Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - January 20, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
We had a small but lively and productive meeting on January 12. In the first order of business, we elected the current officers – President Peter DiGiovanni, Vice President Robert Ford, and Secretary/Treasurer Mara Cherkasky – to another term; it was not exactly a cliff-hanger of an election. In our second order of business, we discussed possible pieces for the 2025 Holiday Concert. Members contributed enough ideas for several concerts.
We then ran through a series of tunes that Peter projected on the wall.
Mara, our greeter, kicked off the meeting with a set of Slovenian polkas and waltzes that showcased her newly reconditioned helicon reeds.
We concluded with a little celebration of Robert Ford's 66th birthday. Before sharing a delicious tres leches cake that he and his fiancée Eliana had brought, we played the happy birthday song, and then Halina Banas-Jones and Michael Jones sang their special birthday song. It was a fun way to end our first get-together of the year!
NEXT MEETINGS
It’s been a while since we’ve seen our out-of-town members and friends, so we will hold a Zoom meeting at 4 pm this coming Sunday, January 26. Everyone is welcome! The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85295703635?pwd=mOL2tdw7xA7XEMGk3BhRHGaBRiML6P.1
Please make sure your name is associated with the device you use for the Zoom call, so we recognize you and know to let you into the meeting.
Our next in-person meeting will be Sunday, February 16, at 2 pm. This will be our 22nd birthday, and we have some treats in store. As he has for the past two years, Papa Joe De Clemente will perform a mini-concert for us and then also conduct a workshop on "Playing with a soloist. including you!" The workshop will focus on how playing solo differs from playing with a singer or other soloist.
Please bring your instrument, along with two songs that you would like to play and sing along with. Lead sheets with lyrics are best, and preferably just one page long, two pages max.
If you send your musical selections to Peter a few days before the meeting, he will project them on the wall for all to see and play along with. If not, then please bring enough copies for everyone.
We’ll provide birthday cake, so if you bring refreshments to share, please make them savory rather than sweet.
The Kamalu Trio (Karen Malan-Uribe, Mara, and Luis Uribe) will be our greeters.
WMAS DUES
It’s time to renew! You can do so at any meeting, or you can mail a check to WMAS c/o Mara Cherkasky, 603 Rock Creek Church Road NW, Washington DC 20010. A membership form can be found here: https://www.washingtonaccordions.org/join-wmas-or-renew.html, but you don't need to complete unless your information has changed or you're new.
The amounts are $30 for individuals and $45 for families.
Thanks! We look forward to seeing you soon!
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - February 28, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
The mood was festive when WMAS threw itself a party on February 16 In celebration of its 22nd birthday – and let’s not forget that those 22 years of meetings and events have all been spent in the same place: at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church. The Kamalu Trio (Karen Malan-Uribe, Mara Cherkasky, and Luis Uribe) kicked off the afternoon as our greeters, with a set of international folk tunes. Guest artist Papa Joe De Clemente took over from there, performing a full set of old favorites on his Roland and also demonstrating the instrument’s range of settings and sounds.
Of course there was cake: WMAS founders and officers blew out candles, and we lifted our voices in a round of “Happy Birthday,” to Papa Joe’s accompaniment. As a bonus, Michael Jones sang us his (and Halina’s, but she was out of town) special birthday song.
ZOOM MEETING
It seems like ages ago now, but on January 26 we held one of our periodic zoom meetings, so out-of-town members could be included.
It was good to catch up with Duane Quenzel, who’s up in Pennsylvania. He played several pieces for the group: a couple of Beatles songs; the Eagles fight song; a couple of Bert Bachrach songs; an Abba song, “Dancing Queen”; and “Classical Gas.”
We were happy to see Bernie Schenkler, too, joining us from near Buffalo, New York; he played an Italian song, “For the First Time.”
Ditto for Pamela Tom in California. She played “Tanzante Finger Polka” and a medley of “500 Miles,” “City of New Orleans” (with lots of bellows shakes), and “Sentimental Journey.”
Both Pam and Duane were getting ready to tune in to the San Francisco Accordion Club’s hybrid meeting immediately following our zoom. You have to join the club to get in on the meetings, which are a concert or lecture every other month and jamming the in-between months. Check it out here.
Joan Grauman Morse, who's in Florida, talked up the AAA Festival, which will take place July 10-13 in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. With Joan on the planning committee, fun is guaranteed. The Busso Festival Orchestra and the Accordion Pops Orchestra, led by Al Terzo, will open the festival Thursday evening the 10th. Attendees will have the opportunity to play in one of three orchestras: one for intermediate to advanced players under the baton of guest conductor Mary Ann Covone; the second for adult beginners led by Joanna Darrow; and the third for youth led by Dee Langley. All three will perform in the course of the weekend.
The festival’s featured performers will include the Dallas Vietty Trio, Brazilian accordionist Felice Hostins, and Balkan accordionist Peter Stan. In addition, Kevin Friedrich will be bringing in a load of instruments from Helmi Harrington’s Superior, Wisconsin accordion museum, and he’ll demonstrate each one during a 90-minute workshop on Saturday the 12th.
It sounds like a blast. Let’s make sure WMAS is well represented!
More info is here.
NEXT MEETING
WMAS will meet again on March 16, and we’ll be back to a 4 pm start time. On the program: Robert Ford will lead us through a workshop on fingering, both right- and left-hand. If you’ve ever been stumped trying to figure out how to most efficiently and accurately get from one key or button to another, this workshop is for you. If you have any specific pieces you have fingering questions on, please bring them to the meeting so we can all share.
Also: we need a greeter for the meeting, starting about 3:45 pm.
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - March 28, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
At our last meeting, on March 16, Robert Ford took the stage, leading us through a very useful and fun workshop on fingering for both the right hand and the left hand. Robert’s childhood accordion teacher had strong opinions on this topic, and Robert pulled out some of the exercises he learned way back when, projecting them on a screen and demonstrating them. Afterwards, the rest of us tried them out, too. Robert’s slides will be uploaded soon to the Lessons page of our website, so we can continue practicing them.
Thank you, Robert!
NEXT MEETING
We are thrilled to bring back bandoneon virtuoso Emmanuel Trifilio as our guest artist on Sunday, April 13 at 4 pm, at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, 3435 Sleepy Hollow Road, in Falls Church. Emmanuel, who's originally from Argentina, will play a solo concert for the first hour and then lead a workshop on tango interpretation. Bring your accordions!
This will be an opportunity to hear some fantastic music, so please invite your family and friends and any tango dancers you know. Nonmembers will be asked for a $10 donation at the door; members and children under 12 enter free.
Would you like to serve as greeter for the meeting, starting about 3:45 pm? Please let us know!
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - April 29, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
It was wonderful having bandoneon virtuoso Emmanuel Trifilio back with us on Sunday, April 13! Since we last hosted him, Emmanuel has faced down serious illness, but he seems to have bounced back — and is newly married. We are so happy for him! Anyway, Emmanuel played us a fantastic concert, and two pairs of tango dancers made it all the more fun.
In addition to the music, Emmanual provided some background on the bandoneon and how it differs from the accordion. Afterwards, he led a workshop on how to play a proper (dramatic) tango on the accordion. For those who missed it, the trick is to listen carefully to the bandoneon (live or recorded) and pay close attention to the rhythm, accented beats, and dynamics, then try to duplicate what you hear. Our rendition of “La Cumparsita” at the end of the workshop actually sounded pretty great.
The Tuneful Twosome (Halina Banas-Jones and Peter DiGiovanni), our greeters, got the afternoon off to a good start. Thanks go to them and to everyone who turned out.
NEXT MEETING
For our next meeting, at 4 pm on Sunday, May 18, Joyce Palmer’s group CHAOS will play a mini-concert, and we’ll follow that with a play-along. Bring your instruments.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
If you have not yet renewed your dues for 2025, you can do so at an upcoming meeting, or send a check made payable to WMAS to Mara Cherkasky, 603 Rock Creek Church Road NW, Washington DC 20010-1614. Your membership enables us to pay our bills (including the website and mandatory insurance), bring quality performers to our club, and support Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church, which so graciously allows us to use its beautiful facility for our meetings and concerts. Our annual dues are only $30 for individuals and $45 for families. Thanks!
PUBLICITY
If anyone has ideas for how to publicize our concerts and events, please let us know. The Falls Church paper — to which we’ve been sending calendar listings for years — seems to have stopped publishing, so all we have now is our email list. If you’re on a local listserv, would you be willing to post on our behalf? Thanks!
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - May 28, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
Our May meeting, on the 18th, was small but filled with music. The Capitol Hill Accordion Orchestra Society (CHAOS), our greeters, played an extended set of favorites, and Peter DiGiovanni led a play-along afterwards.
NEXT MEETING
The annual WMAS member concert will be Sunday, June 22, at 4 pm at Sleepy Hollow Church. Please let Peter know if you’d like to play, and please invite your family and friends to come and hear you. There’s no charge for this concert.
TAMBURITZANS IN CONCERT
The Tamburitzans will be performing at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center in Annandale on Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 pm. Cody McSherry plays multiple instruments during the performance, and he is graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in June, so this will be his last appearance with the Tamburitzans. For more information and tickets: https://www.thetamburitzans.org/events/tickets/161290000.
NEXT ZOOM MEETING/MEET DUANE QUENZEL
Peter will host a Zoom WMAS meeting at 4 pm on June 8.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85454867271?pwd=DjwCRneDX0W9mrrnhhbC235G2BaixU.1
Meeting ID: 854 5486 7271
Passcode: 195382
It’s been fun to get to know new people on these Zooms. One stalwart is Duane Quenzel, from Horsham, Pennsylvania, and we thought maybe you’d like to hear a little of his story, pulled from some of his emails with WMAS Secretary/Treasurer Mara Cherkasky. He’s an excellent musician, by the way, and he always plays a few pieces for us during the Zooms.
In late December 2022, Duane wrote: When you’ve watched me play on Zoom, you were watching an accordionist who hadn’t played in over 50 years. Boy, am I rusty from what I once was back in the late 1960s when I performed Chopin with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
I studied accordion under Mrs. Jean Smallwood of Melody Music Studios in Wheaton, Maryland, starting at age three in 1954. She had just come back to the U.S. from Brazil, where she was the top pedagogue accordionist for all South America and Latin America. I was her first student in the U.S. I remember competing each year with Lou Coppola’s and Merv Conn’s students at the Rockville Civic Center.
To go back to the beginning, I was born in Takoma Park and lived in Wheaton from 1952 to 1963. I remember when my father would drive down Rock Creek Parkway to the National Zoo, where we would ford the creek with Dad’s car. Also going to Glen Echo amusement park to go swimming in the Olympic-size pool, and ride the rollercoaster, carousel, and spooky fun house in big three-person chairs on wheels on tracks. Also, having ice cream on Sundays at Gifford’s, across Georgia Avenue from the Silver Spring train station for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad that ran to Rockville, Maryland. Today, it’s Amtrak! Back then, in the 1950s, the passenger trains were pulled by steam engines.
There was no beltway around Washington or Baltimore; it was all farms and woods. Wheaton Plaza was a corn field on Viers Mill Road. We lived on Arcola Avenue and looked out from the front of our home at the radio station tower antennas of WTOP, which was on University Boulevard. Between us and the radio station was a dairy farm (Thompson’s Dairy). It later became part of High’s. Behind our house, they had just started to build Wheaton Regional Park in 1963.
That year we moved to Pennsylvania, 20 miles north of Philadelphia. Frank Moliterre, my second accordion teacher (from 1963 to 1967), lived in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and taught me jazz and Big Band Swing-era music of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. He played duets with Frank Marocco at many Long Island and Jersey Shore night clubs, and was the accordionist both at the Latin Casino night club in New Jersey and at Radio City Music Hall with the Rockettes. He played one of the original Cordovox accordions with Lesley speaker amplifier. It sounded quite similar to a Hammond B-3 organ.
When I asked him about teaching me to play classical music, he said, “Kid, that’s not my shtick!“ So he wrote a letter of audition to Myron Floren, who chose to teach me because he had a brother named Duane. From 1967 to 1970, I studied converter freebass accordion with Myron Floren at a private studio in Manhattan. They were three-hour lessons once a month, and the music was strictly classical.
Then I went to Vietnam as a special forces paramedic, and when I came back my parents had sold all of my accordions to afford to send my older brother to college. That’s when I started my 50-year sabbatical from the accordion. I got back to playing in the fall of 2019: Stradella and converter freebass wooden Victoria accordions.
In between, I was in the Pharmaceutical field for 42 years. I also ran emergency medical services as a volunteer paramedic for 45 years. The medivac ambulances I ran with were Sky Flight Care with Brandywine Hospital in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and the medivac helicopter service Penn Star, out of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Hope to see you at the Zoom meeting on June 8 and in person on June 22!
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - July 1, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
Sunday, June 22, featured triple-digit temperatures outside, but the air inside Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church was cool and the audience for the WMAS member concert was enthusiastic. The ten well-practiced performers included Ron Bloch, Peter DiGiovanni, Robert Ford, Yimeng Huang, Michael Jones, Joe Kulick, Ken Kunec, Ethan Lan, Collette Patrick, and Mike Rubin. Ethan and Collette are Peter’s young students, who made their performance debut at our meeting -- and with skill and composure! Congratulations and a special thanks go to them and their supportive families for contributing to the success of our concert.
We are also grateful to Sleepy Hollow UMC for once again hosting us in their wonderful, air-conditioned space.
Next Meeting
At our next meeting, at 4 pm on Sunday, July 20, Robert Ford will perform select pieces and lead a related discussion on topics including expression and technique. Do you have questions — especially about fingering or bellowing techniques? Feel free to reach out to Robert directly at [email protected]. Or bring your questions to the meeting!
We could use a greeter for the meeting. Please let us know if you’re interested. Thanks!
Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church Ice Cream Social
The church would love to have some of us play for their annual Night Out ice cream social on Tuesday, August 5, from 6 to 8 pm. Are you available? Please let us know as soon as possible whether you can participate. Thank you!
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - August 7, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
A good-sized group of us braved the heat to meet up on July 20 for Robert Ford’s excellent workshop on expression technique -- or how to use dynamics, articulation, phrasing, rubato, and timbre to play more expressively. Robert’s PowerPoint will be uploaded to the Lessons page of the WMAS website.
After the workshop, we played a few pieces from sheet music projected onto the wall. Unfortunately, this was not altogether successful because the room was set up for a theatrical production, and it was hard to get close enough to the wall to be able to easily read the music. Hopefully, we’ll do better next time.
On August 5, Ken Kunec, Michael Rubin, and Robert Ford represented WMAS at the Church's Ice Cream Social, playing many party favorites. Folks danced and sang along, having a great time. The ice cream was also great, Robert reports!
Next Meeting
Our next WMAS meeting is coming right up, on Sunday, August 17, at 4 pm, at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist Church. On the program: a short workshop by Peter DiGiovanni on “What I Learned at Jazz Camp.” Bring your accordion so we can try out the exercises Peter learned at the camp, and so we can play together after the workshop.
Also, we need a greeter! Let us know if you can play starting about 3:45 pm for about 20 minutes to open the meeting.
Holiday Concert
Though it may still be warm outside, Peter is busy putting together the program for our 2025 Holiday Concert. The key dates and times are:
October 26 - 4pm
November 2 - 2pm (first day we are back on standard time)
November 16 - second half of the regular 2pm meeting
December 7 - 2pm
December 14 - 2pm rehearsal, 4pm concert
It's OK if you have to miss a rehearsal or two, except for the one on the day of the concert. Please let Peter know if you want to be part of this wonderful event -- either call/text 703-919-5701 or email [email protected]. As in past years, the music will be memorable and fun to play. And there is nothing quite like the experience of playing in an orchestra, hearing all the parts -- including yours! -- coming together into a beautiful sonic presentation for an appreciative audience! Newcomers are welcome, and there are parts for all skill levels.
For Sale: Collection of Treasures from the Dick Contino Fan Club
Photos, memorabilia, and more from 1949-1950
The fan club mail even has 1.5-cent and 3-cent stamps!
$35 includes shipping.
Accordionly yours, Lisa, of the Delaware Accordion Club
[email protected]
302-993-0374
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - September 3, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends,
Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the cooler weather!
Our last program, on August 17, was a little different: Peter DiGiovanni presented on “What I Learned at Jazz Camp.” Participants tried out Be-Bop, Blues, and modal scales -– and we discussed how we might use them, given that none of us currently plays much improvisational jazz. In some ways, having these scales spelled out on paper felt like receiving clues in a treasure hunt. So thanks, Peter, for passing this knowledge along.
We followed the workshop with snacks and a play-along.
Upcoming Meetings/Events
Oktoberfest runs from mid-September to mid-October, so we figured we’d start celebrating it as soon as possible. At our next meeting, on Sunday, September 14, at 4 pm, the Tuneful Twosome (Peter DiGiovanni and Halina Banas-Jones) will perform their Oktoberfest repertoire –- and allow us to join in. So bring your accordion or percussion instrument, and let’s have some fun! Also, please bring appropriate Oktoberfest fare, including near-beer (not the real thing, though).
The KaMaLu Trio (Karen and Luis Uribe, plus Mara Cherkasky) will be our greeters starting at 3:45 pm, so come early to listen to them as you help set up the room.
We will continue celebrating the season at our October meeting, on the 19th at 4 pm. This time, it will be an open mic, so please plan to play a polka or waltz (or two) or maybe something more geared toward Halloween.
Speaking of which, Sleepy Hollow United Methodist plans to host its annual Howl-O-Ween Pet Blessing on Sunday, October 26 from 2 pm until 4 pm, and they’ve invited us to entertain. The WMAS Holiday Orchestra will be rehearsing that day at 4 pm, so it’s just a matter of arriving early if you’d like to participate in the Howl-O-Ween event. Please let Peter know so he can send you the sheet music.
Holiday Concert
Just so you have it handy, the key dates and times for the 2025 Holiday Concert are:
October 26 - 4 pm rehearsal
November 2 – 2 pm rehearsal (This is the first day we are back on standard time.)
November 16 - after the regular meeting, which starts at 2 pm
December 7 – 2 pm rehearsal
December 14 – 2 pm rehearsal, 4 pm concert
If you haven’t already, please let Peter know if you want to be part of the orchestra, either by calling/texting him at 703-919-5701 or emailing [email protected]. Newcomers are more than welcome, and there are parts for all skill levels. For those in the orchestra who have received their music, please let Peter know if you are able and willing to play left hand (in addition to right hand). We need about half the group on bass. Thanks!
See you soon!
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - September 22, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
Our September 14 meeting opened with the KaMaLu Trio (Karen and Luis Uribe, plus Mara Cherkasky) playing a set of centuries-old folk melodies from Bulgaria, England, France, Ireland, Sweden, and the former Yugoslavia. Then we kicked off the Oktoberfest season with a mini-concert by Peter DiGiovanni and Halina Banas-Jones, aka the Tuneful Twosome. They played a variety of foot-tapping numbers: Wiggen Polka, Erzherzog Johann Jodler, Zillertaler Hochzeitsmarsch, Wien Bleibt Wein, Weiner Blut, Clarinet Polka, Helena Polka, Happy Wanderer, Tirolerlandler, Recht Schlaazig, and the Krazlhuber Polka. With Peter playing his Roland and Halina on her acoustic instrument, the Twosome produced what sounded like a whole combo. Their set was followed by a spirited hour-long play-along of traditional Oktoberfest tunes. About a dozen people played from lead sheets projected onto the wall.
LOST AND FOUND
Did anyone lose a pin (brooch) at the September meeting? Church staff found one, so if you think it’s yours, please write back and describe it to us. We’ll figure out how to get it back to you.
NEXT MEETING
The next WMAS meeting, on October 19, will be our member Oktoberfest concert/open mic. Please work up a polka or waltz (or two) to perform for the group. And if you’d rather play something more Halloweeny, that’s fine, too.
HOWL-O-WEEN
Remember: Sleepy Hollow United Methodist plans to host its annual Howl-O-Ween Pet Blessing on Sunday, October 26 from 2 pm until 4 pm, and they’ve invited us to entertain. The WMAS Holiday Orchestra will be rehearsing that day at 4 pm, so it’s just a matter of arriving early if you’d like to participate in Howl-O-Ween. Please let Peter know so he can send you the sheet music.
HOLIDAY ORCHESTRA
If you’re in the holiday orchestra, please remember to let Peter know if you plan to play bass (left hand) or not. It's fine either way, and you can play bass on some of the pieces and not others. As long as we have half the orchestra on bass, we will sound great.
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - November 4, 2025
Dear WMAS members and friends!
Our October 19 meeting, an open mic/member concert, closed out Oktoberfest season in style. We enjoyed a variety of tunes by several members including, poignantly, one of Bob Juszczyk’s favorites, “Gleboka Studzienka,” as arranged by Peter DiGiovanni and performed by him and Halina Banas-Jones (the Tuneful Twosome). A play-along followed the concert, with sheet music projected on the wall.
We were so glad to have Barbara Juszczyk with us at the meeting. Several of us attended Bob’s memorial service a few days after the meeting.
On October 26, Peter, Halina, Mike Rubin, and Joe Kulick represented the club at Sleepy Hollow United Methodist’s annual Howl-O-Ween Pet Blessing, just before the Holiday Orchestra rehearsal.
NEXT MEETING
We’re looking forward to Ken Kunec’s mini-concert at our November 16 meeting! When our November meeting rolls around and it’s time for the mini-concert, it’s almost like the start of the holiday season. Indeed, the second half of the meeting will be a rehearsal of the Holiday Orchestra.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING WILL START AT 2 PM! While we’re on Standard Time (November through February) we meet earlier so we can get home before dark.
Would you like to be the greeter for the November meeting? If so, please let us know, and then show up early and start playing about 1:45 pm to get the afternoon off to a musical start.
Washington Metropolitan Accordion Society Update - January 2, 2026
Dear WMAS members and friends,
Happy New Year!
We finished out 2025 on an upbeat note: The 23rd annual Holiday Concert was a resounding success. Although the weather did not entirely cooperate on December 14 -– we experienced an ice storm during the previous night and into the morning –- the roads were mostly clear by afternoon, at least in the District and Northern Virginia. Unfortunately, that was not necessarily the case in the Maryland suburbs, and one orchestra member, Chuck Silio, found his car with such a thick coat of ice that he could not even get the door open. So we were down to 11 orchestra members, and a smaller than usual audience, thanks to the bad weather. The room seemed full enough, but we did miss Chuck.
Per tradition, Ken Kuncec served as our masterful master of ceremonies, warming up the audience and filling in gaps between selections with sing-alongs and, of course, jokes. The orchestra played nine selections, all arranged by our president and conductor, the talented Peter DiGiovanni.
We also had a few soloists and duos: Mike Rubin; Janice Lavoie, Robert Ford; Robert and Peter; Halina Banas-Jones and Peter.
Organizing this concert required quite a big effort, but we pulled it off thanks to help from lots of people. The orchestra members, of course, spent hours and hours practicing, and they skipped other activities to show up for Sunday afternoon rehearsals starting in October. WMAS members arrived early on December 14 to decorate and set up the room, and lots of people brought snacks for the reception. Thanks very much, all of you, including our audience!
If you missed the concert and would like to watch a video of it, here’s the link. https://youtu.be/ESt5nN9HbA0
Next Meetings
It's about time we held a zoom meeting for out-of-town members. Please let us know if Sunday, January 11 at 4 pm would work for you. If not, what about Sunday, January 18?
Our next in-person meeting will be Sunday, January 25, at 2 pm. On the agenda: a debrief of the concert, officer elections, and a play-along/jam session. Would you like to serve as greeter for the meeting? Please let us know!
Our February 15 meeting will feature Duffy Llama, who performed for us with his “Bean Soup Project” many years ago. Duffy has since moved on into a new realm. As he describes it, “If you're ready for what could be the next step in the accordion evolution, it's time to take a look at what we really have in our hands. This is for any skill level willing to enhance their understanding of what to play, how to play, and when to play in songs in a pointalistic approach. It is sometimes referred to as Musical Punctionalism. Come and learn how this style of music could be our vehicle to gaining a bigger piece of the musical scene.” You will definitely want to bring your accordion for this mind-expanding experience.
At our March 15 meeting, we will celebrate our 23rd birthday and enjoy a concert of Austrian and Bavarian folk songs by M&J Volksmusik (Michael and Jessie Leggett). The concert will be followed by a workshop -- and cake. Since this will be a guest-artist concert, we will be asking nonmembers for a $10 donation. Please save the date!
Time to Renew!
Our membership year runs from January 1 to December 31, so it’s time to renew. Dues are $30 for individuals and $45 for families, and you can pay up at a meeting or by mailing a check to WMAS c/o Mara Cherkasky, 603 Rock Creek Church Road NW, Washington DC 20010. You can also pay via Venmo or Zelle. For details, please email Mara at [email protected].