in an awe-inspiring performance! Elena Fainshtein is a professional musician. Her instrument of choice from childhood has been the button accordion, traditionally known as bayan.
At the age of 17 at music college, she began playing as an accordion duo with her classmate, Gregory Fainshtein, who became her husband and music partner for life six years later. The two have performed nationally at various conventions and are actively engaged in introducing the accordion to younger generations who have never been introduced to this unique instrument in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. In the TED talks video, Gregory and Elena perform three special compositions: Roger Dufas “Princess of Accordion”, “Sunrise, Sunset”, and “Belorussian Wedding Polka”.
Elena and her husband, Gregory, are a wonderful duo together performing all types of music in a dynamic and engaging way. According to NAA Board member Greg Klugiewicz: “Elena and Gregory are among the most exciting and talented accordionists that I have had the pleasure of hearing. They are each virtuoso bayanists , but the magic really begins when they combine as a duet. Their beautiful knack for matching dynamics and attack is delightful. With a repertoire ranging from classical, to jazz, to traditional, you will never tire of listening to this couple. Cleanly executed runs, perfectly interlaced passages, and interesting harmonies are hallmarks of the Fainshteins.”
Excerpts from their website: Elena and Gregory Fainshtein, a married button accordion duo, have traveled the world both professionally and personally and now reside in the Dallas, Texas area. Both Elena and Gregory graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Music in the former USSR and are classically trained. Their life journey has taken them from the former USSR to the State of Israel and then to the United States of America.
Throughout their lives, they’ve learned different languages and met a variety of people, but the one constant that remains is the music they have developed with each other. Both Elena and Gregory like to explore new genres and expand their musical vocabulary from year to year. Elena and Gregory have been a part of the National Accordion Association for over a decade and performed in various conventions nationally. They are well known in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where Elena has her own music studio and teaches piano accordion and heads up the “Happy Fingers Accordion Band”.
Music drives this couple in everything they do, and they are excited to share their passion with everyone! Thank you, and we hope to see you there to hear an amazing performance by Elena and Gregory.
Further info about Elena and Gregory: Elena Fainshtein has been teaching accordion over 30 years, the last 15 years working in her studio in Plano, Texas, working with students with various backgrounds and abilities, children and adults, in person and on Skype.
Elena started to play the button accordion at the age of five years old. She first took private lessons and then attended the School for Gifted kids in Minsk, Belarus. She enjoyed playing accordion from a very young age. Born into a family of teachers, she had the opportunity to play at school for many occasions. At the age of 17 at music college she began playing as an accordion duo with her classmate, Gregory Fainshtein, who become her husband and music partner six years later.
They moved to different countries, speak four different languages, but what has remain constant – is their love, passion and dedication for music. Since their school days, Elena and Gregory performed in a variety of concerts all over the world, including Belarus, Russia, German, Ukraine, Lithuania, Israel and the United States.
They are active members of the National Accordion Association for over a decade, performing nationally at various conventions and are actively engaged in introduction the accordion to young generation. Recently Elena gave a Talk and they both performed on TEDx Talk Show. They are actively engaged in introducing the accordion to younger generations who have never been introduced to this unique instrument in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex taking every possible opportunity to perform at various venues and have expanded our musical services to private parties, festivals, events, and weddings.
Elena shares her passion for the accordion, “I have been teaching piano and accordion for over 25 years in three different languages, working with children and adults in Belarus, part of the former Soviet Union, in 1991 we moved to Israel, and from 2003 we live in Plano, Texas, and I work in my private home studio, called Musical Expressions. I like to share my musical passion to my adult and children students! Recently, I took the role of conductor of the Happy Fingers Accordion Band, which was assembled with the purpose of getting more accordion enthusiasts engaged in performance in an effort to showcase their talents to a greater audience.”
For further information about Elena and Gregory: elena.fainshtein@gmail.com
