Free Concert and Playoffs to be held at the Bullock Museum on Saturday, April 25, 2015

Three Grand Prize Winners will be selected in each category: Polka, Zydeco, and Conjunto. Photo of the 2014 Big Squeeze Grand Prize Winners: Aaron Salinas in the Conjunto Category (San Antonio) Garrett Neubauer in the Polka Category (Altair) Randall Jackson in the Zydeco Category (Dallas) 

Austin, Texas – March 24, 2014 – Texas Folklife and the  Bullock Texas State History Museum are pleased to announce that the Finals for the annual Big Squeeze accordion contest will take place at the museum on Saturday, April 25, 2015. The event will be held from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. on the Lone Star Plaza in front of the museum (in case of rain it will be held inside), and is free and open to the public. Big Squeeze finalists, whose names will be announced on April 3, will perform before the judges and the public. While the judges deliberate on the winners, the crowd will be entertained by an all-star musical line-up.

Eva Ybarra, the undisputed “Queen of the Accordion,” will headline this year’s program. Ms. Ybarra performs in her hometown of San Antonio—as well as across the country—and has two CDs produced by Rounder Records: A Mi San Antonio (1994) and Romance Inolvidable (1996). The concert will also feature last year’s three Big Squeeze Grand Prize Winners—Garrett Neubauer (Polka), Randall Jackson (Zydeco), and Aaron Salinas (Conjunto).

This is the ninth annual Big Squeeze accordion contest for up-and-coming Texas musicians, 21 years of age or younger. In order to better nurture young Texas talent, Texas Folklife expanded the popular contest last year. Instead of one Big Squeeze Champ, there are now three Final Grand Prize Winners chosen to represent the three main accordion genres—polka, zydeco, and conjunto. The polka genre includes German, Czech, and Polish traditions. Zydeco includes Creole and Cajun musical traditions. And conjunto includes norteño and Tejano.

There were eight talent showcases scheduled around the state that were free, open to the public, and featured performances by local musicians. Six showcases have already been held: La Joya Independent School District (February 7); Café 4212 in Houston (February 15); MECA in Houston (February 28); Los Fresnos High School (March 7); McDonald Public Library in Corpus Christi (March 8); and Pleasant Grove Branch Library in Dallas (March 21).

There are two talent showcases left in this year’s contest: at the Gallista Gallery with Conjunto Heritage Taller in San Antonio (March 27) and in Nederland in Southeast Texas (March 28).

Nine finalists (three from each genre) will be chosen from the field of performers at the showcases (and those who send in their performances to Texas Folklife by March 30) by a panel of esteemed music professionals. Accordionists will be judged on their technical proficiency—skill in playing, and technical and musical accuracy—as well as their song interpretation (stylistic choices, innovation, and originality) and stage presence (level of comfort on stage and attention to personal appearance). The nine finalists will be announced on April 3.

The finalists will perform at the Finals Concert and Playoffs at the Bullock on April 25. As mentioned, there will be three Grand Prize Winners selected. All three winners will perform at Texas Folklife’s highly acclaimed annual Accordion Kings & Queens Festival at Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre on Saturday, June 6. In addition, the three Big Squeeze 2015 Grand Prize Winners will receive a prize package valued at more than $4,000, including a cash prize, a brand new Hohner accordion, performance opportunities in Austin and Houston, publicity, professional development, and other professional opportunities.

“The Big Squeeze is one of our most popular programs at Texas Folkife,” says Executive Director Cristina Ballí. “It is also one of our most important programs, and enables us to carry out our mission to preserve, protect, and promote Texas’s diverse cultural heritage. In this case we are helping to uncover the next generation of musical culture bearers and help them to develop and hone their talent, while they keep their families’ and communities’ traditions alive.”

The Big Squeeze is supported by the members and Board of Texas Folklife and by Hohner, Inc.; by grants from Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division, the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, the Houston Endowment, Texas Gas Service, and the Houston Press. Additional support is provided by regional businesses including Hacienda Records, and Frank+Victor Design.

About Texas Folklife
Texas Folklife is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and preserving the diverse cultures and living heritage of the Lone Star State. For 30 years, Texas Folklife has honored the authentic cultural traditions passed down within communities, explored their importance in contemporary society, and celebrated them by providing accessible and joyful arts experiences.

Media information:
Sheree Scarborough (512) 922-5483 / sheree.scarborough@gmail.com
Big Squeeze information:
Tomas Salas (512) 441-9255 / bigsqueeze@texasfolklife.org