Video: 2022 WMAS “Cold Weather Medley”, Recorded on December 11, 2022 at the Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Holiday Concert with Conductor Peter DiGiovanni

The Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society (WMAS, pronounced Wah-mass) celebrated its 20th birthday in February 2023 with a cake and a special surprise. Fortuitously, “Papa Joe” De Clemente and his wife, Jan, happened to be passing through town on the very weekend the club was meeting, so they paid a visit. Papa Joe regaled the group with song after song, demonstrating the bells and whistles on his Roland, singing, and generally showing everyone a good time. And that’s not all. WMAS members Peter DiGiovanni, Halina Banas-Jones (aka the “Tuneful Twosome”), and Michael Jones on spoons had warmed up the room and set the tone with a slew of hit tunes. [photos here of trio, Papa Joe, and cake]

So much has changed in 20 years, but so much has remained the same. WMAS was the brainchild of Karen Malan-Uribe, who learned to play the accordion as a child in Michigan—where her father ran a music school—and had recently taken her instrument out of the closet after many years. In early 2003, she mentioned the idea to two new friends, Mara Cherkasky and Anne Johnson, both of whom had been playing only a couple of years. They were in! Karen found free space in her church, Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, in Falls Church, Virginia, and the three ran an announcement in the Falls Church paper and posted flyers in area music stores and on bulletin boards. To their shock, 25 people showed up at that first meeting a few weeks later! It was magical.

The minutes of the February 11, 2003, meeting have been lost—or maybe never existed—but someone took photos. [photo from Feb. 2003 here]The following excerpts from Karen’s summary of the second meeting, on March 11, 2003, are evidence that the club got off to a roaring start:

The group voted to accept the slate of officers presented by the executive committee: Karen Denice Malan-Uribe as president; Mara Cherkasky as secretary-treasurer (she hopes to relinquish the treasurer post to someone else); Paul Przedpelski as membership chairman, and Anne Johnson and Janice Lavoie as events co-chairs. Then, several newcomers demonstrated their squeezeboxes. Dottie Beck talked about concertinas and played her own vintage model with its beautiful harmonic sound. Next, Sylvia Eberly sang and played her button accordion. Originally from Austria, Sylvia also plays piano accordion and teaches. Jim Briley and Michael Boicourt demonstrated their Louisiana-made Cajun button boxes (accompanied by a triangle) and explained how the instruments work.

The final performance was by Mort Herald, who had recently moved to this area from Chicago, where he led a 20-piece accordion band. This was a wonderful demonstration of some classic pieces played on a professional piano accordion. Following the individual performances, we broke up into our groups of various levels and played the songs that we were comfortable with.

Twenty years on, Karen remains active but stepped down as president in 2010, Mara is still secretary-treasurer, and Anne and others have moved on. Janice Lavoie is back with the club after years away due to a demanding work schedule. Silvia has relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia, but returns occasionally. A lot has happened in between. Mara’s mother came up with the club’s name, and Mara worked with a friend to design the logo. A high school-age member designed the club’s first website. Mara, Karen, Joan Grauman, and Lee Paulson created a banner. Lee made name tags. Dale Wise promoted the club to his students and members or former members of his orchestra, and he conducted the first WMAS Holiday Concert in December 2003. It was a huge success, drawing an enthusiastic audience of about 130 people—who also enjoyed the overflowing post-concert potluck table and more music.

Joan Grauman, a long-time accordionist who had joined the club a few months after it started, played in that first concert and took over as conductor and music director in 2004. (Dale remained as emcee for a few years before Ken Kunec took on the role.) The Potomac Ensemble, which Joan had formed with several other WMAS members earlier in 2004, debuted at the second Holiday Concert and went on to play gigs around the area and at festivals through 2018. [photos of 2006 Holiday Concert and Potomac Ensemble] Peter DiGiovanni, too, had learned of the club through Dale and joined in 2003, as he had just started playing the accordion himself. He became president in 2010 and began conducting the orchestra (and arranging most of the music) in 2019, after Joan moved out of the area.

Many dedicated members have kept the club going for 20 years: making and keeping track of name tags, handling the hospitality aspects (and carrying huge bins of coffee-making and other supplies back and forth every month, not to mention storing the bins), decorating for special occasions, setting up and breaking down the room each month, and of course contributing music and good humor. Given the age of much of the WMAS membership, the club has also had to sadly say goodbye to many good friends.

WMAS has hosted dozens of virtuoso musicians in a guest-artist series launched by Joan in 2004. Rita Davidson Barnea kicked off the series in November of that year. In March 2020, Stas Venglevski had already arrived in town to perform for the club when everything abruptly shut down due to Covid. When the series finally resumed last September, Stas became the first guest artist. Vladimir Mollov will be the next, on March 19, 2023.

WMAS is lucky to still be meeting at the same church, and in the same room, after 20 years! Of course, the club had to give up in-person meetings during the shutdown, but it barely missed a beat, gathering instead via Zoom until the coast was clear again. In 2020, Peter created an amazing virtual Holiday Concert using video-editing software. WMAS was back in person in 2021 and played its 20th Holiday Concert in December 2022.

AWW congratulates WMAS and wishes them many more years of encouraging love for the accordion!

Photo left: Peter DiGiovanni, Halina Banas-Jones, and Michael Jones perform at the February 2023 meeting.
Photo right: “Papa Joe” De Clemente performs at the February 2023 meeting.
Photo up: The Potomac Ensemble at the 2008 AAMS Festival. Standing from left: Phil Fox, Meryl Benenati, Lee Paulson, Karen Malan-Uribe, Peter DiGiovanni. Kneeling from left: Lou Silvia, Joan Grauman, Mara Cherkasky.
Photo down: The first meeting, in February 2003. Standing from left: Clay Bobrowski, Paul Przedpelski, Karen Malan-Uribe, unidentified. Seated from left: Joyce Palmer, Leone Monticone, Anne Johnson, Mara Cherkasky, Larry McCullough

For further information:
peter@musicisforever.com
mcherkasky@verizon.net