The AAA Festival is shaping up to be a very exciting event! Excellent, highly qualified workshop presenters will be bringing fresh and new topics for the workshops that will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the 5-day “celebration of the accordion”. Beautiful historic Alexandria, Virginia will be the site of this year’s festival, which will be held July 8 to 12. For more information, visit the AAA website: www.ameraccord.com.

Here are the workshop presenters and the days they will be presenting.

Thursday, July 9:

Mary Tokarski, AAA President and Youth Orchestra Conductor:

“So You Want to Play with the School Orchestra?”

Would you like to include your accordion with your school’s Jazz Band, or perhaps Orchestra program?  This workshop will focus on HOW you should present yourself to your Music Educators – what to show them about your playing, and the accordion’s capabilities – and an overall “lesson” in putting your talents in a good light (also known as “getting your foot in the door”).  Parents are requested to attend with the student.  We will also have young accordionists tell us about THEIR experiences with school events and programs.  If YOU have a story, bring it along . . . we want to hear it!

Dr. Robert Young McMahan with Melody Ben Flah:

“Playing Between the Cracks:  the ‘Rubbery’ Accordion and its Place in Tuning Experiments in Modern Music, both Western and Middle Eastern”

In 1911, one of the world’s leading pianists and futuristic thinkers, Ferrucio Busoni, published his brief treatise Sketch of a New Esthetic of Music in which he protested the limitations of the equal division of the octave into only twelve pitches in the instruments and music written for them during his day and before. He felt it was time to increase the number of pitches within that compass through new tunings (and new instruments if need be) so that music could progress into the new century unfettered by this technological shortcoming. Particularly implicated was the immovable intonation of keyboard instruments and their fixed, equal tempered set of twelve keys per octave. 

Since that time, a considerable number of composers have attempted to remedy the situation via newly created electronic and acoustic instruments, and the use of microtones on more tonally flexible conventional instruments, such as unfretted strings.  The accordion, more than other standard acoustic keyboard instruments, has found some ways to fulfill this need, as will be demonstrated on both the standard-tuned and micro-tuned accordions.

Kenneth Moulton, Director of the Mantovani Orchestra:

“What It Takes to Run the Mantovani Orchestra”

Ken will speak about what one needs to know about organizing and operating a musical tour outside of the United States. He will speak about the role of the accordion in the Mantovani Orchestra. Ken will also cover problems one might encounter on a tour and what can be done to solve these problems quickly and successfully.

Rita Davidson Barnea:

“The Music of Eugene Ettore”

Rita has been the National Editor of Accordion USA (www.accordionusa.com) for eight years and has had a long and successful career in music. She attributes her success and love of the accordion to her teacher and mentor, Eugene Ettore. Ettore taught, composed, arranged, conducted, wrote instructional material for the accordion and the impressive list goes on. Rita describes Ettore as a “true Renaissance man”. She will speak about his fascinating life and play several of his beautiful compositions.

Prof. Joan Cochran Sommers:

“How to Prepare Properly for a Rehearsal”

Joan Sommers has been preparing for rehearsals since the age of 9.  Sometimes she was a member of a group, sometimes she was the leader of the group, but regardless of which side of the baton she was on, Joan found out there were certain requirements to be met.  During this workshop, she will discuss some of the most important ones.

SGM Manny Bobenrieth:

“Playing For Uncle Sam”

SGM Manny Bobenrieth will speak about what it’s like being an accordionist with the United States Army Strings, and about his duties and responsibilities as the only accordionist in the US Army. Manny will elaborate on what it means to be a US Army military musician, no matter what instrument you play.

Lauren Brody:

“Klezmer and Balkan Ornamentation for Accordionists”

Learn the ins and outs of the trills, turns, mordents, grace notes and fingering puzzles that make Klezmer and Balkan piano accordion music so technically challenging and so elusive, yet so pleasing to the ear.  See how these styles use techniques that are unfamiliar to classically trained players.  Discover how you can use your thumb on black keys with no fear and with lots of conviction.  This workshop will be hands-on.

*Note: Lauren Brody’s workshop is the only hands-on workshop this year. Bring your accordion for a delightful hour of learning how to create the hauntingly beautiful sounds of Eastern European Jewish music and the folk music of the Balkans.

Photo description:  Top, L to R:  Mary Tokarski, Robert Young McMahan, Melody Ben Flah, Ken Moulton.  Bottom, L to R:  Rita Barnea, Joan C. Sommers, Manny Bobenrieth, Lauren Brody.