The Free Concert and Playoffs will be held at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and will kick off Austin Latino Music Month on Saturday, May 1, 2-6 PM. The winners will perform at 21st annual Accordion Kings & Queens Festival held on June 5 at Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre .

Texas Folklife is pleased to announce the names of the eight squeeze-boxers who will advance to the semifinal stage in the fourth annual Big Squeeze contest: Peter Anzaldua, 13, from Brownsville; Gloria Jean Cantu, 17, from San Benito; Keyun Dickson, 18, from Houston; Roger Guerra, 17, from Mission; Ignacio Isai Morales, 14, from Dallas; Ruben Paul Moreno, 20, from Houston; Christina Valdez, 11, from San Benito; and Jesus E. Zamora, 19, from San Antonio.

The Big Squeeze 2010 accordion contest semifinals for up-and-coming musicians will be held in Austin at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum on Saturday, May 1. This is the first time that The Big Squeeze contest will be held at the popular museum that “tells the story of Texas,” and it is a perfect partner for Texas Folklife. The semifinals will fall on the first Saturday of the month when the museum offers free admission to the exhibits from 2 – 6 p.m. with Wells Fargo First Saturdays. Visitors can also view the exhibit American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music. So, make it a day and celebrate all things Texan!

Joining Texas Folklife and the Texas State History Museum in presenting this year’s Big Squeeze semifinals is the Austin Latino Music Association (ALMA). It is ALMA’s mission to increase awareness of the Latino music scene in Austin and foster the development of young musicians who keep Latino musical styles and traditions alive—another perfect partner for Texas Folklife and The Big Squeeze accordion contest! The event will help to launch the fifth year of Latino Music Month, which is featured in the city during the month of May.

The semifinalists will perform before a panel of judges and the public on the Lone Star Plaza in front of the museum, Saturday, May 1, from 2-6 p.m. The afternoon will be filled with music, headlined by Grammy award-winning conjunto band Los Texmaniacs who play Tex-Mex as well as blues and rockabilly. Also performing will be Cerronato, Conjunto Aztlan joined by local celebrity squeeze-boxer and Grammy award-winner Joel Guzman, and Mariachi Corbetas featuring 2009 Big Squeeze finalist Anthony Ortiz Jr. Dancing will be encouraged at this free, family-friendly event, and for those who want to take breaks once in a while we recommend bringing your own folding chairs.

This year, The Big Squeeze semifinals wrap up a three-day accordion extravaganza in Austin, proving once again that the city deserves its “Live Music Capital” moniker. On Thursday, April 29, master accordionist and adjunct professor of ethnomusicology at The University of Texas, Joel Guzman will hold a “tardeada,” an afternoon of music with Texas legend and conjunto standard-bearer Santiago Jimenez Jr. Another Guzman initiative, SqueezeBox Mania, happens on Friday, April 30 at Threadgill’s south location featuring accordion greats such as Johnny Ramirez, 2008 Big Squeeze champion, Ponty Bone, and Corey Ledet. You may have seen Guzman in his cameo appearance—and heard his performance on the awesome soundtrack—in one of 2009’s Academy Award-winning movies, Crazy Heart.

Each semifinalist will play two songs and the judges will choose up to four finalists who will receive a personal workshop session and dinner with Guzman the evening of the playoffs, be awarded $300 each, and invited to Houston to compete for the title at the widely acclaimed and well-attended Accordion Kings & Queens Festival on June 5. The Big Squeeze 2010 grand-prize-winner will be selected at the concert by the panel of judges with help from the audience. This year’s grand-prize-winner will receive a prize package valued at $3,000, including a $1000 cash prize, a brand new Hohner accordion, and a recording session at the historic SugarHill Recording Studios in Houston, as well as promotional support from SugarHill, Hohner, Inc. and Texas Folklife, and other professional opportunities.
“The Big Squeeze contest allows us to fulfill our mission to preserve and celebrate Texas culture in a very real way,” says Texas Folklife Executive Director Nancy Bless. “By supporting these young musicians we encourage them to continue playing the accordion, an instrument that is so central to Texas traditional music that it’s been dubbed, ‘the national instrument of Texas.’ It is so exciting to see a new generation carry on this heritage and to see the thrill that their mastery and extraordinary talent give to audiences.”

The Big Squeeze is supported by the members and Board of Texas Folklife, the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division, Austin Latino Music Association, a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, the Houston Endowment, the Cogburn Family Foundation, and the Still Water Foundation. Additional support is provided by regional businesses including Hohner, Inc., SugarHill Recording Studios, Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown Austin, and Sign Effects in Austin.

Texas Folklife is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and preserving the diverse cultures and living heritage of the Lone Star State. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010, Texas Folklife honors the authentic cultural traditions passed down within communities and explores their importance in contemporary society. Texas Folklife has been called “one of the state’s true cultural treasures” by the Austin American-Statesman for the accessible, joyful arts experiences we provide. Located in SoCo just south of downtown Austin, Texas Folklife can be found next door to the Continental Club, at 1317 South Congress Avenue. For more information contact (512) 441-9255, info@texasfolklife.org or visit www.texasfolklife.org.

For Big Squeeze information:
Cristina Balli, Program Director, (512) 441-9255 / cballi@texasfolklife.org