From my very early childhood I have been exposed to the accordion, accordion music and dancing to accordion music. In my Croatian and “quasi Northern Italian” culture and up bringing the accordion was “the musical instrument of choice” – “the accordion was king.” 

Accordion music was always part of every major social event that I ever attended. So, no surprise that at the age of ten I started taking lessons. Eventually my love for the accordion and accordion music became the catalyst that helped direct me to a musical performing career and also a lengthy career as a music educator in the Long Island public school system.

As a long time resident of Long Island and an active performing accordionist, I knew that there were many people who either played the accordion or used to play the accordion and that there was a vast group of people who just loved accordion music and it’s culture. I always felt that there was a void and lack of activities and events for the accordion locally.

Being a ”dreamer,” I have always felt that a periodic accordion event if structured properly would succeed. I started to bring my dream to reality when in July of 2010 I began calling various accordionists that I knew. Everyone that I contacted agreed to participate and the rest is history.

On the August 3, 2010 the very first meeting of what today is known as the Long Island Accordion Alliance (LIAA) took place at a Commack, Long Island restaurant named Campagnola. This very first meeting included Joe Campo, John Custie, Charlie Fontana, Phil Franzese, Dominic Karcic, Emilio Magnotta, Ray Oreggia, Phil Prete, Franco Ruggiero and Mike Zeppetella. In January of 2011 we moved to our current home at La Villini Restaurant in East Northport, Long Island.

The Alliance, made up of both professional and amateur accordionists, meets once a month on the first Wednesday of the month with Alliance members performing solo, in small ensembles and as an orchestra. Every month we usually have a featured guest artist(s).

We are so proud that periodically some of the finest accordionists perform at our monthly event. Some of these artists have been USA and even world competition champions. These include Beverly Roberts Curnow, Mario Tacca and Mary Tokarski. Some other artists that have performed for us include Manny Corallo, Angelo DiPippo, Don Gerundo, Emilio Magnotta, Paddy Noonan, Frank Toscano, the Scandinavian group Smorgas Bandet and internationally acclaimed vocalist Mary Mancini.

Patrons come in to have dinner and listen. Some patrons who play the accordion are invited and encouraged to participate in the “open mic” portion of the evening.

Our whole aim is to promote a love for the accordion and accordion music, bring former accordionists back to the instrument, create an environment where aficionados can attend and “celebrate the accordion and its culture.”

We (LIAA) strive to create a vehicle were accordionists can perform, grow musically, meet regularly, network and in our own way further the aims and goals of the American Accordionists Association (AAA).

In the fall of 2015 Newsday paid a visit to our event and gave us a tremendous two and one-half page write up. That article really gave our event a new impetuous and helped us reach a far greater and wider audience of accordion fans.

Just this past week, January 3, 2018, we were honored by a visit by Dave Anthony Setteducati. Mr. Setteducati is the host of the “Italian America Long Island” Cablevision program which airs every Wednesday on channel 115.
He videoed our event and created a very interesting and informative program that contains personal interviews with the Alliance members and guests, many segments of member accordionists performing individually and also segments of ensemble playing. This program, featuring the Long Island Accordion Alliance (LIAA), is scheduled to be featured on his Cablevision program on Wednesday, March 28, 2018. 

Our members hope that this program and the positive publicity it will create will bring knowledge of Long Island Accordion Alliance activities to even a much wider audience on Long Island and also reach out to the whole Cablevision viewing area. The publicity potential is enormous.

The current Alliance nucleus consists of nine accordionists. These include Joe Campo, Joe DeClemente, Santo Endrizzi, Dominic Karcic, Bob LaBua, Ray Oreggia, Phil Prete, Frank Scardino and Greg Zukoff.

In August of 2018 we will be celebrating our eighth anniversary. We feel so proud that the formula we created works. We hope our success is an incentive to “other dreamers” out there to take the plunge and create their own local “accordion club.”

The Long Island Accordion Alliance (LIAA) usually meets at 6 pm the first Wednesday of the month at La Villini Restaurant (631 261 6344), 288 Larkfield Road, East Northport, NY 11731.

Reservations are highly recommended.

Dominic Karcic 
631.864.4428

Top Photo: (left to right) Ray Oreggia, Phil Prete, Joe Campo, Charlie Fontana, Dominic Karcic, Bob LaBua, Greg Zukoff, Joe DeClemente, Frank Scardino ( La Villini Restaurant, East Northport, NY – August 2017 – seventh anniversary celebration )

Bottom Photo: (left to right) John Custie, Joe Campo, Phil Prete, Phil Franzese, Ray Oreggia, Franco Ruggiero,  Dominic Karcic, Mike Zeppetella. (Campgnola Restaurant, Commack, NY August 2010)