2016 News Archive
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
February 24, 2016
A nice big group gathered this past Sunday to trade songs and try some new arrangements. The selections ranged from hymns to Disney to Tin Pan Alley, and well beyond that; in fact, we learned some lovely tunes from China, Sweden and Poland. Everyone had a chance to lead the group if they wanted to; others preferred not to be put on the spot, and that was fine, too. One thing that was kind of a challenge was playing a song (“Darling Clementine,” as it happened) by ear in all keys, following the Circle of Fifths. Having the bass buttons arranged according to the Circle of Fifths helps, but keys with four and five sharps or flats can be tricky to play by ear or even with music. This would be a good exercise to practice on our own, so next time Peter DiGiovanni proposes it, we’ll surprise him and zip right through it.
Mara Cherkasky and Jim Vandelly had fun as the greeters. You can, too, if you sign up. We need someone for next month.
Next Month
Our March 20 meeting will be a dance party in celebration of our 13th birthday. Please practice your best dance tunes (polkas and waltzes are most popular) and sign up to entertain the group. We’ll have cake and candles and a few other treats, so please save the date and invite your friends and family.
By the way, the dedication of “Merv Conn Way” will take place Sunday, April 10, 2016, at 3 pm, at 8830 Cameron Street in Silver Spring, Maryland. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the unveiling of the Merv Conn Way street sign, and light refreshments. In addition, WMAS will perform a couple of Merv’s favorites: “You Made Me Love You” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” We hope you’ll participate!
We’ll run through these songs (attached) at the March 20 meeting, so please start practicing.
April Meeting
Our April 17 meeting (the Sunday after the Merv Conn event) will be a concert by guest artists Duffy Llama and Bean Soup Project. Check them out here: http://www.beansoupproject.com/index.html.
News from Nancy Leonard
Nancy Leonard wanted everyone to know she will be performing at the National Accordion Association 2016 Convention in Dallas, TX, running March 10-12. She will also be presenting her new book, Making Money as a Strolling Accordionist, now available at http://money.musicbynancy.com/ When you order the book, you’ll also be entitled to 504 pages of free, downloadable fakebook music.
More information on the NAA convention is at www.NationalAccordion.org, and you can contact Nancy at 301-871-2995 or 301-633-2228 (cell) or [email protected]
American Accordion Musicological Society Festival April 1-3, East Whippany, NJ
Register at http://aamsaccordionfestival.com/
WMAS usually has good representation at this festival, which is always a lot of fun. It will start with a Friday night concert featuring Irish music; workshops will take place the entire weekend; and a Saturday evening banquet will honor Linda Soley Reed, who will conduct the Festival Orchestra. If you’d like to participate in the orchestra, please contact Joanna Darrow at [email protected] or Linda at [email protected]. Lou Coppola and the Strolling Strings, Joe Natoli, Mary Tokarski, and Eddie Montiero will play during the banquet, as will the orchestra.
A member passed on this article:
Man keeps accordion music alive at
https://www.ksl.com/?sid=38062238&nid=148&title=sl-man-dedicated-to-keeping-accordion-music-alive&s_cid=queue-3
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February 24, 2016
A nice big group gathered this past Sunday to trade songs and try some new arrangements. The selections ranged from hymns to Disney to Tin Pan Alley, and well beyond that; in fact, we learned some lovely tunes from China, Sweden and Poland. Everyone had a chance to lead the group if they wanted to; others preferred not to be put on the spot, and that was fine, too. One thing that was kind of a challenge was playing a song (“Darling Clementine,” as it happened) by ear in all keys, following the Circle of Fifths. Having the bass buttons arranged according to the Circle of Fifths helps, but keys with four and five sharps or flats can be tricky to play by ear or even with music. This would be a good exercise to practice on our own, so next time Peter DiGiovanni proposes it, we’ll surprise him and zip right through it.
Mara Cherkasky and Jim Vandelly had fun as the greeters. You can, too, if you sign up. We need someone for next month.
Next Month
Our March 20 meeting will be a dance party in celebration of our 13th birthday. Please practice your best dance tunes (polkas and waltzes are most popular) and sign up to entertain the group. We’ll have cake and candles and a few other treats, so please save the date and invite your friends and family.
By the way, the dedication of “Merv Conn Way” will take place Sunday, April 10, 2016, at 3 pm, at 8830 Cameron Street in Silver Spring, Maryland. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the unveiling of the Merv Conn Way street sign, and light refreshments. In addition, WMAS will perform a couple of Merv’s favorites: “You Made Me Love You” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” We hope you’ll participate!
We’ll run through these songs (attached) at the March 20 meeting, so please start practicing.
April Meeting
Our April 17 meeting (the Sunday after the Merv Conn event) will be a concert by guest artists Duffy Llama and Bean Soup Project. Check them out here: http://www.beansoupproject.com/index.html.
News from Nancy Leonard
Nancy Leonard wanted everyone to know she will be performing at the National Accordion Association 2016 Convention in Dallas, TX, running March 10-12. She will also be presenting her new book, Making Money as a Strolling Accordionist, now available at http://money.musicbynancy.com/ When you order the book, you’ll also be entitled to 504 pages of free, downloadable fakebook music.
More information on the NAA convention is at www.NationalAccordion.org, and you can contact Nancy at 301-871-2995 or 301-633-2228 (cell) or [email protected]
American Accordion Musicological Society Festival April 1-3, East Whippany, NJ
Register at http://aamsaccordionfestival.com/
WMAS usually has good representation at this festival, which is always a lot of fun. It will start with a Friday night concert featuring Irish music; workshops will take place the entire weekend; and a Saturday evening banquet will honor Linda Soley Reed, who will conduct the Festival Orchestra. If you’d like to participate in the orchestra, please contact Joanna Darrow at [email protected] or Linda at [email protected]. Lou Coppola and the Strolling Strings, Joe Natoli, Mary Tokarski, and Eddie Montiero will play during the banquet, as will the orchestra.
A member passed on this article:
Man keeps accordion music alive at
https://www.ksl.com/?sid=38062238&nid=148&title=sl-man-dedicated-to-keeping-accordion-music-alive&s_cid=queue-3
**********************************************************************************************************************
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
March 27, 2016
WMAS celebrated its 13th birthday last Sunday in style with beautiful table decorations (thank you, Connie Racioppa!), a terrific cake (thank you, Karen and Luis Uribe!) and lots of delicious food (thanks all!). The best part was the large, enthusiastic crowd that came ready for fun, dancing, and great music. Greeters Peter DiGiovanni and Ken Kunec set the tone with some lovely duets as folks arrived. Joan Grauman got everyone up to dance by teaching the “Hora,” and emcee Ken Kunec kept the crowd laughing between dances with his terrific jokes. Many members participated either by playing or dancing, or both, and we enjoyed welcoming several new people―all of whom seemed to have a great time. As a special treat, American Accordionists’ Association President Mary Tokarski came to celebrate with us, and performed a few beautiful solo pieces. Thank you, Mary, what a wonderful surprise!
Merv Conn Way
As you know, Merv Conn Way will be unveiled in Silver Spring in two weeks: Sunday, April 10, at 3 pm, at 8830 Cameron Street. The company that built the commemorative pathway has asked us to perform, and we’d love to honor Merv with a good turnout. Remember the 21-accordion salute for Merv’s 87th birthday at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring? It would be great if we could re-create that, or top it. Please consider participating; it’s also a chance to get some publicity for our club.
We will be performing two songs: “You Made Me Love You” & “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The sheet music for both songs PLUS the MP3 file for “You Made Me Love You” are at www.squeezinart.com ― click on the “Merv Conn Way Dedication” link under “Home.” The username is accordion and the password is merv (case-sensitive).
IMPORTANT: we will be rehearsing at 2 pm the day of the event, at the venue. Please let us know, by replying to this email, if you will be participating. We’re hoping you will!
April Meeting
Our April 17 meeting (the Sunday after the Merv Conn event) will be a concert by guest artists Duffy Llama and “Bean Soup Project.” See them here: http://www.beansoupproject.com/index.html.
Check out the WMAS website, at www.washingtonaccordions.org
*********************************************************************************************************************
March 27, 2016
WMAS celebrated its 13th birthday last Sunday in style with beautiful table decorations (thank you, Connie Racioppa!), a terrific cake (thank you, Karen and Luis Uribe!) and lots of delicious food (thanks all!). The best part was the large, enthusiastic crowd that came ready for fun, dancing, and great music. Greeters Peter DiGiovanni and Ken Kunec set the tone with some lovely duets as folks arrived. Joan Grauman got everyone up to dance by teaching the “Hora,” and emcee Ken Kunec kept the crowd laughing between dances with his terrific jokes. Many members participated either by playing or dancing, or both, and we enjoyed welcoming several new people―all of whom seemed to have a great time. As a special treat, American Accordionists’ Association President Mary Tokarski came to celebrate with us, and performed a few beautiful solo pieces. Thank you, Mary, what a wonderful surprise!
Merv Conn Way
As you know, Merv Conn Way will be unveiled in Silver Spring in two weeks: Sunday, April 10, at 3 pm, at 8830 Cameron Street. The company that built the commemorative pathway has asked us to perform, and we’d love to honor Merv with a good turnout. Remember the 21-accordion salute for Merv’s 87th birthday at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring? It would be great if we could re-create that, or top it. Please consider participating; it’s also a chance to get some publicity for our club.
We will be performing two songs: “You Made Me Love You” & “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The sheet music for both songs PLUS the MP3 file for “You Made Me Love You” are at www.squeezinart.com ― click on the “Merv Conn Way Dedication” link under “Home.” The username is accordion and the password is merv (case-sensitive).
IMPORTANT: we will be rehearsing at 2 pm the day of the event, at the venue. Please let us know, by replying to this email, if you will be participating. We’re hoping you will!
April Meeting
Our April 17 meeting (the Sunday after the Merv Conn event) will be a concert by guest artists Duffy Llama and “Bean Soup Project.” See them here: http://www.beansoupproject.com/index.html.
Check out the WMAS website, at www.washingtonaccordions.org
*********************************************************************************************************************
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
April 21, 2016
One of the joys of our club is the exposure it’s giving us to some of the many roles the accordion plays in various genres of music – and introductions to the musicians who work in those genres. For the uninitiated, the accordion is strictly associated with the polka, or maybe strictly with Lawrence Welk, when in reality it’s one of the most versatile instruments on the planet. So it was a pleasure to welcome to our “stage” last Sunday a band that most of us had not heard before: Duffy Llama and Bean Soup Project. The group, which features our instrument as well as guitar, stand-up bass, and percussion, plays mostly original tunes in familiar styles such as Cajun and folk. All the songs were catchy, and many were humorous: “Porta-Potty Man,” for example. The concert left us all smiling.
Thanks go also to Karen and Luis Uribe for greeting!
Our next meeting, on May 15, will be a workshop by Joan Grauman:
Understanding Your Accordion and
Understanding Your Needs When Purchasing a New/Used Accordion
Joan will speak about handmade and machine-made reeds, number of reed blocks, number of keys and buttons, tone chambers versus no chamber, and why you might choose one versus another. She will demonstrate the musette sounds. Are these sounds all alike? Absolutely not. How does one choose the amount of musette tuning? Is a 96-bass the same as a 120-bass but simply with fewer buttons? No, there are definite differences when you have fewer bass reeds that ultimately may not suit your needs. Joan will also discuss the size of the accordion. What type of music do you prefer playing? This preference will greatly affect the type of tuning (dry versus musette, musette versus slightly musette, etc.) that you will need in an accordion. The bass side can have different options as well. Please bring any questions that you may have. After the workshop, we will play together and discuss briefly the desired switches (sounds) that would enhance each piece of music.
Our June meeting, on the 12th, will be our annual member concert, so you may want to start thinking about signing up for a five-minute slot. We also need a greeter for that meeting.
UPCOMING
Some of you may remember Simone Baron, who played at one of our meetings last year. Well, Simone has just won the competitive Artist in Residency at the Strathmore in Bethesda for 2016-2017, which means that she'll be leading a workshop and several performances there over the coming year. While this is a great step for Simone in her personal musical journey as an accordion player, pianist, arranger, and composer, she also sees it as a fantastic opportunity to introduce the possibilities of the accordion to a wider audience. It would be great to get our club members out to these concerts and follow Simone in her journey.
ALSO, this Saturday, Simone and her bassist/duet partner Ethan Foote, will be performing during brunch from noon to 3 pm at the Old Engine Firehouse 12, 1626 North Capitol Street NW, in DC. Please try to come, and please spread the word. If Simone and Ethan can get enough attendance they will be able to do these live performances regularly―featuring the accordion in a beautiful space! Eventually they are planning to do a show with their arrangements and compositions for a larger ensemble including strings and percussion.
Don’t forget to check out the WMAS website at www.washingtonaccordions.org.
**********************************************************************************************************************
April 21, 2016
One of the joys of our club is the exposure it’s giving us to some of the many roles the accordion plays in various genres of music – and introductions to the musicians who work in those genres. For the uninitiated, the accordion is strictly associated with the polka, or maybe strictly with Lawrence Welk, when in reality it’s one of the most versatile instruments on the planet. So it was a pleasure to welcome to our “stage” last Sunday a band that most of us had not heard before: Duffy Llama and Bean Soup Project. The group, which features our instrument as well as guitar, stand-up bass, and percussion, plays mostly original tunes in familiar styles such as Cajun and folk. All the songs were catchy, and many were humorous: “Porta-Potty Man,” for example. The concert left us all smiling.
Thanks go also to Karen and Luis Uribe for greeting!
Our next meeting, on May 15, will be a workshop by Joan Grauman:
Understanding Your Accordion and
Understanding Your Needs When Purchasing a New/Used Accordion
Joan will speak about handmade and machine-made reeds, number of reed blocks, number of keys and buttons, tone chambers versus no chamber, and why you might choose one versus another. She will demonstrate the musette sounds. Are these sounds all alike? Absolutely not. How does one choose the amount of musette tuning? Is a 96-bass the same as a 120-bass but simply with fewer buttons? No, there are definite differences when you have fewer bass reeds that ultimately may not suit your needs. Joan will also discuss the size of the accordion. What type of music do you prefer playing? This preference will greatly affect the type of tuning (dry versus musette, musette versus slightly musette, etc.) that you will need in an accordion. The bass side can have different options as well. Please bring any questions that you may have. After the workshop, we will play together and discuss briefly the desired switches (sounds) that would enhance each piece of music.
Our June meeting, on the 12th, will be our annual member concert, so you may want to start thinking about signing up for a five-minute slot. We also need a greeter for that meeting.
UPCOMING
Some of you may remember Simone Baron, who played at one of our meetings last year. Well, Simone has just won the competitive Artist in Residency at the Strathmore in Bethesda for 2016-2017, which means that she'll be leading a workshop and several performances there over the coming year. While this is a great step for Simone in her personal musical journey as an accordion player, pianist, arranger, and composer, she also sees it as a fantastic opportunity to introduce the possibilities of the accordion to a wider audience. It would be great to get our club members out to these concerts and follow Simone in her journey.
ALSO, this Saturday, Simone and her bassist/duet partner Ethan Foote, will be performing during brunch from noon to 3 pm at the Old Engine Firehouse 12, 1626 North Capitol Street NW, in DC. Please try to come, and please spread the word. If Simone and Ethan can get enough attendance they will be able to do these live performances regularly―featuring the accordion in a beautiful space! Eventually they are planning to do a show with their arrangements and compositions for a larger ensemble including strings and percussion.
Don’t forget to check out the WMAS website at www.washingtonaccordions.org.
**********************************************************************************************************************
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
May 25, 2016
Joan Grauman starred at our May 15 meeting. After serving as greeter (i.e. filling the room with music as it filled up with people between about 3:45 pm and 4:05 pm) she also presented a workshop. As the go-to person for questions about what to look for when buying an accordion, Joan thought it was about time she pulled together all her wisdom on this subject and passed it on to the group. She discussed types of reeds (hand- or machine-made) and the advantages of each, registers, tuning, and the like. Some of the main points were:
The workshop was videotaped, so if you missed it or would like to see it again, please email [email protected] and ask for a link to the video, which will be posted to Youtube but not be made public.
NEXT MONTH
Our annual member concert will be Sunday, June 12, at 4 pm. Please reply to this email to sign up for a 5-minute slot, and please invite your family and friends. This is a not a formal concert, and there won’t be a printed program, but we still like to plan ahead, so we appreciate your letting us know you’d like to participate. There’s no charge for nonmembers, by the way.
One more thing: we need a greeter for June.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, May 26!
Simone Baron will be performing with her new outfit (accordion, violin, viola, cello and Brazilian percussion) at the Old Engine Firehouse 12 on North Capitol Street from 7 to 9 pm! This will be a great show, plus the venue is beautiful (it even has a fire pole) and the food excellent.
More at https://www.facebook.com/events/134258316980175/
WASHINGTON BALALAIKA SOCIETY ORCHESTRA CONCERT
The Washington Balalaika Society will be presenting its spring concerts at 8 pm Saturday, June 4, at the Fitzgerald Theater, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville Maryland, and 3 pm Sunday, June 5, at the Wakefield High School Theater, 1325 South Dinwiddie Street, Arlington, Virginia. This wonderful program features domra virtuoso Peter Omelchenko and balalaika virtuoso Andrei Saveliev, performing along with the largest (55-piece) Russian folk orchestra in the U.S. The music is uplifting and the soloists world class. For the Virginia concert only, please contact Peter DiGiovanni for $15 group-rate tickets at 703-242-2160 or [email protected]. For the Rockville concert, get your tickets from the Fitzgerald Theater directly. Follow the links at http://www.balalaika.org.
GREAT FALLS ROTARY CLUB FUND RAISER
SAVE THE DATE! The Great Falls Rotary Club will be holding an Oktoberfest fundraiser on Saturday, October 29, from 5 pm to midnight, at the River Bend Country Club. Lots of food, drink, and music: TWO BAVARIAN BANDS! Strolling accordionist!
See https://vimeo.com/166878192
More info and tickets at
http://rgfoktoberfest.brownpapertickets.com
WMAS is online at www.washingtonaccordions.org
*******************************************************************************************************************
May 25, 2016
Joan Grauman starred at our May 15 meeting. After serving as greeter (i.e. filling the room with music as it filled up with people between about 3:45 pm and 4:05 pm) she also presented a workshop. As the go-to person for questions about what to look for when buying an accordion, Joan thought it was about time she pulled together all her wisdom on this subject and passed it on to the group. She discussed types of reeds (hand- or machine-made) and the advantages of each, registers, tuning, and the like. Some of the main points were:
- The music you play determines what instrument will be best for you.
- If you plan to play in an orchestra, go for dry tuning, or make sure the instrument has switches that eliminate musette reeds.
- For certain types of folk music, such as Irish or French, more musette is ok, but Balkan music needs dry tuning.
- If you’re intending to go it on your own, simply choose a sound you like. Joan demonstrated “voices” for various types of music.
The workshop was videotaped, so if you missed it or would like to see it again, please email [email protected] and ask for a link to the video, which will be posted to Youtube but not be made public.
NEXT MONTH
Our annual member concert will be Sunday, June 12, at 4 pm. Please reply to this email to sign up for a 5-minute slot, and please invite your family and friends. This is a not a formal concert, and there won’t be a printed program, but we still like to plan ahead, so we appreciate your letting us know you’d like to participate. There’s no charge for nonmembers, by the way.
One more thing: we need a greeter for June.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, May 26!
Simone Baron will be performing with her new outfit (accordion, violin, viola, cello and Brazilian percussion) at the Old Engine Firehouse 12 on North Capitol Street from 7 to 9 pm! This will be a great show, plus the venue is beautiful (it even has a fire pole) and the food excellent.
More at https://www.facebook.com/events/134258316980175/
WASHINGTON BALALAIKA SOCIETY ORCHESTRA CONCERT
The Washington Balalaika Society will be presenting its spring concerts at 8 pm Saturday, June 4, at the Fitzgerald Theater, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville Maryland, and 3 pm Sunday, June 5, at the Wakefield High School Theater, 1325 South Dinwiddie Street, Arlington, Virginia. This wonderful program features domra virtuoso Peter Omelchenko and balalaika virtuoso Andrei Saveliev, performing along with the largest (55-piece) Russian folk orchestra in the U.S. The music is uplifting and the soloists world class. For the Virginia concert only, please contact Peter DiGiovanni for $15 group-rate tickets at 703-242-2160 or [email protected]. For the Rockville concert, get your tickets from the Fitzgerald Theater directly. Follow the links at http://www.balalaika.org.
GREAT FALLS ROTARY CLUB FUND RAISER
SAVE THE DATE! The Great Falls Rotary Club will be holding an Oktoberfest fundraiser on Saturday, October 29, from 5 pm to midnight, at the River Bend Country Club. Lots of food, drink, and music: TWO BAVARIAN BANDS! Strolling accordionist!
See https://vimeo.com/166878192
More info and tickets at
http://rgfoktoberfest.brownpapertickets.com
WMAS is online at www.washingtonaccordions.org
*******************************************************************************************************************
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
June 26, 2016
The world can be a scary place, but on June 12 we forgot all that for a little while and enjoyed our annual member concert. Greeter Sid Kowalszyk started the meeting off, and for those of you who don’t know, this was a rare event, so rare that Lou Coppola turned up just to make sure it was really happening. Sid does not often play in public. Of course he sounded wonderful.
Ken Kunec did the honors as emcee and also sang and played a few pieces. Here’s the program, more or less:
Ken K: Crazy, Making Whoopee
Bob Juszczyk: Way Marie, Dark Eyes
Mike Rubin: Fiddler on the Roof medley
Kerry Zhu (Mike’s student): Country Gardens, La Donna e Mobile
Jim Vandelly: Irish song and 2 Russian songs
Joe Kulick: Russian medley
Frank Vidergar: Crackerjack, Let’s Remain Friends
Joan Grauman: Time to Say Goodbye, Soldier in Love
Peter DiGiovanni: South Pacific medley
Robert Ford: Washington Post March, Libertango, Jolly Caballero
Peter and Robert: Merry-Go-Round (composed by Peter)
For the concert finale, Ken and Frank played Beer Barrel Polka, and unfortunately this was also Frank’s finale; he and his family moved to Colorado this past week. Frank’s a wonderful musician and a really nice guy, so we’ll miss him but wish him well. Our loss is Colorado’s gain.
After the meeting, John Kessler sent this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWCKUiKG04
showing an animated Frank Vidergar performing at the 2015 Button Accordion Festival. Note the legendary Fred Ziwich on clarinet. At extreme left, near the end of the video, is a brief glimpse of Cody McSherry.
Coming Up
Our July meeting, on Sunday the 17th at 4 pm, will be a play-along. Please bring music to share (25 copies). We need a greeter, too.
No meeting in August!
The Smithsonian’s annual Folklife Festival starts this week, and accordions are featured in at least two concerts: the Basque wonder Kepa Junkera performs this Wednesday, June 29, at 6:30 pm, and legendary conjunto artist Flaco Jimenez is part of the lineup on Sunday, July 3, at 6:30 pm. The festival is one of the best things about living in the DC area, so don’t miss it. The full schedule is at http://www.festival.si.edu/schedule.
Merv Conn Happy Hour
We’re looking for more accordionists to play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “You Made Me Love You” at a July 14 event at the Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road
Sandy Spring, MD 20860, see http://www.sandyspringmuseum.org/
“Upbeat Obsessions: Jeff Krulik and the Merv Conn-ection” will start at 6:30 with refreshments, strolling by Joan Grauman, and clips from Jeff Krulik’s documentary The Legend of Merv Conn, followed by a Q&A with Jeff. The evening will end about 8 pm with the two songs by the accordion orchestra. It should be a lot of fun, so we’re hoping you’ll want to join us. The sheet music is attached.
For guests, the event is $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
********************************************************************************************************************
June 26, 2016
The world can be a scary place, but on June 12 we forgot all that for a little while and enjoyed our annual member concert. Greeter Sid Kowalszyk started the meeting off, and for those of you who don’t know, this was a rare event, so rare that Lou Coppola turned up just to make sure it was really happening. Sid does not often play in public. Of course he sounded wonderful.
Ken Kunec did the honors as emcee and also sang and played a few pieces. Here’s the program, more or less:
Ken K: Crazy, Making Whoopee
Bob Juszczyk: Way Marie, Dark Eyes
Mike Rubin: Fiddler on the Roof medley
Kerry Zhu (Mike’s student): Country Gardens, La Donna e Mobile
Jim Vandelly: Irish song and 2 Russian songs
Joe Kulick: Russian medley
Frank Vidergar: Crackerjack, Let’s Remain Friends
Joan Grauman: Time to Say Goodbye, Soldier in Love
Peter DiGiovanni: South Pacific medley
Robert Ford: Washington Post March, Libertango, Jolly Caballero
Peter and Robert: Merry-Go-Round (composed by Peter)
For the concert finale, Ken and Frank played Beer Barrel Polka, and unfortunately this was also Frank’s finale; he and his family moved to Colorado this past week. Frank’s a wonderful musician and a really nice guy, so we’ll miss him but wish him well. Our loss is Colorado’s gain.
After the meeting, John Kessler sent this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWCKUiKG04
showing an animated Frank Vidergar performing at the 2015 Button Accordion Festival. Note the legendary Fred Ziwich on clarinet. At extreme left, near the end of the video, is a brief glimpse of Cody McSherry.
Coming Up
Our July meeting, on Sunday the 17th at 4 pm, will be a play-along. Please bring music to share (25 copies). We need a greeter, too.
No meeting in August!
The Smithsonian’s annual Folklife Festival starts this week, and accordions are featured in at least two concerts: the Basque wonder Kepa Junkera performs this Wednesday, June 29, at 6:30 pm, and legendary conjunto artist Flaco Jimenez is part of the lineup on Sunday, July 3, at 6:30 pm. The festival is one of the best things about living in the DC area, so don’t miss it. The full schedule is at http://www.festival.si.edu/schedule.
Merv Conn Happy Hour
We’re looking for more accordionists to play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “You Made Me Love You” at a July 14 event at the Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road
Sandy Spring, MD 20860, see http://www.sandyspringmuseum.org/
“Upbeat Obsessions: Jeff Krulik and the Merv Conn-ection” will start at 6:30 with refreshments, strolling by Joan Grauman, and clips from Jeff Krulik’s documentary The Legend of Merv Conn, followed by a Q&A with Jeff. The evening will end about 8 pm with the two songs by the accordion orchestra. It should be a lot of fun, so we’re hoping you’ll want to join us. The sheet music is attached.
For guests, the event is $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
********************************************************************************************************************
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
August 12, 2016
Good news first: you won’t have to schlep your accordion through the heat to get it to our August meeting because we aren’t meeting in August. But the bad news is we won’t get to see each other in August.
No meeting this month!
The July meeting was a play-along ― or what some have called a sight-reading session, but “play-along” sounds more fun. It was a lot of fun, and it gave us the opportunity to try out new music from around the world, at various levels of difficulty, and in various styles. Thanks go to everyone who participated or listened, to Joan Grauman for leading the session, to Jim Vandelly for greeting beforehand, and to everyone who helped out with setting up the room, handling the refreshments, and cleaning up afterwards.
Next month we’ll be hosting guest artist Gail Campanella, coming to us all the way from the West Coast. We’re very excited about this concert, so please talk it up to your family and friends, send them the attached flyer, and of course put the date on your calendar. Robert Ford will be the greeter, so plan to arrive early so you can hear him, too. The concert is free for WMAS members, but we’ll be requesting an $8 donation from nonmembers.
Gail Campanella in Concert
Sunday, September 18, 4 pm
Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church
3435 Sleepy Hollow Road
Falls Church, VA 22044
See you in a few weeks!
Check out our website: www.washingtonaccordions.org
*********************************************************************************************************************
August 12, 2016
Good news first: you won’t have to schlep your accordion through the heat to get it to our August meeting because we aren’t meeting in August. But the bad news is we won’t get to see each other in August.
No meeting this month!
The July meeting was a play-along ― or what some have called a sight-reading session, but “play-along” sounds more fun. It was a lot of fun, and it gave us the opportunity to try out new music from around the world, at various levels of difficulty, and in various styles. Thanks go to everyone who participated or listened, to Joan Grauman for leading the session, to Jim Vandelly for greeting beforehand, and to everyone who helped out with setting up the room, handling the refreshments, and cleaning up afterwards.
Next month we’ll be hosting guest artist Gail Campanella, coming to us all the way from the West Coast. We’re very excited about this concert, so please talk it up to your family and friends, send them the attached flyer, and of course put the date on your calendar. Robert Ford will be the greeter, so plan to arrive early so you can hear him, too. The concert is free for WMAS members, but we’ll be requesting an $8 donation from nonmembers.
Gail Campanella in Concert
Sunday, September 18, 4 pm
Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church
3435 Sleepy Hollow Road
Falls Church, VA 22044
See you in a few weeks!
Check out our website: www.washingtonaccordions.org
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Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
October 2, 2016
On September 18, we had the good fortune to hear one of the finest accordionists the West Coast has to offer, guest artist Gail Campanella, and one of the finest our club has to offer, Robert Ford, as greeter. In some regards the concert was a homecoming: many people who hadn’t made a meeting in years showed up for Gail. “I remember her as a big deal” in the 1980s and ‘90s, one member commented as she arrived. Gail has been playing the accordion since she was 10 years old, and her comfort with the instrument, and also her passion for it, were evident in the wide variety of music she offered, including Angelo Di Pippo’s “Wrong Note Polka,” John Gart’s “Shadow Boxing” and “Vivo,” Stas Venglevski’s “Octobler Rondo,” and Frank Marocco’s arrangement of “Godfather Medley.”
Our next meeting, at 4 pm on Sunday, October 16, will be our annual Oktoberfest. Please sign up to play a polka or other dance tune, or a traditional drinking song for the group, and please think about what you would like to bring for the food table. If you’re at a loss for music ideas, please contact Joan Grauman ([email protected]) for a PDF of Oktoberfest music, and if you need food ideas, please look here: http://germanfoods.org/recipes/recipe-collections-recipes-for-an-authentic-german-oktoberfest/ For all the drinking songs, we will only have near-beer, though.
Yimeng Huang and Mara Cherkasky will be the greeters.
Also at the October meeting Joan Grauman will be handing out music for the Holiday Concert, for which we will begin rehearsing at the November 13 meeting. We hope you will join the WMAS Holiday Orchestra, which has grown bigger and better each year. We usually draw about 140 people to the concert and potluck, and it’s great fun. This year’s event will take place December 11 at 4 pm, and rehearsals – which we strongly encourage you to attend – are November 20 and December 4 at 4 pm, in addition to November 13. There’s also a mandatory rehearsal at 2 pm the day of the event, December 11.
See you soon!
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October 2, 2016
On September 18, we had the good fortune to hear one of the finest accordionists the West Coast has to offer, guest artist Gail Campanella, and one of the finest our club has to offer, Robert Ford, as greeter. In some regards the concert was a homecoming: many people who hadn’t made a meeting in years showed up for Gail. “I remember her as a big deal” in the 1980s and ‘90s, one member commented as she arrived. Gail has been playing the accordion since she was 10 years old, and her comfort with the instrument, and also her passion for it, were evident in the wide variety of music she offered, including Angelo Di Pippo’s “Wrong Note Polka,” John Gart’s “Shadow Boxing” and “Vivo,” Stas Venglevski’s “Octobler Rondo,” and Frank Marocco’s arrangement of “Godfather Medley.”
Our next meeting, at 4 pm on Sunday, October 16, will be our annual Oktoberfest. Please sign up to play a polka or other dance tune, or a traditional drinking song for the group, and please think about what you would like to bring for the food table. If you’re at a loss for music ideas, please contact Joan Grauman ([email protected]) for a PDF of Oktoberfest music, and if you need food ideas, please look here: http://germanfoods.org/recipes/recipe-collections-recipes-for-an-authentic-german-oktoberfest/ For all the drinking songs, we will only have near-beer, though.
Yimeng Huang and Mara Cherkasky will be the greeters.
Also at the October meeting Joan Grauman will be handing out music for the Holiday Concert, for which we will begin rehearsing at the November 13 meeting. We hope you will join the WMAS Holiday Orchestra, which has grown bigger and better each year. We usually draw about 140 people to the concert and potluck, and it’s great fun. This year’s event will take place December 11 at 4 pm, and rehearsals – which we strongly encourage you to attend – are November 20 and December 4 at 4 pm, in addition to November 13. There’s also a mandatory rehearsal at 2 pm the day of the event, December 11.
See you soon!
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Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
October 31, 2016
Music – and the aroma of sausage and sauerkraut – filled the air during WMAS’s Oktoberfest, a couple of weeks ago, on the 16th of this month. Yimeng Huang and Mara Cherkasky performed as greeters as Connie Racioppa and her helpers set up tables and made the room festive, JoAnn Pankow managed the food contributions, and members and guests began arriving. Ken Kunec presided, jokes at hand, and a slew of WMAS members played polkas and waltzes as dancers materialized on the floor. Again this year, Herb Fredrickson and his “Bayrisch and Steirisch” dance group led the way; they also taught Der Fenstastock to Joan Grauman’s live accompaniment, and performed a couple of the more complicated Bavarian dances for us as well. About 65 people enjoyed the day. Thanks to all who helped make it happen!
A few items of business: Karen Malan-Uribe, chair of the Nominating Committee, announced the slate of candidates for the election of officers, which will occur at the January meeting. Peter DiGiovanni is up for president and Mara Cherkasky for secretary/treasurer, and we have a new face for the vice-presidential slot: Robert Ford. As most of you are aware, Joan and Dan Grauman are phasing out their life in Maryland as they prepare for a permanent move to Florida in 2018, so Joan will continue her work as music director but not vice president. The next step in the election process: if you would like to nominate yourself or another person as a candidate for president, vice president, or secretary-treasurer, please do so at the November meeting. Before you do so, you might want to contact the incumbents to find out what the jobs entail, though.
We are looking for people to take on some of the other tasks that keep our club running smoothly. Karen announced that Teddy Kunec has agreed to take over from Lee Paulson on making member badges.
But Connie needs to pass on the job of decorating the room for holidays/special events; JoAnn could really use some help with the kitchen; and Mara could use some help with the website, which is maintained with Dreamweaver software.
Please step forward and help keep our club fun – and not too much of a burden on a few folks.
COMING UP NEXT
Joan distributed sheet music to those who have signed up to play with the WMAS Orchestra during the annual Holiday Concert on December 11. If you wish to participate and did not receive music, please contact Joan at [email protected]. Rehearsals will take place at the November 13 meeting, and also on November 20 and December 4, starting time 4 pm on all three dates. We strongly encourage you to attend rehearsals, as practicing on your own gets you only halfway there. You’ll also need to learn to follow the conductor (Joan), and to play with the distraction of being surrounded by other accordionists, some playing a different part from yours. One final, mandatory rehearsal takes place on the day of the concert, at 2 pm. The concert itself starts at 4 pm on Sunday, December 11. It will be followed as usual by a grand potluck, and we generally have around 140 people in the hall for this event.
ALSO at the November meeting, Jim Vandelly will play his annual mini-concert, and we always look forward to that unofficial start to the holiday season. In addition, Joan and Dan Grauman will be bringing their accordion flea market: sheet music, accordion-related gift items, and more. Don’t forget your wallets! The flea market raises money for the American Accordionists’ Association’s youth program. Speaking of which, the company that invited us to play at the April opening of Merv Conn Way in Silver Spring donated $1,000 in our name to that AAA youth program. So not only did we have a great time (and get written up in the Washington Post), we were able to give a big boost to this great program.
By the way, we still need greeters for both November and December, so please sign up to play for about 20 minutes in a low-stress situation. Here’s your chance to try out those pieces that sound so perfect when you play them alone at home.
ALSO UPCOMING:
Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra Concert
The Washington Balalaika Society will be presenting its fall concert at 3 pm on Sunday, November 20, 2016, at the Kenmore Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington VA. (The same program will be performed at 8 pm on Saturday, November 19, at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater in Rockville MD). The 60-member WBS Orchestra is the largest Russian folk orchestra in the U.S. Our special guest will be Mikhail Svetlov, a highly acclaimed basso from Moscow. You can find more info at these websites:
Washington Balalaika Society: http://www.balalaika.org/
Mikhail Svetlov: http://www.mikhailsvetlov.com/
For $15 group-rate tickets contact Peter DiGiovanni at 703-242-2160 or [email protected].
Happy Halloween! Please check out our website at www.washingtonaccordions.org.
********************************************************************************************************************
October 31, 2016
Music – and the aroma of sausage and sauerkraut – filled the air during WMAS’s Oktoberfest, a couple of weeks ago, on the 16th of this month. Yimeng Huang and Mara Cherkasky performed as greeters as Connie Racioppa and her helpers set up tables and made the room festive, JoAnn Pankow managed the food contributions, and members and guests began arriving. Ken Kunec presided, jokes at hand, and a slew of WMAS members played polkas and waltzes as dancers materialized on the floor. Again this year, Herb Fredrickson and his “Bayrisch and Steirisch” dance group led the way; they also taught Der Fenstastock to Joan Grauman’s live accompaniment, and performed a couple of the more complicated Bavarian dances for us as well. About 65 people enjoyed the day. Thanks to all who helped make it happen!
A few items of business: Karen Malan-Uribe, chair of the Nominating Committee, announced the slate of candidates for the election of officers, which will occur at the January meeting. Peter DiGiovanni is up for president and Mara Cherkasky for secretary/treasurer, and we have a new face for the vice-presidential slot: Robert Ford. As most of you are aware, Joan and Dan Grauman are phasing out their life in Maryland as they prepare for a permanent move to Florida in 2018, so Joan will continue her work as music director but not vice president. The next step in the election process: if you would like to nominate yourself or another person as a candidate for president, vice president, or secretary-treasurer, please do so at the November meeting. Before you do so, you might want to contact the incumbents to find out what the jobs entail, though.
We are looking for people to take on some of the other tasks that keep our club running smoothly. Karen announced that Teddy Kunec has agreed to take over from Lee Paulson on making member badges.
But Connie needs to pass on the job of decorating the room for holidays/special events; JoAnn could really use some help with the kitchen; and Mara could use some help with the website, which is maintained with Dreamweaver software.
Please step forward and help keep our club fun – and not too much of a burden on a few folks.
COMING UP NEXT
Joan distributed sheet music to those who have signed up to play with the WMAS Orchestra during the annual Holiday Concert on December 11. If you wish to participate and did not receive music, please contact Joan at [email protected]. Rehearsals will take place at the November 13 meeting, and also on November 20 and December 4, starting time 4 pm on all three dates. We strongly encourage you to attend rehearsals, as practicing on your own gets you only halfway there. You’ll also need to learn to follow the conductor (Joan), and to play with the distraction of being surrounded by other accordionists, some playing a different part from yours. One final, mandatory rehearsal takes place on the day of the concert, at 2 pm. The concert itself starts at 4 pm on Sunday, December 11. It will be followed as usual by a grand potluck, and we generally have around 140 people in the hall for this event.
ALSO at the November meeting, Jim Vandelly will play his annual mini-concert, and we always look forward to that unofficial start to the holiday season. In addition, Joan and Dan Grauman will be bringing their accordion flea market: sheet music, accordion-related gift items, and more. Don’t forget your wallets! The flea market raises money for the American Accordionists’ Association’s youth program. Speaking of which, the company that invited us to play at the April opening of Merv Conn Way in Silver Spring donated $1,000 in our name to that AAA youth program. So not only did we have a great time (and get written up in the Washington Post), we were able to give a big boost to this great program.
By the way, we still need greeters for both November and December, so please sign up to play for about 20 minutes in a low-stress situation. Here’s your chance to try out those pieces that sound so perfect when you play them alone at home.
ALSO UPCOMING:
Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra Concert
The Washington Balalaika Society will be presenting its fall concert at 3 pm on Sunday, November 20, 2016, at the Kenmore Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington VA. (The same program will be performed at 8 pm on Saturday, November 19, at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater in Rockville MD). The 60-member WBS Orchestra is the largest Russian folk orchestra in the U.S. Our special guest will be Mikhail Svetlov, a highly acclaimed basso from Moscow. You can find more info at these websites:
Washington Balalaika Society: http://www.balalaika.org/
Mikhail Svetlov: http://www.mikhailsvetlov.com/
For $15 group-rate tickets contact Peter DiGiovanni at 703-242-2160 or [email protected].
Happy Halloween! Please check out our website at www.washingtonaccordions.org.
********************************************************************************************************************
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
November 29, 2016
November is Thanksgiving month, and Jim Vandelly always gives us something to be grateful for. His mini-concert is our way of starting the holiday season, and of leading into our first rehearsal for the Holiday Concert. We always look forward to it, and he always delivers – this year on November 13. We also enjoyed greeter Pat Racioppa’s welcome, as well as shopping at our annual Holiday Flea Market run by Joan and Dan Grauman, with the proceeds going to the American Accordionists’ Association youth program. Thanks go to Jim, Pat, Joan (our conductor), JoAnn Pankow (in the kitchen), and all who made the meeting a success.
Upcoming:
The WMAS Holiday Orchestra will rehearse again this Sunday, December 4, at 4 pm at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, 3435 Sleepy Hollow Road, in Falls Church, Virginia. Please do your best to make the rehearsal! The more we practice together, the better we’ll sound.
Plans for the Holiday Concert/Potluck are falling into place. If you wish to perform and haven’t yet signed up, please do so, so we can organize the program. We have a limited number of 5-minute slots available during the concert itself, and several 10-minute slots during dinner and dessert. The idea is to give every member who wants to play a chance over the course of the evening. In assigning the playing slots, we will be striving for a positive experience for the audience at the concert and a variety of presentations and experiences throughout the event. The concert needs to be kept to 90 minutes, and we’re just about there, so please sign up soon!
Also, please be thinking about what you’d like to bring for the potluck. We highly encourage you to bring main dishes, as that’s what we run out of first. If you’d like some ideas, all you have to do is ask, by responding to this email. Thanks!
On the day of the concert, we’ll need Orchestra members to be in their seats at 2 pm to rehearse. Dress will be festive; this is a party.
After the concert we’ll ask everyone to go out to the hall/lobby, where Silvia Eberly will entertain on her beautiful Steirische Harmonika while some of us set up the room for dinner. This plan worked well last year, so we’re repeating it this year. When the tables are set up and the food is ready, we’ll invite everyone in for dinner and more music.
A flyer for the concert is attached. Please forward it to your family and friends, and post it at your local library or supermarket. Thanks!
Looking forward to seeing all of you at our concert/potluck dinner on December 11!!
More at www.washingtonaccordions.org
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November 29, 2016
November is Thanksgiving month, and Jim Vandelly always gives us something to be grateful for. His mini-concert is our way of starting the holiday season, and of leading into our first rehearsal for the Holiday Concert. We always look forward to it, and he always delivers – this year on November 13. We also enjoyed greeter Pat Racioppa’s welcome, as well as shopping at our annual Holiday Flea Market run by Joan and Dan Grauman, with the proceeds going to the American Accordionists’ Association youth program. Thanks go to Jim, Pat, Joan (our conductor), JoAnn Pankow (in the kitchen), and all who made the meeting a success.
Upcoming:
The WMAS Holiday Orchestra will rehearse again this Sunday, December 4, at 4 pm at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, 3435 Sleepy Hollow Road, in Falls Church, Virginia. Please do your best to make the rehearsal! The more we practice together, the better we’ll sound.
Plans for the Holiday Concert/Potluck are falling into place. If you wish to perform and haven’t yet signed up, please do so, so we can organize the program. We have a limited number of 5-minute slots available during the concert itself, and several 10-minute slots during dinner and dessert. The idea is to give every member who wants to play a chance over the course of the evening. In assigning the playing slots, we will be striving for a positive experience for the audience at the concert and a variety of presentations and experiences throughout the event. The concert needs to be kept to 90 minutes, and we’re just about there, so please sign up soon!
Also, please be thinking about what you’d like to bring for the potluck. We highly encourage you to bring main dishes, as that’s what we run out of first. If you’d like some ideas, all you have to do is ask, by responding to this email. Thanks!
On the day of the concert, we’ll need Orchestra members to be in their seats at 2 pm to rehearse. Dress will be festive; this is a party.
After the concert we’ll ask everyone to go out to the hall/lobby, where Silvia Eberly will entertain on her beautiful Steirische Harmonika while some of us set up the room for dinner. This plan worked well last year, so we’re repeating it this year. When the tables are set up and the food is ready, we’ll invite everyone in for dinner and more music.
A flyer for the concert is attached. Please forward it to your family and friends, and post it at your local library or supermarket. Thanks!
Looking forward to seeing all of you at our concert/potluck dinner on December 11!!
More at www.washingtonaccordions.org
***********************************************************************************************************************
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update
December 26, 2016
Happy Second Day of Christmas, Third Evening of Hanukkah, Boxing Day, and Fifth Day of Returning Light! We hope your holidays so far have been merry and bright, and send wishes for a joy-filled 2017!
WMAS is ending an otherwise tumultuous year as a place to find peace and harmony ― because music rules. Our annual December Holiday Concert/Potluck brought well over one hundred people together for a few welcome hours of laughter, musical performance, and a long groaning board of culinary delights. Let’s pat ourselves on the back and give thanks for the effort many of us have put in to make this event ― and everything our club does ― a success.
If you have pictures of the Holiday Concert/Potluck, you are welcome to post them to our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/337398196342247/ The page could definitely use some new material!
Our next meeting, on January 22, is an important one because we will elect officers for the coming year. The slate consists of two incumbents – Peter DiGiovanni as president and Mara Cherkasky as secretary/treasurer – and one new candidate: Robert Ford as vice-president. If you can’t make the meeting, you may email us your vote – members only, please. Just to clear up any misconceptions, Joan Grauman is stepping down as vice-president because she and Dan will be in Florida the first four months of 2017, but she’ll remain music director through this coming year and will be conducting next year’s WMAS Holiday Orchestra. They plan to be in Florida full-time starting in 2018.
Anyway, after the vote we’ll hold a play-along, so please bring your instrument, music stand, and 20 or so copies of sheet music to share. We’ll take turns leading the group in running through the music, which is always a delightful mix of styles that takes us around the world. If we each bring a few pieces, we’ll have plenty to play. Please remember, though, that we’ll be sight-reading, so simpler pieces are best, and pieces with more than one part are especially fun.
By the way, we need a greeter for the January meeting – please reply to this email if you’d like to take on that role. You’ll start playing about 3:45 pm and continue until the meeting starts a few minutes after 4 pm. We also need someone to make coffee and coordinate refreshments, as JoAnn and John Pankow, as well as Karen and Luis Uribe, will be out of town.
Upcoming Events
Peter DiGiovanni will be playing in a production of Fiddler on the Roof at H-B Woodlawn on January 26-28. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Happy New Year! See you soon! Check out our website at www.washingtonaccordions.org.
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December 26, 2016
Happy Second Day of Christmas, Third Evening of Hanukkah, Boxing Day, and Fifth Day of Returning Light! We hope your holidays so far have been merry and bright, and send wishes for a joy-filled 2017!
WMAS is ending an otherwise tumultuous year as a place to find peace and harmony ― because music rules. Our annual December Holiday Concert/Potluck brought well over one hundred people together for a few welcome hours of laughter, musical performance, and a long groaning board of culinary delights. Let’s pat ourselves on the back and give thanks for the effort many of us have put in to make this event ― and everything our club does ― a success.
If you have pictures of the Holiday Concert/Potluck, you are welcome to post them to our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/337398196342247/ The page could definitely use some new material!
Our next meeting, on January 22, is an important one because we will elect officers for the coming year. The slate consists of two incumbents – Peter DiGiovanni as president and Mara Cherkasky as secretary/treasurer – and one new candidate: Robert Ford as vice-president. If you can’t make the meeting, you may email us your vote – members only, please. Just to clear up any misconceptions, Joan Grauman is stepping down as vice-president because she and Dan will be in Florida the first four months of 2017, but she’ll remain music director through this coming year and will be conducting next year’s WMAS Holiday Orchestra. They plan to be in Florida full-time starting in 2018.
Anyway, after the vote we’ll hold a play-along, so please bring your instrument, music stand, and 20 or so copies of sheet music to share. We’ll take turns leading the group in running through the music, which is always a delightful mix of styles that takes us around the world. If we each bring a few pieces, we’ll have plenty to play. Please remember, though, that we’ll be sight-reading, so simpler pieces are best, and pieces with more than one part are especially fun.
By the way, we need a greeter for the January meeting – please reply to this email if you’d like to take on that role. You’ll start playing about 3:45 pm and continue until the meeting starts a few minutes after 4 pm. We also need someone to make coffee and coordinate refreshments, as JoAnn and John Pankow, as well as Karen and Luis Uribe, will be out of town.
Upcoming Events
Peter DiGiovanni will be playing in a production of Fiddler on the Roof at H-B Woodlawn on January 26-28. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Happy New Year! See you soon! Check out our website at www.washingtonaccordions.org.
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