Included in this article is a review by Larry Lapidus Correspondent for The Spokesman-Review:
“Two of the brightest planets in Spokane’s musical firmament teamed up this weekend, when accordionist Patricia Bartell joined Eckart Preu and the Spokane Symphony Orchestra on the stage.
In keeping with Preu’s interest in expanding the repertoire, they collaborated in performing the Concerto for Bandoneon, subtitled “Aconcagua” (1979) by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), who is credited for bringing the tango into the realms of both jazz and concert music.
Bartell’s appearance onstage brought the audience immediately to its feet, and occasioned a burst of whistling and shouting unusual in that auditorium. The Spokane musician is plainly a star, and the reasons are not hard to find.
Her mastery of her instrument is absolute, which enables her to use the accordion as a resonator for her soul, able to reach across the gap between her and her listeners to make their thoughts and feelings vibrate in tune with hers.
The symphony distinguished itself by mirroring Bartell’s kaleidoscopic range of color and mood precisely. Most memorable was the second movement, in which she engaged in intimate dialogue with concertmaster Mateusz Wolski, principal cello John Marshall and harp Earecka Tregenza Moody.
The audience did not want Bartell to leave the stage without an encore, which she graciously supplied with an improvisation so brilliant that one felt that the whole orchestra was still playing.”
Born in La Paz, Bolivia, Patricia lived her first nearly five years in an orphanage before being adopted by a family in Montana. She is a graduate of Whitworth University with a B.A. in Music Education and Accordion Performance. Patricia teaches accordion and piano full time in Spokane, Washington and travels world-wide as an adjudicator, a Hohner endorsee concert performer and teacher. Her passion is not only in teaching students but also training up new teachers and mentoring them.
Ms. Bartell is a member of Tango Volcado (Argentine Tango Quartet), leads a radical young accordion band called, “The Portatos,” and is the USA adjudicator for the Trophée Mondial – a prestigious international accordion championship.
Having started The Journey of music at the age of eight, Patricia excelled quickly and began teaching at the age of sixteen. During her senior year in high school, thanks to the encouragement of her band and choir teacher Alicia Lipscomb, she quickly found that playing and teaching music was what she wanted to pursue as a career. Patricia studied accordion in France under world-renowned teacher Frédéric Deschamps and studied piano with Dr. Judith Schoepflin of Whitworth University and Kendall Feeney of the Golandsky Institute; the preeminent center for the Taubman Technique Approach. Her performances; whether individual, ensemble, or with other classical artists both in the USA and Europe, continue to receive high reviews. She has performed in numerous international competitions, claiming many international titles.
For further information: bartell.patricia@gmail.com
