June - July 2015 Newsletter - Accordionworld.org main page

A World of Accordions Museum Newsletter
Harrington ARTS Center, 1401 Belknap St., Superior, WI 54880
June-July, 2015
By Helmi Strahl Harrington, Ph.D.
These summer months have been among the most active and
busy of our history!
Many hours were spent completing incorporation into our files of Sylvia Prior’s music and
organizing the estate donations of Faithe Deffner’s 29 boxes and Dr. Willard Palmer’s additional 41
boxes. Thanks to volunteer time contributed by Robin Floyd, Marian Syrjamaki-Kuchta, Anne Velasco,
Mary Carlson, and Krystal Wolfe-Harrington, we got everything roughly sorted and placed into newly
acquired filers on the second and third floors of the museum. Required on my part were early morning
hours, time between appointments, late-night hours, and a few weeks totally devoted to the job but
causing neglect of repair jobs and some students. My goal was that the library rooms look orderly for
tours during the Palmer Festival. And we reached that goal!
Similarly, a great deal of work was required to trim overgrown exterior greenery. Marian’s monumental
efforts were accomplished with little assistance.
Krystal, Cheryl, Marian moving new filers
Marian with piles of landscaping cuts
Events began with our June 20, free and open to the public Evening of Slovenian Music, featuring
our favorite folklorist Dr. Anthony Bukoski reading his book segment entitled “Polkaholics,” Shelby
and Ronny Setniker (of Bemidji) on Slovenian button diatonics, Paul Vargason, and me playing Slavko
Ahvenainan favorites. We were delighted to see Marge Ford (of Alaska) in the audience, who graciously
agreed to play a few pieces and to join in the jam session that followed.
Shelby and Ronny Setniker
Marge Ford
Tony Bukoski
Our Accordion Concertina Music Band did double duty by preparing repertory for the July 4 th
parade in Superior and the concert that followed at Carlton County Historical Society along with new
repertory to be performed in competition at Accordionists and Teachers Guild Festival in Lisle, IL. The
new repertory was also being practiced by my Burnsville students for conjoined performance at our
Palmer Festival and at the ATG event.
Our float won a participation plaque thanks to Ron and June Askegaard’s truck and flat-bed
decorated by Robin and Bart Floyd, Anne, Krystal, Charlie Harrington, Amanda and Nolan Hauta,
Marian and granddaughter Olivia Syrjamaki, Pam and Nona Ericson. It joins our other awards displayed
on the wall of our entry hall.
Pam, Nona, Ron, June, Amanda, Nolan, Krystal, Charlie, Robin, Bart with Knute, II, Anne, Marian, Olivia
Rachel Martin, curator and director of the Carlton County Historical Society hosted our group
with welcoming words and refreshments at our fifth annual post-parade performance. We were joined
by violinist friend Carolyn Carver. This year Florian Chmielewski and Lorren Lindevig honored us with
their attendance and then performed duets for another half-hour in the room filled to standing-room
capacity.
Lorren, Marge, Florian
The next week found us welcoming guests to our fabulous Third Annual Dr. Willard A. Palmer
Festival. This year we focused on Willard A. Palmer, III, gracious donor of his father’s estate and
consummate entertainer as magician, humorist, and musician. Mayor Bruce Hagen presented a plaque
proclaiming July 16-18, in honor of Palmer and our festival.
If you missed any of the July 16-18, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM offerings, you really missed something
great. Our auspicious slate included the national icon of accordion entertainment Alex Meixner
(Florida), and our friends of long-standing Former-Senator Florian Chmielewski and Lorren Lindevig.
Programs by Palmer students Herschel Moody (Texas), and Julie Council (Louisiana, playing with 11year-old grandson Christopher) were especially well received. I offered my favorite workshop topics:
“Interpretation: It’s Not written in the Notes,” and “ History in Performance on Museum Accordions and on
Harpsichord,” with board member Carolyn Carver on violin. Dr. Anthony Bukoski read a book segment
dealing with “Sea Shanties” describing emigrants to our region. Paul Vargason, local artist, offered
selections of his favorite pieces. AWAM board member Yvonne Marts (Fergus Falls, MN) led a mostfun-ever jam session during which I was astounded to hear Marge Ford expertly play a Guy Klusevsek
composition on my Hohner Gola piano accordion.
Herschel Moody
Anthony Bukoski
Bill, III, and Alex during set-up
Bill with five-string banjo
Marge Ford
Christopher and Julie
Paul Vargason
Immediately
after
the
champagne toast
Bill showing Cheryl a trick
conclusion of the
Palmer Festival, I began an “Advanced Piano
Accordion Repair Seminar” assisted by
Certified
Accordion-Family-Instruments
Technician, Yvonne Marts. We were impressed
by the acumen of Julie’s eleven year old
grandson Christopher, a surprise participant
among the twelve adults who had come from
Canada, east coast, northern, southern and midwestern states to learn more about accordion repairs. Participants Charlie and Krystal,
Yvonne, Cathleen Bertha, Christopher Conger, Gerry Swab, Robin, Marge, Hanni
Harrington-Wrencher, Dean Ratsin (videographer), and Bill, III, received my reamsize detailed book of procedures and instructions as permanent reminders.
Advanced Piano Accordion Repair Seminar participants, with Yvonne as assistant
James and Cathleen at work
Herschel Moody
Dean and Marge
Yvonne demonstrating restoration of a
long-neglected bass section
Despite the unusual heat-wave that sapped concentration, our time together was enhanced by
spontaneous fun.
Julie celebrates her birthday with us all
Jam session at Fairlawn Public Museum: Royal Miller, Herschel,
Marian (and me, not pictured)
Immediately after the seminar, I drove to Lisle, IL, for the 75 th anniversary of Accordionists and
Teachers Guild Festival, where AWAM exhibited museum accordions and I presented workshops. ACM
had many entries in solo, duet and orchestra categories with a win/place ratio of 70%. Our orchestra
pieces included an ambitious assortment of style-varied pieces: Air on a G String (Bach), Nideleven (Finnish),
Silk
Umbrella (Slovenian), Trois Tours de Piste (French Musette), Horse Sings from Cloud (Pauline Oliveros), Ashoken Farewell
(Unger). Band participants included Dale Ahlberg, John Blumenfeld, Robin Floyd, Charles and Krystal
Harrington, Hanni Harrington-Wrencher Amanda and Nolan Hauta, Joy and Roger Schmitz, Shelby
Setniker, Marian Syrjamaki-Kuchta, and Anne Velasco.
At the awards ceremony. (Some ACM
members not pictured.)
Cheryl (7) and Jada (5) Harrington-Wrencher, the
youngest participants
Traveling back to the Superior museum with me was Dr. Herbert Scheibenreif of Austria. This
internationally renowned accordion artist, adjudicator, scholar, and teacher, is also an executive
committee member of the Confédération des Accordéonistes, sponsors of the Coupe Mondiale
competition that is preeminent in selecting the world’s finest performers. Eleven years had passed since
Herbert’s first AWAM visit, and I had eagerly anticipated refreshing his awareness of our museum’s
resources as an unsurpassed repository of accordion history.
Herbert’s expertise in Russian music and composers spurred many active conversations, during one of
which he helped categorize our several file-drawers of Russian compositions. During his three-day visit,
Herbert enjoyed Midwestern hospitality in one of Marian’s apartments.
Herbert at one of our three Russian displays
New acquisitions to the museum:
Just ahead of the Palmer Festival, Herschel Moody and wife Claudia drove from Texas to donate a
Moog, Mini-Moog, Arp Sequencer, with their original packaging boxes, specs, instruction books and
display stand. Herschel, a professional strolling accordionist at Carmelo’s restaurant in Austin, had
previously donated a Hohner Cembalet and a Hohner Electronium from the Palmer accordion orchestra.
These major assets are now situated in our Sue Spencer and Friends Electronics Display Room
alongside about two dozen accordions with electronic sound
production features including oscilloids, tubes, transistors, and
MIDI features.
Hohner Cembalet
I thought that I would never see another Galleazzi like the 1900 model we received in 2011.
Surprise! Yvonne arrived for our July events bearing the incomparable gift of a 1914 enlarged and
advanced model. When Yvonne’s acquaintance gave it to her, she knew exactly where it was meant to
be! A descriptive article will soon be published. These early American accordions are among our most
cherished rarities. Both instruments are prominently displayed at the central entrance to the museum
among our Galleazzi instruments.
1900 model, tooled carrying case, 1914 model
Next Events: September 19, 7:00 PM,
October 17, 7:00 PM,
November 8, Time TBA
November 15, 2:00 PM,
Watch for 2016 Events: April, 2016,
July 3, 2016,
Ethnic Music Evening: Latin
andCembalet,
Tango 1960s
(Free admission)
Hohner
Ethnic Music Evening: Oktoberfest (Free admission)
John Scaffeo Concert ($20 per person)
ACM Student Recital (Free admission)
Stas Venglevski Concert
Dr. Mike Middleton and the Middletones Concert