Not Just Oompah! is pleased to announce a new accordion workshop,”Have Accordion, Will Travel!” featuring Courtney von Drehle. This workshop will be held via Zoom on July 25, 26, and 27, 2023 from 7:00 – 9:30 PM Central time each night. (8:00 – 10:30 pm Eastern, 6:00 – 8:30 pm Mountain, 5:00 – 7:30 pm Pacific)

Courtney is an Emmy Nominated composer and master accordionist.  This workshop will expand your repertoire and skills with a variety program that covers three continents in three days while you learn the elements that make each style… and of course learn
some great songs on The Journey.

Workshop will focus on expanding repertoire and skills, with a variety program that covers three continents.
Concepts to discuss may be:
* Teaching skills, such as chords and chord progressions that participants can use.
* Embellishments, where needed.
* Songs taught will vary in genres, tempos, styles and are FUN for the accordionist and the audience.
* June 25 will start with a short “Meet and Greet” to talk about the Workshop Agenda

Emmy nominated composer and multi-instrumentalist Courtney Von Drehle has been working on his particular brand of musical alchemy since 1980. Early projects in hybrid rock music led to collaborations with many modern dancers and the honing of his ability to create music to accompany other media. This has led to numerous commissions for music for film scores, commercials, radio, dance, theater, and performance projects.

In 2003 he was awarded a fellowship at the Sundance Institute to participate in their film composers lab. His film scoring work includes his Emmy nominated score for filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky’s 2009 Academy Award nominated H.B.O. documentary “The Final Inch”, working with Academy Award winning animator Joan Gratz, and working with multiple award-winning short filmmaker Chel White, amongst others.

In addition to co-leading 3 LEG TORSO with Béla R. Balogh, Von Drehle is a resident composer for DO JUMP THEATER and performs with The Djangophiles The Portland Klezmer Allstars, and Michelle Alany and the Mystics. He received a 2010 Caldera Artist Residency Grant and a 2108 Drammy award for his work with the Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble. His accordion skills are in demand as a studio musician and he can be heard on the Disney show “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” and on the soundtrack to “Nebraska”, a film directed by Alexander Payne and scored by Mark Orton.

Von Drehle has a B.A. in music from Marylhurst University and has studied North Indian classical singing. He teaches private accordion lessons and is on faculty at the Rose City Accordion Club’s annual Silver Falls Accordion Camp.

No travel documents or custom checks involved!
Registration: $100 includes all workshop materials delivered in PDF format, plus recordings will be made of each presentation for later viewing. Register on our newly revised website.

For more information contact:
Shirley Johnson 512-680-0422    
ShirleyJ@Vjeverica.com  or accsaj@gmail.com or

Laura Niland 210-651-4359    
LauraJNiland@outlook.com

For more information email: LauraJNiland@outlook.com