Music video of Quartetto Gelato performing “Al De La”

The Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) presented their first Shumiatcher Pops concert of the 2015 – 2016 Season featuring Alexander Sevastian with Quartetto Gelato on October 10, 2015 at the Conexus Arts Centre.

Virtuosic showpieces, romantic tenor arias, pyrotechnical solos, blazing gypsy show pieces, multi-instrument mastery and a World Accordion Champion, Alexander Sevastian – this is Quartetto Gelato. With a performance repertoire that circles the globe including classical masterworks, operatic arias, the sizzling energy of tangos, gypsy and folk songs, the group’s theatrical stage presence and relaxed humor establishes an intimate rapport with audiences worldwide.

Alexander Sevastain is the accordionist for Quartetto Gelato which he joined in 2002. Alex (accordion, piano, bandoneon) has won four International Accordion Competitions including the Oslofjord in Norway (1998), The Cup of the North in Russia (2000), the Anthony Galla-Rini Accordion Competition in the U.S.A. (2001) and The Coupe Mondiale in the U.S.A. (2007).

Alex began his professional career in Moscow in 1996, performing with the Russian Radio Orchestra, which he toured with as a soloist throughout Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, and Japan. Alex also was a very active recitalist and chamber musician.

Highlights of his career include appearances in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Glinka Capella Hall (St.Petersburg), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Minato Mirai Hall (Yokohama), Roy Thomson Hall (Toronto), Jack Singer Hall (Calgary) and Metropolitan Museum (New York). Recent solo engagements include recitals in Mexico, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, U.S.A. and Canada as well as appearances with several symphony orchestras.

From the review by Jeff Dedekker of the the Leader-Post(Canada): “It would be a huge understatement to describe Sevastian as just an accordion player. A four-time world accordion champion, Sevastian’s skill on the Bayan, the Russian button accordion, is astounding. Maier stressed the difficulty of playing the Bayan, pointing out it has 227 buttons, as compared to 88 keys on a piano.”

Photo of Quartetto Gelato by Koby Inc.
Photo of Alexander by Vladimir Kevorkov