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NORTHWEST ACCORDIONNEWS

Meisner Magic AAA Accordion Competition Introducing Emmanuel Gasser Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration 2015Pictures! Leavenworth Celebration, Rick Hatley, Seattle & more

VOL. 25 NO. 3Northwest Accordion Society Fall Quarter 2015

Northwest Accordion News

fall Quarter 2015 1

Is your membership renewal due? Check your mailing label. A membership application/renewal form is included on the last page. Send your renewals or change of address to:

Northwest Accordion Society 5102 NE 121st Ave. #12Vancouver, WA 98682

NORTHWEST ACCORDION SOCIETY

The Northwest Accordion News is a quarterly newsletter published by the Northwest Accordion Society for and by its members. The purpose of the NWAS News is to unite the membership by providing news of its members, and articles that instruct, encourage, and promote the playing of the accordion.

NWAS PUBLICATION PRIORITIES♦ Advertising♦ Original Compositions♦ News from Our Members♦ Instructive/Technical Articles♦ Summaries from Regional Socials and Events♦ Coming Events

Articles will be printed if received prior to the publishing deadline. Should space be an issue, articles will be printed in the order in which they are submitted. All decisions regarding publication will be made by the editors of the NWAS News.

To submit articles for publication, mail them to the Vancouver, WA address listed. It is preferred that articles be submitted via e-mail as attached WORD documents or on a disc. Typed, paper copy needs to be dark and clear to allow scanning and to minimize errors.

Photographs sent for publication will be returned if they are accompanied with a SASE of correct size and adequate postage. Photographs may be sent electronically or on disc.

To reprint articles or photographs from magazines and newspapers, written permission from the publisher is required. Please submit the necessary “permission to print” with material sent.

Views in the articles and information printed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Northwest Accordion Society or its advertisers.

Inquiries, questions, suggestions, etc.Contact Doris Osgood, 3224 B St.,

Forest Grove, OR 97116. (503) 357-0417. E-mail: [email protected]

NWAS News DeadlinesFebruary 1, May 1, August 1, November 1

Northwest Accordion News StaffDoris Osgood................................... (503) 357-0417 [email protected] Ames .................................... (360) 904-1524 [email protected] Halverson (Advertising) ..... (503) 649-0724 [email protected]

NW Accordion Society Offi cers Bonnie Birch, President/Treasurer ................................. (206) 622-4786Doris Osgood, Vice President/Communications ............. (503) 357-0417Judith Ames, Secretary/Technology ............................... (360) 254-5245

Advisory BoardJohn Giuliani, Jr .............................................................. (425) 271-2239Dick Myking .................................................................... (253) 537-0136Birgit Ages ...................................................................... (206) 368-9720Cooksie (Kaserzon) Kramer ........................................... (425) 828-9104

Membership:Doris Osgood.................................................................. (503) 357-0417 [email protected] Ames ................................................................... (360) 904-1524 [email protected]

Mail letters & articles to:Northwest Accordion Society

5102 NE 121st Ave. #12, Vancouver, WA 98682

Or e-mail to: [email protected]

ADVERTISINGFull page $120.00Half page $65.00Quarter $35.00Business card $15.00

Prices are PER ISSUE. US Funds

Photo-ready Advertising (with accompanying check) for this publication may be sent to:Northwest Accordion Society

PO Box 687, LaPine, OR 97739or e-mail [email protected]


FaLL Quarter 20152

Letter from the Editors

Greetings!We have had quite a HOT summer! In the Port-

land/Vancouver area we’ve beaten the record for the most days above 90 degrees. (The average year has 13 and we are now close to 30!) We are praying for RAIN! (As we put this together, we got our fi rst rain in over a month!)

As many of you know, I work full-time and do this as a labor of love. I edit the NWAS news and keep track of the 400+ members. I truly appreciate those who renew their memberships without reminders - it saves me a lot of time. Check the label for your Dues Due date. You can renew in advance, for more than one year if you like, select hard copy, PDF or both.

Judith Ames ([email protected])

Quarterly UpdateTable of Contents2 Letter from the Editors2 Quarterly Update3 Letters to the Editor4 Meisner Magic9 Air Force Accordion10 Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration10 Competition Results12 LIAC 2015 Sponsors 13 AAA Accordion Competition14 Accordion Celebration 201517 Keeping Up With Gary Blair18 By the Way – 20 Introducing Emmanuel Gasser20 Festival Accordion Ensemble21 Seattle Accordion Social23 Meet Up In Richland24 Remembering Rick Hatley28 LaVerne P. Morris28 Remembering Louise M. Sessler29 Tacoma Accordion Socials 30 SGM Manny Bobenrieth at the 2015 AAA Festival30 Joe Smiell’s Button Box Camp31 Chromatic Scale Fingering32 Chester Pietka Scholarship Recipient32 Tony Lavelli Accordion “Classic”34 Bass Exercises in Thirds35 Accordion Events Calendar38 Entertainers in the Northwest39 Welcome New Members

Dear Members,As I write today, there are many friends in

the path of wild fi re in the Pacifi c Northwest. The temperatures here have been brutally hot and wind is complicating the fi re fi ght. We pray for improving conditions.

The summer was eventful here in the northwest. Thankfully, wild fi re hadn’t begun when we were all in Leavenworth. The Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration was great fun and a success to boot. The professional entertainment was the best. Amateur players from the region and from Canada rounded out the accordion entertainment. I’ve worked the gazebo for years and can say that everyone that performed was prepared and played better than ever. We are all thankful for Bonnie Birch’s leadership and oversight of the accordion celebration project; we are fortunate to have her expertise. The dates are set for LIAC 2016. Be sure to mark your calendar: June 16 – 19, 2016.

The date for the Day of the Accordion for the Seattle area club is set also. February 27, 2016 will be a day of accordion entertainment at the Crossroads Mall in Bellevue. Last year the mall provided great publicity and support for the event and we expect the same in 2016.

August, 21 the Inland Empire hosted a special concert honoring Ilmar Kuljus. Master teacher, Ilmar Kuljus conducted the ensemble. Ilmar still teaches via Skype as well as in person at his home in Arizona and Coeur D’Alene.

Ron Ostromecki is our faithful music engraver in Erie, PA. He is in constant pursuit of music on our behalf. I’m so grateful for his perseverance and his engraving expertise. His contact with Steve Meisner brought about the permission to print the polka in this issue. Ron’s located a composer in West Virginia who will be sharing some of his original compositions with us in coming issues.

I can’t let an issue go by without thanking our faithful advertisers. Petosa Accordions, Michael Arralde/Diamond Accordions, and Castiglione provide the backbone to our advertising. There are other advertisers listed. Remember, “shop at home and save”. Support the goods and services


fall Quarter 2015 3

Letters to the Editor

Judith & Doris,WOW! I was blown away by our Summer Issue of NWAS News. I don’t know if you have ever had such a jam packed issue before with so many articles and pictures. Thank you for your efforts.Frank Bruckner, Sequim, WA

Dear NWAS,After several years away from attending Leavenworth In-ternational Accordion Festival, I so much enjoyed 2015. Keep up the Good Work!My friend, Michael Zampecenir, was ill and couldn’t at-tend. Maybe next year he can be part of the festival. He is an accomplished accordion performer.Looking forward to receiving the NWAS.Thank you, Rachel Junkert, Fair Oaks, CA

Dear NWAS Staff,Thanks always for keeping accordionists throughout the Northwest and beyond connected with your excellent and far-reaching, “Northwest Accordion News” publica-tion.Best Wishes,Linda Gunn, Springfi eld, OR

Dear NWAS staff,Congratulations on all the great work you do! Here’s a great article you may want to publish on Tony Lavelli. I’m sure all his records are mostly gone and forgotten. I have some of his recordings and he was fabulous!Jim Tobler. Lynnwood, WA(Editors note: you will fi nd the article on page 32!)

Dear NWAS,Thanks for all your hard/Great Work!!Al Aman, Missoula, MT

Dear NWAS,Thank you ever-so-much for the postcard reminder. Enclosed is a copy of an interesting article from Mackin-leyville, CA Senior news that I received from a friend.Marge White, Yacolt, WA(Editor’s note: We appreciate seeing accordion articles like this from all over the US. We cannot reprint them without written permission. The article was about the Humboldt Accordionaires. We’d like to hear more about them! They play and visit assisted living centers, schools and other places.)

advertised in the NWAS News when you can. Please remember, if you believe that you

should have received an issue of the NWAS News but didn’t, please contact me. If your name is on the mailing disc, we assume that you received your copy. The publication comes out as the seasons change: about the 3rd week in March, June, September, and December. Generally the magazine is received by members in Washington and Oregon before the 3rd week. If your copy doesn’t come by the end of each of those months, let me know.

It’s Oktoberfest season. If we thought that the summer was busy, the activities intensify now. This is a busy time for our professional players and for all of us amateur players too. Harvest festivals and Oktoberfests large and small need accordion music!! It’s great fun. All accordionists need encouragement; participate as much as you’re able. Autumn is a wonderful time of year.Doris [email protected]

Seattle Monday Night Accordion Socials Resume

September 14!Date/Time: 2nd Monday of the month

music: 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. - - be there early

All Socials are held at the Senior Center of West Seattle in 2015

Senior Center of West Seattle (SC-WS)

4217 S.W. Oregon Street Seattle, WA 98116

Phone: (206) 932-4044Cost: $5

Contact: John Giuliani (425) 255-2121 Contact: Birgit Ages (206) 368-9720

Backup: Bonnie Birch (206) 622-4786


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FaLL Quarter 20158

Do you have a

MurlStrap?!! SUPPORT YOUR BACK. Feel comfort, stability and control, standing or sitting for your accordion-playing pleasure and good back health. Available in basic black. Colors: blue, hot pink, green and red by special order. Email me for sizing information [email protected] small, medium, large, extra large or MurlStrap junior size.

Only $45.00. Credit cards accepted by phone 206-781-8196. Mail orders accepted at P.O. Box 30553 Seattle, WA 98113

Visit my website for images of the MurlStrap www.murlallensanders.com Murl Allen Sanders CD’s available also.

Oregon’s Alpenfest

Enjoy more accordions than ever

See NWAS member artists, plus:Polka band with free dance lessonsSwiss yodeler Arthur Brogli with buttonbox

The Tirolean DancersAlphorn musicBratwurst, beer and shopping

Sept. 24-27 Wallowa Lake, Oregon’s Little SwitzerlandInfo and tickets: oregonalpenfest.com


fall Quarter 2015 9

NEW MEISNER CD RELEASE “THANK YOU MUSIC LOVERS”

You’ve heard Steve say it on stage many times and now, Thank You Music Lovers, is the title of this new CD which debuted at the Illinois Polka Fest. Get set for 21 classic Meisner polkas and waltzes, all recorded live last summer. One listen and you’ll agree it’s almost like having a front seat at a table in front of the stage. You’ll hear Steve Meisner and his band in one of their best live performances ever. You’ll feel the enthusiasm and energy with the audience and on stage. Many of the songs included on Thank You Music Lovers are legendary Meisner favorites, including Polka 76, Sugar Bush, Memories of Vienna and of course El Rio Drive. Some of Steve’s classics like, The Sailor Song, Wildfl ower Waltz and Meisner Magic are also included. But there’s even more with Denny Anderson yodeling on Edelweiss, Don Hunjadi’s Howg Wobber and other great tunes like Abergut and You Don’t Wanna. With 21 total songs providing nearly 70 minutes of music, Thank You Music Lovers is not only a great recording, it’s a great deal!

You can order the new CD right now from the merchandise page at www.stevemeisner.com or send $17.50 including ship-ping to: Steve Meisner, N7547 W Lakeshore Dr, Whitewater WI 53190.

Please send me “Thank You Music Lovers”. I’ve enclosed $17.50Name_____________________________________________Address___________________________________________Phone___________________E-mail_____________________

Air Force Accordion

Accordionist Frank Busso, Jr. performed free concerts with the US Air Force Strings in various loca-tions in the northeast in July. From the United States Air Force Band website:

“Master Sgt. Frank J. Busso Jr. is the accordionist with the Air Force Strings, The United States Air Force Band, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. Originally from Staten Island, N.Y., his Air Force career began in 2005.

“Sergeant Busso attended Boston University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 2001. He studied accordion with Frank Busso Sr. at the Staten Island Music School in New York. Prior to joining the Air Force, Sergeant Busso was an instructor and arranger with the Boston University Athletic Bands. He was also an instructor at the Staten Island Music School, where his students earned many regional and national titles in competi-tion.

“A s a competitive accordionist, Sergeant Busso received numerous regional titles from the Accordion Teachers Association of New Jersey, including the organization’s virtuoso championship in 1995. He also earned multiple national titles from the American Accordionists’ Association in classical, popular, and ethnic competitions. Since 2001, Sergeant Busso has performed in concert as a member of The Busso Trio at numerous summer festivals hosted by the Ameri-can Accordionists’ Association and the Accordionists & Teachers Guild.”

Deadline for submitting articles, pictures, advertisements, etc.

February 1 (Spring)May 1 (Summer)August 1 (Fall)

November 1 (Winter)

Reminder!Membership rates increased to $20 for Student,

$25 for regular members and $40 for Patron (Canada add $10 and outside North America add

$15 - All US funds)


FaLL Quarter 201510

Leavenworth International Accordion CelebrationCompetition Results

Leavenworth Open1. Emmanuel Gasser2. Rebecca Bracewell3. Holden Tubbs

LIAC Classical Open1. Emmanuel Gasser2. Holden Tubbs3. Rebecca Bracewell

Olde Time Open1. Emmanuel Gasser2. Gary Malner

Open Duets1. Bev Fess/ Eileen Webber2. Rod Miller/ Einar Tapio3. Herb Hinterberger/ Bruce Bakker

Diatonic 1. Eileen Webber2. David Emter3. Silke Gumplinger

Band1. Portobellows2. Two Veez

Variety 11. George Jaeglie2. Olen Slyursarchuk3. Jonathan Dyk

Variety 2 1. Forrest Crain2. Eileen Webber3. Greg Gordon

Variety 41. Emmanuel Gasser2. Helen Kuzmenkov3. Emil Haroldsen

Variety 51. Kailyn Crossman2. Anthony Kuzmenkov3. Zach Harnett

Variety 61. Masha Telesheva2. Aleksey Milojevic3. Anja Milojevic


fall Quarter 2015 11

Photos by Griff Ziegler


FaLL Quarter 201512

LIAC 2015 Sponsors Please thank our wonderful sponsors when you see them

Virtuoso Sponsors $2,000 or more

Northwest Accordion Society - www.nwasnews.com Projekt Bayern - www.projektbayern.com

Chelan County Lodging Tax Award - www.co.chelan.wa.us

Major Sponsors$500 or more

Andreas Keller/Heidi Forchemer - www.andreaskellerrestaurant.comBrad and Marty Summers

Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce - www.leavenworth.orgPetosa Accordions - www.petosa.com

Tempo Trend Music - www.tempotrend.caSylvia H. Lawson in memory of Rosemary Galleger *

Drs. Jim and Shirley O’Brien *Pat Stamets in memory of sister, Louise North *

(with friends Marjorie Rombauer, Ellie Smith and Dick Myking)Louise North Memorial Fund *

Brad and Marty Summers*Peggy and Gary Thompson *

Business SponsorsThe Taffy Shop - www.leavenworthtaffyshop.com/shop1.html

Das Copy Shoppe - http://dascopyshoppe.com Bavarian Village Business Association - http://bavarianvillagebusinessasso.org/index.html

Accordion Music of Tri-Cities - www.accordionmusictricieis.comAble to Play Music - www.abletoplaymusic.com

Accordion Players, Accordion Clubs, Friends of the Accordion

(*These donations sponsor our bursary program for young accordion players)

Accordion Club of RoseburgBonnie Birch in memory of Esther Birch

Ardis & Harry BolstadDr. Brylski

Day of the AccordionJean Carroll in memory of Louise North

Caryl DowellJames and Elaine Dunbar in memory of Louise North

Christie FevergeonJohn R. Giuliani Sr. Accordion Scholarship Fund

Colleen HalversonHugo’s Accordion Band

France J Lee in memory of Louise NorthKen and Sue McCauley

Andy MirkovichNorthwest Accordionaires

Northwest Accordion TeachersNWAS Day of the Accordion 2015

NWAS Socials - Forest Grove, ORNWAS Seattle Monday Socials

Beverly Raines in memory of Louise NorthMarjorie Rombauer

Robynne SnowKatherine Sorensen

Randall and Marlys TronVictoria Accordion Club

Dick Volin in memory of Fern Volin



ACCORDION AUTUMNFEST

FOREST GROVE, ORSunday, October 25, 2015

1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

AAA Accordion CompetitionJuly 2015

Russian accordionist Vitaly Kondratenko won the $20,000 fi rst prize, the largest prize ever offered in an accordion competition, and maybe in any classi-cal musical competition! The Faithe Deffner Memorial Competition was held at the recent American Ac-cordionists’ Association (AAA) festival in Alexandria, Virginia in memory of their President Emerita, the late Faithe Deffner.

The four contestants were required to perform three rounds of competition. Round I was a Test Piece, Herrick’s Road for accordion and percussion by Karen Fremar. Karen wrote this as an AAA com-mission in honor of Faithe’s Gala Lifetime Achieve-ment Award in 2009, depicting her busy life working on behalf of the accordion from her offi ce located on Herrick’s Road in Mineola, NY. Round II asked the contestant to choose any movement from Divertimen-to by Viatcheslav Semionov and a short classical pro-gram. Also commissioned by the AAA, Prof. Semionov dedicated Divertimento to Faithe in honor of her many years’ service as AAA President. Round III called for a short entertainment program.

Prize Winners were as follows with their pro-grams which were performed in addition to the set piece Herrick’s by Karen Fremar.1st: Vitaly Kondratenko (Russia)Divertimento (2nd mov. - Nostalgia) by V. SemionovRakoczy March - Liszt/HorowitzChiquilin de Bachin by F. AngelisValse Caprice by V. Semionov2nd: Emmanuel Gasser (Canada)Divertimento (2nd mov. - Nostalgia) by V. SemionovGreen Sleeves & Scenarios from the Renaissance by SemionovAccordion Rag by Rossi/AstierRanch of the Merry Jack by TikhonovNotes Vagabondes by C. Thomain3rd: Rachel Quirbach (USA)Divertimento (2nd mov. - Nostalgia) by V. SemionovConcerto in A minor by Grieg, arr. MagnanteYard Bird Suite by De RossiOmaggio ad Astor Piazzolla by Zubitsky4th: Szyu Zhu (China)Divertimento (2nd mov. - Nostalgia) by V. SemionovAusturias by AlbenizWinter (1st mov.) from Four Seasons by VivaldiVariations on an Ukrainian Theme, arr. Palmer & HughesCelestial Beauty Scattering Flowers by Yugiu Li

The 2016 American Acc ordionists’ Association (AAA) festival will take place from July 6-10, 2016 in Buffalo, NY and will include an excursion to the famous landmark Niagara Falls. For more information please visit: www.ameraccord.com.

Lyle Schaefer featured

performer at 4:00 PM

Forest Grove Senior and Community

Center2037 Douglas Street

Forest Grove, OR

Admission: adults $5.00

Hosted by Doris OsgoodAnd the Tualatin Valley Accordionists For the Northwest Accordion Society

Listeners Always Welcome!You are invited to bring your accordion and your friends to an afternoon of accordion music. We sign in to play and perform in the order in which we register. Young players are always guaranteed a slot and could change the order. Prepare knowing that our guests have come for the program. Play 2 of your favorite selections or one lengthy piece. There will be a 50/50 drawing benefiting our scholarship fund, light refreshments, and visiting. Remember to join us, just for the fun of it!

For information contact Doris Osgood at 503-357-0417

[email protected] Socials in Forest Grove are always the

4th Sundays in April and October.


FaLL Quarter 201514

Accordion Celebration 2015By Doris Osgood

I’d anticipated a good time in Leavenworth, Washington this year; I wasn’t disappointed! Though

I apologize for using superlatives AGAIN, this year’s accordion celebration was the best ever.

Success comes with lots of preparation, dedicated volunteers, generous donors, out-standing entertainers, participating accordion-ists, instructive work-shops, faithful sponsors, and ideal weather. We had it all.

Doris Osgood with her friend Masha Telesheva

My perspective of LIAC is always from the gaze-bo stage in the heart of town. I’ve watched the crowds in town and the audiences around the gazebo for 20 years. The recession is over, if my observations are correct. The town was full of visitors and was espe-cially packed on Saturday. Audiences at the gazebo were appreciative and enthusiastic. Our performers provided high quality accordion music for 4 days. A young Swiss man was visiting his grandparents in Chehalis and performed on his small diatonic instru-ment. I’m hopeful that he will return next year and that he will participate in competition. He was wonderful. The professional entertainers played in town too. They provided a great “tease” for attending the nightly concerts. The grange concert stage had good audi-ences and outstanding performers also. The public appreciated a place out of the sun where they could see and hear accordions up close.

Taking a line from previous reports, “the work-shops during the Leavenworth International Accor-dion Celebration are worth the trip.” I was only free to attend a couple of sessions and loved every minute of them. All of us who play appreciate the instruction from accomplished, professional musicians. They speak on the techniques of playing the accordion but also transfer those techniques into playing music on the accordion. Seeing that the younger workshop instructors have the gift of teaching is exciting. Not all great musicians can teach; we had several who can! Many of us left with enough inspiration to work

at implementing their suggestions and techniques for another year.

The competition portion of the accordion celebra-tion is important, in my view. Though the numbers of young players isn’t as high as we’d like, the young players who participated were outstanding. We had competitors from Pacifi c Northwest U.S. states, from British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. A woman from Ukraine was visiting her son and he brought his mom to LIAC. She played her tiny instrument in competi-tion, tried to express her thanks in her broken Eng-lish, and performed beautifully. What fun. The family was waving Ukrainian fl ags and cheered for her. The adjudicators were encouraging and instructive; that’s what’s valued in competition.

Getting the right combination of professional en-tertainment is part planning and part luck. Their avail-ability and costs are signifi cant factors. The profes-sional line up came together as being the best ever. Thursday’s soloists played different ethnic styles on acoustic accordions. Toby Hanson showed his exper-tise on Scandinavian music, Jamie Mashler presented Brazilian music beautifully, and Sergei Teleshev skillfully played classical and Russian music. Friday night saw accordions in ensembles. The fi rst was the Bonnie Birch Trio. Steve Berg had long wanted Bon-nie to play in the professional line up. I wish he could have been there. I’ve heard Bonnie play many times before, but this performance was likely her best. The second ensemble was the Valinor Quartet with Sergei Teleshev on accordion. Young string players from var-ied places in the United States came together with the accordion to form a unique ensemble. They played American standards along with some gypsy jazz and tango. Check these fellows out on YouTube. Saturday night the youth of the accordion performed. Alicia Bak-er opened followed by Michael Bridge. Alicia played acoustic and digital accordion solo. Michael also played digital and acoustic accordion fi nishing his solo portion with “The 1812 Overture” on his Roland. He replicated the symphonic sound beautifully. Believe me, his canons weren’t late! The two young accor-



dionists played duets, Michael accompanied Alicia’s vocals, and they played a dance music set together to close the evening. (Michael and Alicia played a long set on Sunday afternoon at the gazebo; the audience was thrilled.)

Leavenworth hospitality keeps us all returning each year. Heidi Forschemer and Andreas Kellar pro-vide a place nightly for raucous accordion jams. It’s been a tradition for many years. The restaurant space is packed tight with players and with eager listeners. Heidi keeps the restaurant open until everyone is ready to call it quits. Sleepy eyed players showed up at the gazebo with energies fading after closing the Kellar the night before. Of course, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Technical expertise and help also make this a great event. Bo Davis and Toby Hanson were the sound men at the gazebo. Jeremy returned to the festhalle to handle the sound there. This is SO impor-tant and make or break a performance. They all were much appreciated. Eileen and Rick Webber made laminated badges, designed the logo for the pins and T-shirts, and made signs. They gave special touches to otherwise ordinary signage. Rick served as em-cee for the competitions too. Frank Bruckner and his wife, Gayle, coordinated the army of volunteers and spent HOURS themselves manning the front desk at the Festhalle. Rod Miller made professional quality signs for the festhalle, coordinated the adjudication staff, and led the Saturday parade. Jim and Shirley managed the performance schedule at the grange, taught workshops, and performed themselves. As I’ve come to plan on, they close the gazebo on Sunday singing Auf Wiedersehen. Dick Myking led the team providing free accordion lessons at the grange too. I scheduled players at the gazebo and was emcee there for most of 4 days. Griff Ziegler photographed as much as humanly possible. His photos are on the accordion celebration web site. Bonnie Birch handled scheduling, pre-event publicity, contracts and permits and endless other details. Regrettably I cannot name everyone who worked during LIAC. It was a team ef-fort all round.

Each year there are changes for LIAC. There will be adjustments for 2016 too. The timing of the awards and the competition categories and schedule are be-ing reviewed. The changes will be subtle. Check www.accordioncelebration.org in January to follow updates. The winter issue of the NWAS News will also provide information about 2016. Mark your calendar today: June 16 – 19, 2016 for the love of the accordion.

LIAC BURSARY AWARDS 2015

1

Caleigh Baertlein

Mackenzie Baertlein

Rebecca Bracewell

Kailyn Crossman

Emmanuel Gasser

Zach Harnett

Emil Haroldsen

Daniel Houshyari

Helen Kuzmenkov

Anthony Kuzmenkov

Aleksej Milojevic

Anja Milojevic

Lisa Niccum

Maria Telesheva

Holden Tubbs

Cameron Villanueva

Valinor Quartet with Sergei Teleshev on accordion

Workshop with Master-teacher, Beverly Fess


FaLL Quarter 201516

Nightly Jam at Andreas Kellar

Martin and Karl of Tempo Trend

Heidi Forschimer at the accordion parade

Joe Petosa with Jim Tobler



Keeping Up With Gary Blair

Our favorite Scot has had a very busy summer. He performed at several weddings in May and June at such places as the historic New Lanark Hotel, Balgonie Castle, Fife, and the Carnegie Conference Centre (the birth place of Andrew Carnegie. He played with Domino Gumbo in Blackfriars, Glasgow, Lochinch Police Club, Avant Gard, and Bargarran. Gary con-ducted the Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra in a fund raising concert for Malawi in St. Stephen’s Church, Paisley. Along with the accordion orchestra, there was a choir and bell ringers.

Gary has been actively involved with the Renfrew Gala Day in June. He performed a solo Ceiliidh there and the Orchestra performed the next day in Robert-son Park. June had more weddings spread across Scotland and more gigs at favorite venues like Avant Gard. June closed with a concert by the Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra at the Campsie Show.

July 20 Gary visited the United States to take part in the ATG 75th Anniversary Festival in Lisle, Chicago. The event featured world class accordion-ists: Yuri Shiskin, Michael Bridge, Stas Venglevski, Frank Petrili, John Simkus, Cory Pesaturo, and many more. Gary writes that Kell Chole made him feel very welcome upon arriving in Chicago. Chole runs an Irish Music School. They had a jam session with renowned accordionist John Williams, 3 fl utes, 3 fi ddles, 2 Bodhrans (round drums), concertina, guitar, and 2 accordions. It was a great night of music! Gary also performed at the Michigan Accordion Society at Picano’s Restaurant in Troy, MI. Joe and Toni Recchia made him very welcome there. He even got to play Tony Dannon’s accordion which belonged to Joe’s late uncle Tony.

Gary described his trip as brilliant. He enjoyed meeting up with old friends and making new ones. We look forward to his traveling to the west coast of the U.S. next summer.


FaLL Quarter 201518

By the Way – From Doris Osgood

Congratulations Emmanuel Gasser. Emmanuel traveled from St. Charles, Ontario (just north of Michigan) to participate in the accordion celebration in Leavenworth. He won several categories and is this year’s Leavenworth Open champion. He shared that he travels 5 hours to Toronto to take lessons from Alexander Sevastian. Emmanuel placed 2nd at the AAA competition in July. The 18 year old played beautifully. He’s a fi ne young man and is becoming an outstanding musician

Mary Klektau-Ross with Bonnie Birch

Each year, the BC Accordion Society in Victoria gives an award to someone(s) for outstanding service in promoting the accordion. This year the award was presented to Bonnie Birch on behalf of the Northwest Accordion Society. The award was given on Sunday, the last day of the Victoria Accordion Festival on the outdoor stage in front of a nice audience. The trophy reads: BC Accordion Society is pleased to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to the Northwest Accordion Society in recognition of your exceptional contribution in promoting the accordion in the world of music July 12 - 19, 2015 Victoria, BC.

The Tacoma Chapter of the Northwest Accordion Society has faithfully manned a booth at the Western this September. Rick Hatley had always been instrumental in the work at the fair; Dick is keeping the tradition alive. The NWAS will be at the fair demonstrating and promoting the accordion Washington State Fair in Puyallup for many

years. Dick Myking and others will be there again September 14, 15, 17, 21, 2015. We are all grateful for their commitment and dedication to presenting the accordion to the public.

I’ve been corresponding with a woman in Switzerland for a couple of years. Over that time she’s sent music, chocolate, and other fun gifts. The music has been worth a million to me. In July, Marianne and her husband Tony traveled to the United States and we fi nally met. They speak German; we used the dictionary and hand gestures to communicate. They fi rst went to Port Orchard, WA and friends took them to the Washington and Oregon coasts before swinging by my home in Forest Grove. The temperatures were brutally hot here so we didn’t spend any time outside. A few days later, I traveled to Port Orchard to see Marianne again before her departure. Wouldn’t you know that the fi rst rain in the area came on that day – thunder and lightning too. We dashed under a cover for a quick photo. It was interesting to me that Marianne could only read bass chord notes if they were fully written out. In the U.S. we’re used to the single note chord notes. I wrote in some chord names for her on a little tune that I shared with her. Her gift packet of duets had the chords fully written out. What fun – I fi nally met my Swiss Pen Pal!

Best wishes to Alicia Baker and Michael Bridge as they begin graduate school this autumn. Michael will continue in Toronto and Alicia will be in Boulder, CO. Exciting time for them and vicarious adventures for us.

In the July 11 issue of Science News, there is an article entitled, “Alzheimer’s spares music Memories.” Laura Sanders writes that “brain areas that respond to music seem to withstand the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease.” After noticing that music had a special infl uence on their family members with Alzheimer’s, scientists began their study. Jorn-Henrik Jacobsen at the University of Amsterdam and his colleagues fi rst looked for brain areas involved in responding to songs that a person has known for a long time then tested healthy volunteers. They listened to snippets of familiar songs, songs they’d heard recently for the fi rst time and songs had never heard before while undergoing an MRI scan.



The scans identifi ed two brain areas that seem to respond to familiar songs. Then 20 elderly people with Alzheimer’s underwent brain scans that looked for brain thinning, low metabolism, and deposits of amyloid- beta (a sticky protein linked to Alzheimer’s) Unlike most other brain areas, the music-related areas didn’t show much thinning or big declines in metabolism. A-beta was present, which is an early marker for the disease. Scientists feel that the results are valuable. They conclude that familiar music seems to boost autobiographical memories in people with Alzheimer’s. “Perhaps music, especially songs from when a person was young, serves as a lifeline that, once summoned, can bring up other aspects of a person’s life.”

Monica and Hans Rainer had the trip of a life time. They went to Germany and Austria and were able to show their sons where the family came from in Germany. They enjoyed meeting and visiting with relatives and seeing beautiful sites. They were struck by the amazing history. There was some disappointment. They said that everyone listens to American Music! “Volksmusik” was missing. Austria proved to be much different. Their visit was from Sunday through Thursday; they heard different groups every night: Marc Pircher, Zillertaler Mander, Jungen Zellberger, Lillertaler Local Sound, Da Zillertaler und De Geigerin, Bundkapelle Tux (the brass band that Hans Sr. played in while living in Austria) and Zillertal Pug. Everywhere they went people knew that the “Amerikana who yodels and played Steirsische Harmonika” was in the audience. Hans was introduced in most of the places they visited. He noted that he played with Zillertaler Mander years ago when they performed in Leavenworth, WA. The Rainer family has memories to last a long while.

NWAS member, Steve Gordon from Beaverton, OR attended “Tango Camp” at Reed College immediately after his return from the Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration. He wrote: “Tango camp was an amazing experience. We had the top tango musician teachers from Buenos Aires on piano, violin, bandoneon, guitar, bass, and fl ute. There were didactic sessions, jam sessions, tango orchestra sessions, concerts, lots of materials, history of tango class etc. My one disappointment was not meeting more local musicians. There were a few but no local violinists. Campers were from all over. A pianist (and starting accordionist) was there from Australia. Another pianist was from New Foundland. Many musicians came from Oakland, San Francisco, and Seattle. I played with a bandoneon player from Seattle who teaches at Cornish. He knows Murl Sanders well

and has taught Jamie Maschler. He has a doctorate in music and was a lot of fun. We had musicians from North Dakota, New York, Minneapolis, Washington D. C., Utah, and Texas.”

The King of Oberkrainer Music, Slavko Avsenick, passed away July 2, 2015. I didn’t discover his music until about 15 years ago. In the Pacifi c Northwest, we’ve enjoyed playing his music for a long time. He will long be remembered and his music will continue on for many years to come. Here is the link to the YouTube tribute to Slavko Avsenik, The Last Goodbye 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bTtXHqyPnk

We just learned that a long time NWAS member from Longview, WA passed away Nov. 11, 2014. Dale Bassett loved the accordion and all of the people who played. His encouragement and enthusiasm will be missed.

The Northwest lost 2 valued members. It was a bittersweet day in Leavenworth when we heard of Rick Hatley’s passing just as we were about to begin the accordion celebration. He courageously battled cancer for a long time. Through it all he continued to work at the Puyallup Fair each September but had to give up his seat in the Northwest Accordionaires. His enthusiasm and infectious laugh will be missed. In Oregon, we lost Laverne Morris. I met Laverne a little more than 20 years ago. She’d moved to Woodburn with her husband, Sam, and became active in the Portland Accordion Club. The Rose City Club formed shortly after and Laverne served as secretary for the club until her passing. She was a fi xture at all of the club events and local music festivals.

On behalf of the Northwest Accordion Society, I thank Steve Meisner for giving this publication permission to print his Meisner Magic. Many of us remember hearing Mike Belitz and Lyle Schaefer playing this as a duet. Janet Todd and Mike played it in the duet competition in Kimberley too; it brought the house down. Lyle commented that he has the recording of Steve and his dad, Verne, playing it together. It’s a great polka for your repertoire.

Colleen Halverson, our advertising editor, retired from her “day job” in June. She and her husband now reside in LaPine, Oregon. Her new email address is: [email protected]

Remember to submit your articles and other information to our magazine address: NWAS News 5102 NE 121st Ave Unit 12, Vancouver, WA 98682

Check the web site, www.nwasnews.com for current events and updates.


FaLL Quarter 201520

Introducing Emmanuel Gasser

Emmanuel Gasser is 18 years old. He lives in St. Charles, Ontario, Canada. He is recognized as one of the best young accordion players of Canada, winning fi rst place in the Leavenworth Open at the 2015 Leavenworth International Accordion Celebra-tion and winning second place in the Faithe Deffner Memorial Competition hosted by the American Ac-cordionist Association in 2015, as well as representing Canada in the Junior Category of the Coupe Mondiale (world championship) in 2013 and 2014. He has won several trophies and awards at the Kimberley Inter-national Old Time Accordion Championships in Brit-ish Columbia in 2010, 2011 & 2012 , at the American Accordionist Association Festival in Charleston South Carolina in 2011, at the ATG in Chicago IL in 2012 and at the Victoria International Accordion Competi-tions in BC in 2012. Emmanuel won the Youth Enter-tainment Award in recognition of his outstanding talent at the 2010 Las Vegas International Accordion Con-vention. In 2011 he won the “Frank Marocco Scholar-ship” for being an outstanding and dedicated accordi-onist. He is also the winner of three Gold certifi cates each year in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 at the Sudbury Kiwanis Music Festival. Emmanuel played in the Kimberley International Old Time Ac-cordion Championships Massed Band and Bursary Band in 2010, 2011 and 2012. In 2010 and 2011 at the Las Vegas International Accordion Convention Orchestra, in the AAA International Accordion Or-chestra in Charleston SC in 2011, in 2012 in the ATG International Accordion Orchestra in Chicago and in the Mesa International Accordion Orchestra.

Emmanuel may be young in years, but he has exceptional musical maturity. With already 40 original compositions to his credit, he is often called a child prodigy. He has already recorded three CD’s and is working on his fourth CD.

Emmanuel is presently preparing to compete in four categories at the Accordion International Compe-tition in Reinach AG, Switzerland, which will be held in September. He will also perform as a guest artist at the big Gala-night concert in Reinach.

In future he would like to make a career as solo concert accordionist, play in a band and perform with orchestras. Emmanuel’s great love is to create accor-dion music pieces.

Festival Accordion Ensemble

The Accordion Ensemble that rehearsed on Thurs-day, June 18, and then performed on the gazebo both Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20, was highly successful. Twelve attended the workshop rehearsal, 30 performed on Friday and 15 on Saturday. The entire new repertoire of music, much of which was distributed from the Internet or personally by the director on email, was well received by the audience as well as the per-formers. The repertoire included music from the United States, Australia, England, Germany, France, Scotland, Russia and Mexico. New pieces will be added to this basic repertoire via the Internet in subsequent years.

There was a bit of the problem in the distribution of the music before hand. Even though the music was available on the Internet in February, many performers did not receive the word. To mitigate this occurring in the future, the director, Jim O’Brien, is requesting performers who plan to perform on the gazebo as part of the group, contact him via email so a listserv can be developed for future notifi cations and distribution of music. His email is: [email protected]

If a performer is computer literate, it is easy to down-load the music, print it and practice well in advance. If not, one can always fi nd a friend, whether younger or older, who can do it for him/her. In addition, one can go to a public library and ask help in fi nding the website and downloading the music.

Join the group next year. Play familiar songs and be challenged by new music.

LEAVENWORTH INTERNATIONAL ACCORDION CELEBRATION

June 16 - 19, 2016 Leavenworth, WA.

Updates coming this winter www.accordioncelebration.org

www.nwasnews.com



Seattle Accordion SocialBy Marjorie Rombauer

May 11, 2015Tonight was Accordionaires Orchestra night,

under the direction of Cooksie Kramer, but also featured a surprise Swedish Duo.

The Accordionaires’ Opus One began with mem-ber solos and com-bination numbers. All were interesting and well played. First, Deirdre Curle played a Ukrai-nian number that is played at every Ukrainian wed-ding. Paula Wal-

lenius played a French waltz that she obtained in Finland, entitled Pari-sian ILA, known as “Pari-sian Evening” or Soir de Paris in this country, and Ray Kujawa played Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” on his Victoria accordion with expanded treble – 47 rather than 41 treble keys.

The youngest player for the evening was next, Daniel Houshyari, playing Chopin’s Waltz in A Minor and a Russian folk song. He has been taking lessons for only a year and a half, but plays with a great touch for one playing an accordion for such a short time.

Jim Lofgren fol-lowed with a plaintive

Scottish air, scored, he said with no measures, permit-ting performers to play as they pleased. He also played a French “Vagabond Musette.” Greg Perry then played “Solace,” Scott Jop-lin’s composition with tango rhythm.

A trio followed, featur-

ing Linda John, accompanied by Clayton Murray on the euphonium and Steve Kim on the string bass. This was a tribute to Frank Sinatra, “New York, New

York” and “Strangers in the Night.” The euphonium sound added a special dimension when it joined in to play one of the melodies. Clayton followed, play-ing his bandoneon, Astor Piazzolla’s instrument, so he played Piazzolla music: “Prelude to the Cycli-

cal Night,” and La Fa-milia (The Family), with a haunting, slightly “hoarse” treble. The third number was an arrangement by Piazzolla of Floris Negros by Francisco De Carlo. Piazzolla music is always exciting, but especially so when played on his instru-ment.

Then a double duo played – Cooksie Kramer and Jim Lofgren and Steve Kim on bass and Lionel Kramer on drums. They played Une Valse Musette and a classy arrange-ment of “St. James Infi rmary” and Basin Street Blues.”

Opus Two presented the orchestra. It began with vocal songs by Lori Ann Rhinhall: First, in Swedish and English, “Darling, I Love You” and then “Over the

Rainbow” and “Dream a Little Dream with me.” The orchestra began with “American Patrol” and “Spanish Gypsy Dance.” Three dramatic arrangements followed: “Changing Scenes,” (with a dra-matic opening leading into a lilting melody, then lively and playful and back to dramatic), Andrew Lloyd Webber


FaLL Quarter 201522

selections (ending with the dramatic introduction to and music from “Phantom of the Opera”), and “Hawaii 50” (arranged by Ray Kujawa) featuring a dramatic opening drum solo by Lionel Kramer, but all the play-ers were really into it.

Members of the orchestra were Deidre Curle, Steve Kim (bass), Jim Lofgren, Clayton Murray

(euphonium), Ray Kujawa, Greg Perry, Marla Don-aldson, Ken Peterson (a new member) Lori Ann Rhinhall, Linda John, Paula Wallenius, Lionel Kramer (drums), and Cooksie Kramer, Director and Arranger.

The evening ended with lively Swedish music played and sung by Karl Ivar and Julia Pihl, Karl has played the accordion since he was a child. He doesn’t read music, but he has a large repertoire. He does not speak English, so he announced his num-bers and explanations in Swedish. Julia sings and provides rhythm with castanets and interprets for him. She briefl y interpreted his explanations. Their fi rst song was “Happy Music,” written by Ivar’s son, also an accordionist, in honor of his father. The next number was a rowdy song he learned from forest people in their camps. The next number, he said, was a Norwe-gian anthem. Then Julia sang with him as he played a lovely melody and for another number she played a small diatonic accordion with high voicing. Next a hambo, a song about Gods dancing, and another about helping a tramp at a lumber camp. They con-cluded by singing another song together. Ivar is an enthusiastic player and singer and his music made for a bright ending to an entertaining evening.

June 8, 2015

This was a night for combos, including a 25th anniversary concert by Toby Hanson’s Smiling Scan-dinavian.

Newcomers to this scene started the evening, Ray and Julie Johnson (RJ & Company). Ray plays the accordion and Julie plays the alto saxophone. They began with a mellow “Lady Be Good,” with the sax joining for a jazzed up version. Then they played two numbers that Ray wrote. The fi rst was untitled, and Julie provided rhythm with a tambourine. The second was titled “Just Relax,” and the lyrics provided some advice about relaxing: “You don’t have to work so hard . . .” and “Don’t worry.” Then it was “Two Guitars” on MIDI and tambourine. “Flowers in the Woods,” a schottische, provided a change of pace. They concluded with three songs we all know, “But Not Today,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and “Won’t You Play a Simple Melody.”

In a really big change of pace, we had Mark Myk-ing and his Stilly River Ramblers playing Cajun and Zydeco music. With Mark were Lucy Reuter playing the violin and the washboard, Tina Tanaka playing the guitar or violin, singing, and Mr. Tanaka playing an electric bass gui-tar. They began with a blues number “Blue Runner,” then a vocal waltz, “Why Did You Leave Me?” (Mark playing a little box). Their playlist also included “Sugar Bee,” “Big Mamou,” “Lacasine Spe-cial,” “Tit Gallop” and “Motor Dude.” They concluded with a rousing “Jambalaya.” Their music is often plaintive, sometimes moving, always full of rhythm, and always fun to listen to.



Toby Hanson celebrated 25 years with his Smil-ing Scandinavians in April. He was scheduled to play for our club in April, and at that time all of the other origi-nal members of the group were avail-able to play. Then the club had a scheduling change and Toby’s group was switched to June. Only one of the other original members was available, Glenn Dudley, on the banjo, but substitutes on the tuba (Clayton Mur-

ray) and on the drums (Mark Drake) pro-vided a good Smiling Scandinavian sound.

With Toby playing his new Pan accordion, they began with their theme song, written by

Toby, “Inga Schwinga,” with Toby singing, of course. Then some of the numbers they play so well: “Let’s Have A Party,” Livet I Finnskogarna (“Life in the Fin-land Woods”), “San Antonio Rose” (the western swing Toby plays so well), Jämtgubben (a Swedish polka), the “Ball in Karlstad” schottische, and the “Silk Um-brella” polka. Then three songs most everyone knows and likes, “Just Because” (with a verse in “Swedish” – joost becaz), “Blue Skirt Waltz,” and “Five Foot Two” (a banjo arrangement from Glenn’s book).

Of course the popularity of the Smiling Scan-dinavian is based not just on their good music and repertoire. Toby provides the extra edge with his humor throughout a program, which was particularly well illustrated when he sang a song he wrote” “Pen-insula Waltz,” identifi ed as the Olympic Peninsula in the fi nal lines. The humor lay in how he worked the three syllable “Olympic” into two syllable space. Then they played the “Beer Barrel Polka” and many in the audience joined in with the singing. There were even couples dancing. A suitable ending to an entertaining evening.

For SaleFull-sized Silvio Soprani (1958)

120 Bass: 10 Switches (3 bass, 7 treble)Grey/Silver Marble Color

Original Straps; Original Hard caseAmplifi er installedGood Condition

$300

Meri Vita, Bellevue, [email protected]

Meet Up In Richland

Heather Kriss in Richland, WA would like to connect with fellow accordionists in the area with the goal of starting a monthly meet-up. If interested, please contact her via email at [email protected]. As she is a beginning accordionist, she and her teacher want to en-courage an atmosphere for all levels of play-ers to h ave fun.

Day of the AccordionSaturday, February 27, 2016

Crossroads MallBellevue, WA


FaLL Quarter 201524

Remembering Rick HatleyPast President of the Northwest Accordion Society

By Dick Myking

Who was he? What was he?His name was Richard Arden Hatley. Born on

May 4, 1947, Rick passed away from us in the wee early morning of June 17, 2015. He is the elder son of Weldon and Loraine Hatley and grew up in Walla Wal-la, Washington, attending Walla Walla High School as well as Heppner High from which he graduated. This is the beginning of who Rick was. What Rick became as a man would require a book, not just an article, or even a short story.

Rick probably started playing the accordion at about age ten, being taught by no less than Horace Lazzari, an accomplished classical accordionist in Walla Walla. Rick was undoubtedly classically trained. The waltz became Rick’s favorite form of music. In later years he composed a waltz for each of his three children and arranged several others for the accor-dion. As much as Rick loved the accordion, he pro-claimed all along that playing accordion was a hobby with him.

During his junior high years Rick was introduced to the clarinet and played in band at school. This eventually led to adding the saxophone to his person-al list of instruments to play. So Rick became a valu-able entity for any band – what I would call a combo-reed man. The tenor saxophone became his specialty instrument. He played in school band all through high school and college. From Washington State University he received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education as well as a Bachelor of Science in Music. There was a time when Rick had to decide between becoming a performer/entertainer or a music teacher. If he had chosen the former he would have been touted as one of the three top saxophonists in the country! But Rick chose teaching. Rick made a career of being a full time substitute teacher for several school districts,

a seemingly impossible job. Rick thrived. From our standpoint as accordion lovers it is interesting to note that he regularly brought his accordion along to his sub jobs as one of the things in his “bag of tricks”. He never left his love for the accordion. He had several students and loved being part of the Northwest Accor-dionaires, the accordion ensemble under the direction of Cooksie Kramer.

Dick Myking, Rick Hatley and Cathy Cowley, Puyallup Fair 2014

I have been extremely blessed with Rick being my best accordion buddy. We established the Tacoma Accordion Socials, organized the NWAS booth at the Puyallup Fair fi ve days each year for fi fteen years (it’s still going). We travelled to North Dakota to play in the Norsk Hostfest Accordion Band for three years, and in 2007 attended the Las Vegas Accordion Convention together.

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we’ve walked with a giant, and we didn’t even know it!


FaLL Quarter 201526

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Ask a TeacherBy Cooksie Kramer A.B.C.A – L.B.C.A

Member of ATG, AAA, ABRSM (London).

Can you give me an example of a simple im-provisation?

I am attaching a song we can all sing along with. Party Song. Read the explanatory notes along-side the music carefully.

See next Page

I am always available for questions please feel free to phone me at 425 828 9104 or email [email protected].


FaLL Quarter 201528

Remembering Louise M. SesslerJanuary 10, 1925 – July 8, 2015

Lou was the fi rst of three children born to George and Mary Simicich. She spent her childhood in Georgetown. She graduated with pride from Holy Names Academy in Seattle; music was her passion.

She met and married George F. Jovich and had three children: Mary Louise (Scott) Sullivan of Yakima, Cathleen Ann Jovich of Olympia, and Christopher Francis Jovich of Burien.

The accordion and drums were her instruments of choice. In the ‘60’s she led an all-girl jazz band, The Lou Simms Trio. She was a sixty-year member of the Musician’s Union Local 76, a member of the Northwest Accordion Society, and a member of the Yugoslav Women’s Club of Seattle.

Louise died in Seattle in July. She loved Seattle. To her, there was no better place on earth.

In addition to her children and numerous grandchildren, Lou is survived by her sister, Marlene Bowman of White Center. Her family thanks the kind and loving staff of the West Seattle Adult Family Home for their friendship and caring service.

LaVerne P. MorrisJune 1926 to August 2015

By Karen Cordell

When it came to old standards and naming that tune LaVerne could beat you every time. If you needed a written song she would most likely have it. LaVerne began playing the accordion as a young girl. She and her sister Gloria who played the guitar would entertain throughout their community in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. After LaVerne married she moved to Cali-fornia where she raised two sons and taught accordion. As the tides of life changed LaVerne remarried to Sam Morris and moved to Or-egon setting up residence in Woodburn, Oregon.

LaVerne was very active in her community play-ing and teaching the accordion. She played an instru-mental part in starting the Rose City Accordion Club for which she was their life long secretary. Through the Rose City Accordion Club she had a hand in the ever successful Silver Falls Accordion Camp which remains strong to this day. Along with teaching weekly lessons you could fi nd LaVerne sharing her talents each Friday with the band at the Salem/Keizer Senior Center and various other venues in the area. She served in the local Music Makers club providing the occasional snacks or making beautiful table center pieces for their luncheons.

Grass did not grow under LaVerne’s feet for she was busy going places such as; Mt. Angel’s Oktober-fest, Cotati Accordion Festival California, Las Vegas Accordion Convention, Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration and getting her name recorded in the Guinness World Record July 7, 2005 for most accordions playing at the same time in Kimberley International Old-time Accordion Championships in Canada.

LaVerne had a wonderful loving personality which touched many people in a positive way. Her pas-sion for the accordion ran very deep; she will truly be missed but not forgotten.

If you wish to share a story, or a memory of LaVerne with her family members their addresses are

Accordion RepairLance Curkendall

St. Helens, OR503-267-4580

[email protected]

provided below. Your thoughts and encouragement will be most welcomed and healing to her family in their time of loss.Danny & Dorie DiNapoli 12549 Misty Grove Moor Park, CA 93021

David & Deborah DiNapoli30520 Rainbow ViewAgoura Hills, CA 91301



Tacoma Accordion Socials Submitted by Eloise Adair

MayOur May social began with a spaghetti dinner

the church put on. A lot of people came for dinner and we had several people play about 20 minutes each. When we began our program we had 55 in attendance. Michael Barbarossa was home from college and was our fi rst player. He played “Clarinet Polka”, “La Donna E Mobile”, “That’s Amore”. “Glow Worm”, “La Spagnola”, “Tisora Mia” and “Accordion Song”. Our next player was Linda John playing “New York, New York”, “Strangers in the Night”, “Dakota Polka”, “Beer Barrel Polka” and “Accordion Boogie”. Dick Myking was our next performer. He began with “Nedelven” and he played many more pieces but I didn’t get the names. Our last player was Lyle Schaefer playing “In the Mood”, “The Last Time I Saw Henry” which he also sang, “Moon River”, “Rose Marie”, “Swiss Polka”, Swiss March”, “Hernando’s Hideaway”, “Mimi’, ‘All of Me”, “Allegany Moon” and “Scott Joplin Polka’.

JulyOur July meeting was on the 9th and we began

with a picnic. Since it was a hot day we decided to eat inside where it was cooler. By the time 30 people came it was warm inside but we had lots of good food. Our fi rst performers were Sherrie Stinson on accordion and Regina Mansfi eld and Judy Gardner on ukuleles. They played “Steal the Show”, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”, “Horse like You” and “Bye Bye Love”. Michael Barbarossa was next playing “Clribiribin”, “Minuet” by Poderuski, “San Antonio Rose”, and “Pretty Pearl Polka”.

David Emter was next playing “Musician’s Polka”, “Praha Polka”, “Glory Hallelujah” and “Only a Shadow”, Randall Tron played next, His fi rst was “This Land is Your land”, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”, “Blowin in the Wind”, “Wayward Wind” and “Five Foot Two”. Next Diane Crews sang “Let Me Be There.”

Michael Barbarossa and Lyle Schaefer were next playing “Pennsylvania Polka”, “Just Because” and “Snow Waltz”. Then Cathy Cowley and Lyle Schaefer played “Janet’s Waltz” “Bye Bye Black Bird”, “Hoop Dee Doo.” Our last was Lyle playing solo. He played “Hand in Hand”, “Z Gerson de Fischerstuba”, “Der Hampalmann”, “Under Paris Skies”, “La Vie en Rose” and “Moon River.

AugustOur August meeting was on Thursday the

13th. We had 45 in attendance. The Northwest Accordionaires directed by Cooksie Kramer performed. Cooksie, Jim and drummer Lionel played “Tanzende Fingers”, “American Patrol” and “Spanish Number”. Their second medley was “Nightingale” and “Fly Me to the Moon”. Then the whole band, all ten, played “Springerzerd”, Tango #2” and “Changing Scenes”. The next medley excerpts from “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Evita”. Then they played a waltz medley, “Adagia”, “Chipolina de Bachlin” and “Hawaii Five 0 Theme”.

Next we had a vocalist, Lori Ann Reinhall. She sang “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, “Dream a Little Dream” and “Spanish Tango”. Cooksie was on accordion as accompanist. Jim was the next accordion soloist. He played “La Coeur Vagabond” and “Nancy”. Linda John was up next playing “Domino, New York New York”. Then Ken played a Magnante arrangement of “Solfeggrettto”. Paula played “Two Guitars” and Greg played “Porlina Cabega” and “Bistro Fada”.

Ken Striplin made cushions with a metal holder between your legs where you put your accordion so it doesn’t feel heavy. His wife Pat showed us how it works. Ken now makes many and sells them.

For SalePetosa Accordion18 1/2” keyboardAmplifi er pick-up

Good condition$800

Contact Sharon Hrvatin406-857-3489

[email protected]


FaLL Quarter 201530

SGM Manny Bobenrieth at the 2015 AAA FestivalBy Rita Barnea

SGM Manny Bo-benrieth performed with the United States Army Strings at the AAA Gala Banquet on Satur-day, July 11, 2015. He also presented a workshop called “Playing for Uncle Sam”.

Born in Concep-cion, Chile, Manuel Bobenrieth began studying the accor-dion at age fi ve. He studied at Montgom-ery College in Rock-ville, Maryland and

received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Perfor-mance from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., becoming the fi rst accordionist to graduate with such a degree from that institu-tion.

Mr. Bobenrieth has performed in many dif-ferent musical contexts including Broadway musicals, Contemporary Music Forum and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. He has appeared with legendary jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd in a tribute to the music of jazz accordionist Art Van Damme.

He can also be heard on the soundtrack to the Discovery channel television series, “The Great Chefs” as a guest artist with the Charlie Byrd Trio. Recently, The Manny Bobenrieth Sex-tet was featured at the world famous Blues Alley Jazz Club and performed to a sold out audience. As accordionist for Norwegian Caribbean Lines from 1984-1986, Mr. Bobenrieth toured Europe and the Caribbean aboard the SS Norway.

In 1986, Mr. Bobenrieth became a member of the United Stated States Army Band. As the

accordionist with the Army Strolling Strings, he has performed for three Presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton at numerous White House State Dinners in honor of foreign dignitaries such as Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Boris Yeltsin, King Hussein, the Emperor of Japan and Nelson Mandela.

In addition to his performing duties, Mr. Bo-benrieth has written many arrangements for the Army Strings, which have been featured at the State Department, the Vice President’s residence and The White House.

For further information:[email protected]

Joe Smiell’s Button Box Camp

July 12 – 18, 2015By Colleen Halverson

I have always heard what fun it is to go to camp. Well I found out fi rst hand it’s all true. It is held at the Heidelmann Lodge on Donner Pass. It is a lovely setting for accordion music. The food is delicious. When they fi nish with one meal they are busy starting on the next.

The camp starts on Sunday evening with a get acquainted dinner. Then Monday after break-fast the fun and work begins.

I had never played a button box before, but by the recital on Thursday I was able to play a polka. We had classes every morning and afternoon except for Wednesday afternoon. That afternoon we had off and saw sights such as Donner Lake and Lake Tahoe. I highly recommend this camp for beginners and experienced players.


FaLL Quarter 201532

TONY LAVELLI ACCORDION “CLASSICS”

(Submitted by Jim Tobler)

The Artist: Tony Lavelli made his professional

debut with the Accordion at the age of thirteen. He appeared on a National Broadcasting Company network show in New York City. Before that, he had been an intent student on several other instruments in his hometown, Somerville, Massachusetts. So great was the lad’s enthusiasm for music that he would lock himself in his room for hour upon hour. After returning from school in the early afternoon, he would practice and compose until dinner. After dinner, he would return to his music room till bedtime. His father, a former Boxing Champ and athlete, became worried over the youth’s excessive musical interests. He was anxious to have his son grow up to be a well-rounded personality, not “a longhaired musical genius out of a Hollywood production”. As a result, he built a basketball court in the backyard, and bought his son a basketball for a birthday present. Young Tony and his neighborhood pals immediately liked the game. Soon, the Lavelli backyard became the center of activity every afternoon with a basketball scrimmage. But the young musician and athlete was to make up for his lost afternoon music sessions. Starting at the crack of dawn, Tony would get up and start practicing his favorite instrument before breakfast. Fortunately, his mother and father were also early risers. They saw no harm in this as long as he kept up his studies in school along with his extra-curricular music and athletics.

The afternoon basketball sessions built Tony and his pals into a talented

The Chester Pietka Scholarships are available for young accordionists. Young people ages 18 and under, taking lessons from a recognized teacher, or wishing to do so, may submit a written request for scholarship funds for the purpose of taking lessons. Requests are to be submitted to Doris Osgood, 3224 B St., Forest Grove, OR 97116 or e-mail [email protected].

In addition to giving personal information, students are to share their age, interest and their goals for playing the accordion. These scholarships are open to the young people within the Pacific Northwest, not just the greater Portland area.

Chester Pietka Scholarship RecipientDaniel Houshyari age 15

When I was 13 years old, my dad gave me an antique accordion he was keeping in the back of his store. Although the accordion was old, the sound it produced was beautiful and led me on to becoming the musician I am today. Previous to that, I had been playing the piano for 10+ years and my knowledge of the piano greatly helped to accelerate my learning and fi nesse with the accordion. Within months, I was playing beauti-ful songs that impressed my family and friends, with the help of my teacher, Cooksie Kramer, of course.

With my knowledge in accordion, later on that year I went ahead to teach an accordion elective in my 8th grade year. I know that I greatly inspired my students because all of them enjoyed com-ing to class and although teaching them was hard, I saw their dedication and diligence as they learned and practiced, and saw them all mature into better musicians during my class.

I play accordion to bring the joy of music to those around me, just as the music I play brings joy to me. I play to ignite the passion of music in those who may not have had the opportunities I had in my life. Everybody deser ves to have music in their lives.



basketball club. Representing Somerville High School, they went on to become Champs of Massachusetts, and Runners-up to the New England Championship in 1944. Whenever Tony wasn’t on the

basketball court, he was making appearances with his Accordion, on radio, experimental TV, club dates, and USO shows for the Armed Services all over New England.

Upon graduation, the high school athlete was swamped with basketball scholarship offers from major colleges all

over the country. However, Tony had already decided to attend Yale’s famous undergraduate Music School. There, while studying with some of the outstanding professors of music, Tony could also play basketball. Once, at Yale, the freshman basketball star with his prolifi c scoring hook shot, ascended into national prominence. He went on to establish a new major college scoring record, and the Helms Athletic Foundation named him “All-American” for four successive years. His musical talent was completely overshadowed. Nevertheless, music continued to be his number one interest, although sports writers all over the country refused to believe him. During his summer vacation periods, the name “TONY LAVELLI” was lighting up theatre marquees such as Broadway’s Roxy Theatre, New York City; Capitol Theatre, Washington, D. C.; and Gayety Theatre, Montreal. During fall and spring weekends when he wasn’t on the basketball court, he was making

appearances with his accordion all over the Northeast.

Before college graduation, professional basketball offers started pouring into the Yale College campus. Once again, Tony stuck with the music. He had already signed a Song Writing Contract with Broadcast Music Company. Immediately upon leaving the New Haven campus, he established himself in New York City as an Accordionist and Song Writer. Although he showed no interest in a pro basketball career, the fl oundering Boston Celtics continued to pester him. They were in last place in the basketball league. They needed a big box offi ce name and high scorer to save them from dropping out of participation. They re-offered Lavelli one of the most unusual contracts ever made to an athlete. It was the highest salary

offered.to any player up to that time. The unique contract stipulated that Lavelli not only play basketball, but in between halves of the game, he present a brief accordion concert. In this way, the Celtics’ management felt the heavily publicized athlete-accordionist would draw to the games both sports and entertainment fans. In his debut performance, Rudolf Elie, music critic of the Boston Herald wrote: “Tony Lavelli, Accordionist, gave a recital last night in the Boston Garden during the halftime period of a game between the Minneapolis Lakers and the Boston Celtics. He was accompanied by eight photographers. His accordion playing

(Continued on page 37)


FaLL Quarter 201534



Accordion Events CalendarBy Doris Osgood

[email protected]

NORTHWEST ACCORDION SOCIETY SOCIALS SEATTLE, WA2nd Monday monthly: West Seattle Senior Center Socials resume Sept. 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 9, Dec. 14 Contact: John Giuliani 425-255-2121 or Birgit Ages 206-368-9720 Back up contact: Bonnie Birch 206-622-4786. Music 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM.

NORTHWEST ACCORDION SOCIETY SOCIALSTACOMA, WA2nd Thursday monthly: Sept 10, Oct 8, Nov 12, Dec 10 Lutheran Church 121st & Park Ave. across from PLU Library 7:00 – 9:30 PMcontact: Dick Myking 253-537-0136

NORTHWEST ACCORDION SOCIETY SOCIALSFOREST GROVE, OR4th Sundays April and October. Forest Grove Community Center, 2037 Douglas St. Forest Grove, OR. 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM. Contact: Doris Osgood 503-357-0417.October 25, 2015

ACCORDION CLUB OF CENTRAL OREGONBEND, OR2ND Saturday Monthly, noon – 2 PM Aspen Ridge Retirement Home 1010 NW Purcell Blvd, Bend Members provide entertainment one Sunday monthly also. Contacts: Lillian Jones, 541-536-1531 [email protected] or Karl Kment, 541-548-0495 [email protected]

ACCORDION CLUB OF ROSEBURGROSEBURG, OR3rd Monday monthly 6:30, 553 Little Valley Rd. RoseburgPres. Karen Cordell 553 Little Valley Rd. Roseburg, OR 97471 541-784-1911 [email protected]

ACCORDION CLUB OF VANCOUVERVANCOUVER, B.C.www.meetup.com/Accordion-Club-of-Vancouvercontact: Haike Kingma, [email protected]

ACCORDION INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SOCIETYSANTA BARBARA, CA2nd Sunday monthly 1 – 3 PM Vale Verde Retirement Theatre 900 Calle de los Amigos, Santa Barbara, CAAIMS P.O. Box 4511 Santa Barbara, CA 93140Info: Heinz Trick 805-685-2260www.santabarbaraaccordions.com

EASTSIDE JAZZBellevue, WA3rd Tuesday monthly, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, 7:30 PM beginning January 2012. Contact: Cooksie Kramer 425-828-9104

EMERALD VALLEY ACCORDION CLUBEUGENE, OR1st Monday monthly: 7:00 – 9:30 PM Veterans’ Memorial Bldg. 1626 Willamette St. Secretary Linda Gunn 541-726-6330 [email protected] V.P. Lou Marzano Social time 6 PM, business 6:45 PM

FAIRBANKS ACCORDION CLUBFAIRBANKS, AKMondays weekly 6 – 8 PM Pioneers Home, open to all free reed instruments. Contact: Christine Upton 907-457-3392

FIVE VALLEY ACCORDION ASSOCIATION MONTANA 5VAA Jams are 1- 5 PmPres. Helen Brady 370-8452Sept. 3 4 PM Ravalli County FairSept. 13 Rustic HutSept. 27 Rustic HutOct. 11 Rustic HutOct. 25 Rustic HutNov. 8 Rustic HutNov. 22 Rustic HutDec. 13 Rustic Hut (Christmas Party)[email protected]

Montana – NW Accordion AssociationSept. 6 Elks, PolsonSept. 11 – 13 Lone PineSept. 19 Eagles, Kalispell Polka Party 1 – 5 PMSept. 20 Eagles, KalispellOct. 4 Elks, PolsonOct. 18 Eagles, KalispellNov. 1 Elks, PolsonContact: Ken Kenmille 406-407-3514 all NWAA Jams 2 – 5:30 PM

Montana – Great Falls Accordion PlayersSept. 13 Black Eagle Community CenterOct. 18 EaglesNov. 15 ElksDec. 13 MooseJan. 17, 2016 Black Eagle Community CenterJams are 1 PM – 5 PMContact Pat Sharp for info: 406-452-4546


FaLL Quarter 201536

GEM STATE ACCORDION CLUBIDAHOCaldwell Library Community Rm Caldwell, ID 3rd Saturday monthly 1 – 4 PMfor information contact: Dianne Lansing [email protected]

HUGO’S ACCORDION BANDMT. VERNON, WA2nd and 4th Monday monthly 2:00 - 4:00 PM Director, Leif Holmes. President: Ron Zentner, 4100 S. Wilkes Gary Hts., Camano Island, WA 98282 (360)387-8143 [email protected]

HOUSTON BAY AREA ACCORDION CLUBHOUSTON, TX2ND Wednesday monthly 5 – 9 PM Joe Brikha, Pres [email protected] www.bayareaaccordionclub.com

MEDFORD ACCORDION CLUBMEDFORD, ORThe group has disbanded until further notice.

OKANAGAN ACCORDION CLUBKELOWNA, BCTuesdays weekly Sept. – May, Senior Center on RichterInfo contact: Rod Miller 250-317-9088, Lela Bourne [email protected]

ROGUE RIVER ACCORDION CLUBROGUE RIVER, OR2nd Friday monthly. 4 – 6 PM Council Chambers Rogue River City Hall, 133 Broadway St. Rogue River, OR. Pres. Margot Turrell 206 Creekside Grants Pass, OR 97526 541-479-9409 [email protected]

ROSE CITY ACCORDION CLUBPORTLAND, OR3rd Saturday monthly. 1 – 5 PM Milwaukie Public Safety Bldg, SE 32nd & Harrison, Milwaukie, OR. Pres. Wayne Tiusanen [email protected]

SEQUIM ACCORDION SOCIALSEQUIM, WA2nd Sunday, Odd numbered months, 1:00 – 4:00 PM Sequim Senior Center 921 E. Hammond StContact: Frank Bruckner: sqzbox144@gmail 208-290-4037 or Caryl Dowell: [email protected] 520-369-2550

SIERRA NEVADA ACCORDIONSRENO, NVJohn Covarelli, Pres. 775-848-3777, [email protected]

SPOKANE ACCORDION ENSEMBLESPOKANE, WAWeekly rehearsals 6- 9 PM Eileen Webber, Pres. 509-290-6858 [email protected]

TUALATIN VALLEY ACCORDIONISTS FOREST GROVE, OR1st Sat. monthly 10 AM – 1 PM Forest Grove Library Pacifi c Ave. Contact: Paul and Judy Bria 503-591-0504 [email protected]

YUMA ACCORDION CLUBYuma, AZevery Tuesday, November - March at the Yuma Food Bank at 2404 E 24th Street, Yuma, AZPresident, Coreen Bergholm @ [email protected] or Ginger Purdy @ [email protected]

VICTORIA ACCORDION CLUBVICTORIA, B.C. CANADA1st Sunday Monthly 2:30 PM, Victoria Edelweiss Club108 Niagra St., James Bay District Victoria, BCContact: John 250-386-7282 or 250-477-3098

BUTTON BOX CAMPS JULY AND SEPTfor information contact: Joseph Smiell Jr. 812 Bantry Way Benica, CA 94510 - camps held at Heildman Lodge, Norden, CA near Donner Pass

ACCORDION NOIR FESTIVALSeptember 11 – 13 Vancouver, BC

SAN ANTONIO ACCORDION FESTIVALSept 12, San Antonio, TX

NWAS at the Western Washington State FairPuyallup, WASept. 14, 15, 17, 21, 2015

ACCORDION EXTRAVAGANZA EDMONTON, ALBERTA September 25 - 27, 2015www.edmontonaccordion.com

OREGON’S ALPENFESTSept. 24-27, 2015Wallowa County, OregonThe only Swiss-Bavarian festival in the West – events in Enterprise, Joseph and Wallowa Lake. Details: oregonalpenfest.com or 541-426-ALPS (2577). Chuck AndersonAlpenmeister/PresidentOregon’s Alpenfest



P.O. Box 327Joseph, OR 97846541-426-ALPS (2577)541-398-1096DAY OF THE ACCORDION - CaliforniaSunday, September 27 1 PM – 8:30 PMat the historic North Star House12075 Auburn Rd Grass Valley, CA 95949

COUPE MONDIALEOctober 6 – 11 Turku, Finland

DAY OF THE ACCORDION - WashingtonSaturday, February 27, 2016Crossroads Mall, Bellevue, WA

RCAC ACCORDION CAMP- SILVER FALLS CONFERENCE CENTER June 5 - 10 2016 near Sublimity, OR. Murl Allen Sanders and Stas Venglevski return as conductors. Workshops will be presented by Bev Fess and Mary Tokarski. Nonrefundable $50. Will reserve your place. Contact: Wayne Tiusanen, 503-919-2962 [email protected]

LEAVENWORTH INTERNATIONAL ACCORDION CELEBRATION June 16 - 19, 2016 Leavenworth, WA. Updates coming this winter www.accordioncelebration.org www.nwasnews.comINTERNATIONAL ACCORDION CONVENTIONLas Vegas, NV, June, 2016 at the Gold Coast Hotel, Las VegasUSA: 1-800-472-1695 outside USA: [email protected]

VICTORIA ACCORDION FESTIVALVictoria, British Columbia July, 2016www.bcaccordion.ca 1-778-433-8700

ACCORDION CELEBRATION – Historic Wallace Wallace, ID August, 2016 www.wallaceIdahoChamber.com

COTATI ACCORDION FESTIVALCotati, CA August, , 2016www.cotatifest.com 707-664-04444

is of the most advanced character. It is informed with a high degree of technical skill as well as with musicianship of the fi rst order. It has taste, balance, fi ne rhythmic impulse and a musical expressivity that is exceedingly persuasive. He received an ovation from the audience, and went on to score 26 points as his team dumped Minneapolis “. Abe Saperstein, operator of the Harlem Globetrotters basketeers, immediately signed Lavelli for several world tours. Saperstein made him Musical Director of the Variety Show which always accompanies the team. Tony doubled up by playing against the Globetrotters. For six years, Tony made several round-the world tours. When he wasn’t globetrotting, he was performing night club dates all over North America, and writing songs in New York City.

Today, he has completely retired from sports. His name keeps popping up all over America as he tours with his full two hour, one-man show, AN EVENING WITH TONY LAVELLI, Act 1: “Concert In Variety” and Act 2: “Songs, Dance, and Comedy”. Critics everywhere have acclaimed his amazing versatility and ability to entertain an audience for a full evening. He continues to reach new heights with his prolifi c talent and energy.

Hansen Music Corporation wrote in the TONY LAVELLI ACCORDION SOLOS ALBUM: “America’s goodwill ambassador with the Accordion has proven an inspiration to young musicians who cannot fi nd enough time to devote to their music. He has proven that athletics and music can easily be combined, for both are fun and both can lead to success.”

(Continued from page 33)

Info from search on Wikipedia:Anthony Lavelli, Jr. was an American basketball player and musician. He averaged 6.9 points per game dur-ing his two-year NBA career while also providing half-time entertainment with his accordion performances.

WikipediaBorn: July 11, 1926, Somerville, MADied: January 8, 1998, Laconia, NH


FaLL Quarter 201538

Entertainers in the NorthwestSubmit your public performance schedules to Doris Osgood 3224 B St

Forest Grove, OR 97116 [email protected]

Alpiners USA www.alpinerusa.com with Joe Domitrowich

Juan Barco – BandContact: 23091 23rd Ave. W. Brier, WA 98036425-775-8150; cell 206-356-1878

Corky BennettWednesdays at Polo Lounge, Fridays w/ 9th St. Band Reno Senior Center, Saturdays at Bavarian Worldwebsite: www.corkybennett.comemail: [email protected]: 775-351-6750 cell: 775-287-2050

Bonnie Birchwebsite: bonniebirch.com For scheduling information: write 1107 1st Ave. #1003 Seattle, WA 98101. 206-622-4786, email: [email protected]

Chuck BergerAccordion Repair and Public PerformanceFor information call: [email protected]

Michael Bridgewww.michaelbridgemusic.com/[email protected]

Charlie BrownCharlie’s schedule is much too long to print. This is only an excerpt. Check with him for the complete scheduleOct. 1 Mallard’s Landing Gig Harbor 3 – 4 PMOct. 5 Orting Senior Center 11 AM – 12 PMOct. 12 Brookdale Gig Harbor 6 – 7 PMOct. 13 Macadam Ct. Tukwila 1 – 2 PMOct. 14 Olympic Alzheimers Gig Harbor 3 – 4 PMOct. 16 Retsil Veterans’ Home Port Orchard 2 – 3 PMOct. 26 Narrows Glen Tacoma 3:30 – 4:30 PMNov. 11 Tribute Willows Garden Puyallup 11:30 AM – 2:30 PMNov. 25 Sound Vista Village Gig Harbor 2 – 3 PMDec. 3 Canterbury Manor Bremerton 2 – 3 PMDec. 10 Light House Senior Center Tacoma 10 AM – 12 PMDec. 16 Country Meadows Silverdale 10 AM – 12 PMContact: [email protected] hm 253-857-6557 cell 253-376-5487

Frank CalapristiWinter schedule at King Ludwig’s, Wed, Thurs. Sun. nights; tour groups as needed For scheduling information write PO Box 1057 Leavenworth, WA 98826 [email protected]

Gary DahlFor scheduling information write 509 Valley Ave. NE #5 Puyallup, WA 98372Phone/fax [email protected]; www.accordions.com/garydahl; www.beltuna.com

Tom Demski (Mr. Flash)For scheduling information write: 518 9th St. SW Puyallup, WA 98371 [email protected]

Folk Voice BandFor scheduling: Birgit Ages 206-368-9720 [email protected]; http://folkvoiceband.com

Laura Gardner/Phoenix Undergroundcontact: [email protected]

Happy Hans’ Music Hans Rainer, Jr. Sept. 25 – 26 Renton OktoberfestSept 26 – 27 Kirkland OktoberfestOct. 2,3,9,10,16,17 Leavenworth OktoberfestOct. 23 Maple Valley Oktoberfest 6:30 – 9:30Nov. 7 Berliner Pub Renton 6 – 10 PMNov. 14 Winefest Lakewood Lodge 7:30 – 11:30 PMDec. 6 Berliner Pub Renton 6 – 10:00 PMDec. 21 German House Seattle 8 – 11 PMDec. 31 Berliner Pub Renton 8 PM – 12:30 AMFor scheduling information write Hans Rainer, Jr 24613 231st Ave. SE Maple Valley, WA 98038 425-413-6562 [email protected] WWW.HAPPYHANSMUSIC.COM

Lynn HaldemanLeader of Haldeman’s OOM-PAH BoysDer Rheinlander Restaurant Portland, ORWed, Thurs, Sat, Sun. 5 PM – 9 PMContact: Lynn Haldeman 1200 NE 199th Ave. Portland, OR 97230 503-328-6099

David LockeFridays 9 – 11 AM Useless Bay Coffee Company Langley, [email protected] 360-321-6011

Gary MahlnerFor scheduling information write: 3010 3rd St., Union Gap, WA 98903 Phone: 509-952-3913

Greg MeierFor scheduling information write: 38572 Park Ave. Sandy, OR 97055 503-668-7002. Fax 503-668-1058 [email protected]

Andy MirkovichSept – Dec. Thursday evenings Bellevue SquareSept. 19,Oct. 17, Nov. 21, Dec.19 Jazz Trio w/ John Giuliani Bellevue SquareOct. 3 Oktoberfest Whistle Stop RentonOct. 10 Polka Mass St. Martin of Tours Fife 5 PM



Nov. 8 Sequim Accordion Club 1 PMFull schedule private engagementsMaster Classes by appointment: 425-451-1256

Murl Allen SandersJune 5 – 10, 2016 RCAC Accordion Camp at the Silver Falls Conference Center near Sublimity, OR Full schedule private engagements, regular performances in synagogue and church, composing, and teaching.www.murlallensanders.com For scheduling information write: [email protected] PO Box 30553 Seattle, WA 98113, 206-781-8196

Lyle Schaefer October 25 Autumnfest in Forest Grove, ORFor scheduling information write: 9028-60th Ave East, Puyallup, WA 98371-6299 [email protected].

Sam’s Variety GemsSam Pecorilla: home 541-847-2282, cell 541-321-9088

Smilin’ ScandinaviansSept. 24 Tavern Hall Oktoberfest Bellevue Sq. 8:30 – 11:30 PMSept. 27 Oktoberfest Kirkland 12 – 6 PMOct. 1 Tavern Hall O’fest Bellevue 8:30 – 11:30 PMOct. 3, 10, 17 O’fest Leavenworth, WAOct. 18 Lynden Music Fest Pioneer Museum 5 – 8 PMNov. 14 Dakota Club VFW Renton 7 – 10:30PMDec. 6 Breakfast Swedish Club Seattle 11:45 AM – 1:15 PMDec. 21,22,23 Lights of Christmas StanwoodFor scheduling information contact: Toby Hanson11123 216th St. E Graham, WA 98338 253-875-8580 [email protected]://smilinscandivanians.com

Joe SzaboFri – Sat. 6:30 – 9:30 PM Nonna Emilia’s RistoranteAloha, ORFor scheduling information: 13484 SW Devonshire Dr. Beaverton, OR 97005 [email protected]

Sylvia Storaasli-JorgensenSylvia’s Arizona Dance Band (Southwest)Sylvia’s Ya Sure Ya Betcha Band (Northwest) Sylvia and Fjordsong (Scandinavian Band) Sylvia’s Oktoberfest Band (Bavarian/German) www.fjordsong.com www.facebook.com/sylviasbandsSept. 5 Sons of Norway Bothell 7 – 10 PMSept 12 Dakota Club VFW Renton 7 – 10:30 PMSept 26 Oktoberfest Bruno’s Tacoma 4 – 10 PMSept 27 Oktoberfest Bruno’s Tacoma 3 – 7 PMOct. 9 – 10 Oktoberfest Deming Loggers 1 – 6 PM

Oct. 25 – April 5, 2016 Arizona scheduleFor scheduling: Sylvia Jorgensen, 749 22nd St. SW Puyallup, WA 98371, cell [email protected]

SVEA TrioSvea Trio- Richard Svensson and Bjarne Jacobsen206-523-3245, [email protected] www.winwins.com/sveatrio/

Sergei TeleshevSept. 15 Camden, AR with Valinor QuartetSept 17 Livingston, TX with Valinor QuartetOct. 17 RCAC Portland, OR Sergei soloOct. 18 Junction City, OR Sergei soloNov. 1 Sedona, AZ Sergei w/ Trio VoronezhNov. 10 Eugene, OR Sergei w/ Trio Voronezh Contact: [email protected]://triovoronezh.com/TrioVoronezh/Concerts.html

Diane Youngwww.accordionmusictricities.comFor scheduling information: [email protected]

NW AccordionairesContact: Cooksie Kramer 425-828-9104

At the time of publication, the professional musicians were fi lling out their program schedule for the autumn. Some had confi rmation; so only the confi rmed dates are printed. Their schedules change. Most have web sites, so consult them for the most current information. Contact the accordionists directly if you are planning a special trip to ensure their schedules. Support them when you can.

Welcome New Members

Robert Baumann, North Bend, WAIngeburg Gross, Seattle, WADennis Guentzel, Bozeman, MTCarleen N. Houghton, Shelton, WASylvia Jorgensen, Puyallup, WARachele Junkert, Fair Oaks, CAKaren Lee, Long Beach, CAGary Malner, Union Gap, WAMarnie, Manning, Redmond, WASig Nottingham, Puyallup, WADuane Odenbrett, Sun Valley, NVJudi Smith, Ketchikan, AK

Remember, you are welcome to give gift memberships! The membership form is on the last page of this publication.

You may request hard copy, PDF (elec-tronic), or both. You may also pay for more than one year at a time, if you like.


FaLL Quarter 201540

Membership ApplicationAll funds in U.S. Currency

Membership Type:

Regular MembershipNorth America U.S. - $25.00Canada - $35 (U.S. Funds)Outside North America$45 (U.S. Funds)

New Membership

Student MembershipAge 18 and UnderU.S. $20/yearCanada $30/year (US funds)

Renewal

Patron Membership$40/year U.S. funds

Gift Membership from:

Name:

(Please Print)

Street Address:

City:

State: Zip: Country:

Telephone: ( )

E-mail Address: (This will be used for INTERNAL to NWAS only and will not be sold or distributed elsewhere)

I would like to receive the _____Electronic version (PDF) _____Hard copy ____Both types

Please mail to: Northwest Accordion Society, 5102 NE 121st Ave. Unit 12, Vancouver, WA 98682. Include SASE (Self Addressed STAMPED Envelope) for membership card

All funds in U.S. Currency

Northwest Accordion Society

5102 NE 121st Ave. Unit 12Vancouver, WA 98682

www.nwasnews.com

Northwest Accordion Society5102 NE 121st Ave., Unit 12Vancouver, WA 98682-6164

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Current MembersYour membership renewal date is specifi ed on the mailing label. Please assist our volunteer staff by sending in your renewal form before that date.

Change of AddressTo avoid delay and extra cost, send address changes to the above address, or email as soon as possible. There is a $8 charge to resend undeliverable issues.

New MembersWe encourage all individuals interested in supporting, playing, and/or promoting the

accordion to become members.

Membership forms are inside the back cover.

NORTHWEST ACCORDION SOCIETY Membership

5102 NE 121st Ave., Unit 12, Vancouver, WA 98682-6164www.nwasnews.com

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