Concert accordionist, Mary Tokarski, has recently released her second solo CD :”Music with Mary…….with my friends.”

Mary is an internationally renowned accordionist. Mary began her music career at 7 with Michael Fernino of Ansonia, Connecticut, and performed and competed at local, state and national events throughout early adulthood.

She won over 185 trophies and awards, including two U.S.Championship Titles, a 3rd place in the 1973 Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA) Coupe Mondiale, and a 2nd place in that year’s Coupe Mondiale Pop Category.

In 1983, Mary Tokarski founded the Tokarski Music Center, where she served as owner and Director of Music Education for twenty years, taught piano and accordion, conducted the choral & ensemble programs, and supervised the pre-school programs. Mary currently teaches accordion and piano at her home in Northford, Connecticut, and serves as a Music Educator in the North Haven Department of Education’s Early Childhood Development Program at Green Acres Elementary School Her students have also compiled an impressive list of awards in competition.

Mary’s teaching started at an early age, before finishing high school. Over the years Mary has fine-tuned her teaching skills by taking music and education courses studying Early Childhood Education through Kindermusik International at Princeton University and Boston University at Lowell. She is currently a music teacher in the North Haven Department of Education Early Childhood Development Program at Green Acres Elementary School, where she teaches music for the 3 and 4 year old programs. Her students have included many “special needs” children over the years, and she developed a successful Kindermusik program at Tokarski Music Center.

Holding memberships in the Music Teachers National Association, the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association, the New Haven Chapter of CSMTA, the North Haven Rotary Club, and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, Mary is a Board of Directors member for the American Accordionists’ Association (AAA) as well as the Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International (ATG).

As a member of the internationally reknowned K Trio, Mary performed in concert throughout the United States and internationally with her sister Julie and brother Walter. The K Trio included a wide variety of musical genres, and has been acclaimed as one of the world’s finest accordion ensembles.

Mary is a “regular” on the workshop circuit in the musical associations where she regularly presents workshops on Precision Ensemble Techniques, Technical Development and Virtuoso Performance Preparation. Mary currently teaches accordion and piano at her home in Northford, Connecticut, and serves as a Music Educator in the North Haven Department of Education’s Early Childhood Development Program at Green Acres Elementary School.

Her 2 solo CDs, “Music with Mary . . . for my friends!” and “Music with Mary . . . with my friends!” have received international acclaim. Mary was chosen by New Zealand composer Gary Daverne to perform many of his compositions for accordion and symphony orchestra on his new CD release “Rhapsody”.

For more information about booking a presentation, concert, or to order a CD, view the Mary Tokarski website. Order online from MusicForAccordion.com “Music with Mary . . . with my friends!” or “Music with Mary . . . for my friends!”.