On The International Scene

atgaccordionistste
May 24
7 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

CIA Winter Congress in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

contributed by Kevin Friedrich

The Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) held its annual Winter Congress General Assembly of Delegates from 28th February to the 2nd March, 2025 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Hosted by CIA member The Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts (Plovdiv) organized by Angel Marinov, the three-day event comprised meetings, informal gatherings and cultural and social events.

CIA Executive Committee members Mirco Patarini (President – Italy), Jörgen Sundeqvist (Vice President - Sweden), Zorica Karakutovska (Vice President – North Macedonia), Kimmo Mattila (Secretary General - Finland), Kevin Friedrich (Ambassador - USA), Alexander Selivanov (Chairperson of the Music Committee – Russia) and Music Committee members Chairperson Alexander Selivanov (Russia), Danijela Gazdic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Ruedi Marty (Switzerland). Grayson Masefield (Vice Chairperson - New Zealand via Zoom) were joined by Delegates representing CIA member organizations from the USA (AAA-ATG), Sweden, Germany, Norway, Austria, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Hungary, Finland, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Estonia and Turkey.

During the meetings, the CIA welcomed two new member organizations including from Romania, The National University of Music, Bucharest and from Turkey, Beylikdüzü Belediyesi Kültür İşleri Müdürlüğü – Istanbul.

Reports from the CIA Executive Committee were given by Mirco Patarini (President), Kimmo Mattila (General Secretary), Harley Jones (Public Relations Manager – presented by New Zealand delegate Alison Worthington), Alexander Selivanov (Music Committee) and Kevin Friedrich (Ambassador). These reports outlined the activities of the Executive officers as they represented the CIA at numerous events around the world as well as the financial updates, budget planning and official business affairs of the CIA.

Danijela Gazdic gave an update on the upcoming 78th Coupe Mondiale to be held in East Sarajevo, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina, hosted by the East Sarajevo Academy of Music Ues from the 23 - 28th September, 2025. Details are available at http://www.coupemondiale.org .

One of the main activities for the General Assembly was the adopting of the Internal Rules (formerly known as Statutes). To conform to European Union guidelines, the CIA filed their official Statutes (adopted at the General Assembly in Castelfidardo, 2024) in Finland last year. The CIA day to day modus operandi and rules previously known as Statutes, were then renamed as Internal Rules, updated and adopted at the Plovdiv hosted Winter Congress.

During the General Assembly, the Norske Trekkspilleres Landsforbund - NTL (Norwegian Accordion Association) withdrew its CIA membership. In addition, after the passing of Yan Tabachnik (Ukraine), his International Art Centre has closed and as a result the CIA membership has now concluded.

Two CIA Merit Awards nominations were received, recommended by the CIA Executive Committee and then unanimously approved by the General Assembly to be awarded to Stefan Hippe (Germany) and Nathalie Boucheix (France) in recognition for their contributions to the International Accordion movement.

The CIA future events have been updated with the 2026 Winter Congress being hosted in Finland, while the 79th Coupe Mondiale is now open again. Details about the alternate 2026 Coupe Mondiale hosting are now being organized and information will be available soon. The 2027 events will be held in Paks, Hungary (Winter Congress) and Disentis, Switzerland (80th Coupe Mondiale).

CIA Vice President Jörgen Sundeqvist (Vice President - Sweden) announced his retirement from the CIA Executive Committee at the conclusion of the Winter Congress General Assembly. With General Elections due to be held next year (2026), it is not anticipated that the position will be backfilled leading up to those elections.

The CIA is pleased to welcome its 2025 Honorary Vice President, Maja Žuža from East Sarajevo Academy of Music Ues, Rep. of Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Each year a representative from the Coupe Mondiale host organization is nominated to join as an honorary member of the CIA team to help facilitate the organization of the event.

In October 2020, she was appointed Dean of the Music Academy of the University of East Sarajevo, a position she continues to hold for a second term.

During the ‘Member’s Voices’ section of the General Assembly, presentations were given by Anica Karakutovska from the Republic of North Macedonia, showcasing the numerous and varied activities of the Ljubiteli na Klasicnata Muzika in Skopje as well as the team headed by Olga Papp, Hungary who gave news of "Az Ifjú Harmonikásokért" Alapítvány - "For the Young Accordionists" Foundation activities.

The Bulgarian hosts provided detailed guided tours of their ancient city, one of the oldest historical sites in Europe, Plovdiv is a living archaeological city where on every street corner, you are met with incredible several thousand-year old ruins that will take you back to the Greek and Roman Empires. From its Ottoman mosques to its ancient mosaics, Plovdiv sits upon the relics of its ancient history, but over recent decades, many have been unearthed providing a look into their ancient history. Walking through these ancient ruins and the old town to the Music Academy was a fascinating experience. Everywhere you turned remnants of centuries old infrastructure could be seen including the ancient forum which could seat upwards of 30,000 people!

Our Bulgarian team hosted numerous events at the Academy including meetings such as the CIA Executive and Music Committee meetings and the two sessions of the CIA General Assembly Congress sessions and musical events.

A highlight was the closing Gala concert featuring a lineup of renowned Bulgarian musicians performing a variety of Folk music, many on traditional instruments found in the Bulgarian culture. The concert was followed by a traditional Bulgarian culinary experience.

2025 marks the incredible 90th Anniversary of the Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA). Information about the anniversary celebration will be forthcoming with plans to publish a yearbook showcasing highlights of the CIA history being published to coincide with the 78th Coupe Mondiale in East Sarajevo. The competition categories and rules for the 78th Coupe Mondiale are now available on the http://www.coupemondiae.org website.

The 154th CIA International General Assembly of Delegates Congress will be held in East Sarajevo, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina on 24 September 2025.

Akkordeon Grenzenlos (Accordion Without Boundaries) 2025

Dr. Herbert Scheibenreif

Akkordeon Grenzenlos, an event organized by the Hohner Conservatory in Trossingen, Germany, has become a fixture in the international accordion world in just a few years. With its numerous concerts, workshops, and forums, the festival has become a widely recognized cultural highlight.

Attending Akkordeon Grenzenlos 2025 (Accordion Without Boundaries 2025), thus represented a holistic experience for all participants, providing important inspiration for their further exploration of the accordion.

The workshops, led by top-class instructors, were aimed at players of all harmonica instruments, including accordion, harmonica, Styrian harmonica, diatonic, and other instruments.

Tian Long Li focused on the genre of jazz, Matthias Matzke took the audience into the world of rock and pop, and Alex Almeida taught all fans of Brazilian accordion music the basics of the captivating musical style of Forró. Jakob Steinkellner offered a unique blend of theory and practice of the Styrian accordion, combining tradition with creative, new approaches.

Each instructor inspired, enthused, and pushed boundaries in their own way – musically and personally. All accordion teachers were also offered the special workshop “A New Technical Approach,” in which the internationally sought-after Frédéric Déschamps shared his expertise and provided valuable inspiration for teaching practice. Hans-Günther Kölz’s “Accordion Pur” was dedicated to passionate amateur musicians.

The competitors in the Classical, Popular (seniors and juniors), and Ensemble (Chamber Music and World Music) categories fought with great commitment and fairness for their placements, making the festival an unforgettable and exciting experience.

The overall level of performance improves from year to year, with the performances by the Chinese accordionists in the class of Prof. Cao Xiaoqing from the Central Academy of Music in Beijing naturally standing out.

The best performers in each category competed in the final rounds of two public competition concerts, where the audience also had the opportunity to vote for their favorite of the evening. All winners received cash prizes.

President Andreas Nebl (Germany), Zbigniew Ignaczewski (Poland), Frédéric Deschamps (France), Petr Vacek (Czech Republic), Herbert Scheibenreif (Austria), Zoran Rakić (Serbia), Danijela Gazdić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Na Song (China, Austria), Cao Xiaoqing (China), and Vladimir Maretschko (Ukraine) formed the international jury.

The evening concerts offered a variety of accordion music with workshop instructors, students from the Hohner Conservatory, and the competition finalists. A jam session allowed musicians of various styles to perform together on stage.

The festival was accompanied by guided tours of the Harmonica Museum and Hohner, as well as a music exhibition.

Conservatory Director Eric Dann and Jury President Andreas Nebl are to be congratulated on the successful organization of Akkordeon Grenzenlos 2025.

Accordion Events and Adjudicating

From Dr. Herbert Scheibenreif

In addition to Akkordeon Grenzenlos (Accordion Without Boundaries) Dr. Herbert Scheibenreif reports on many more international accordion happenings.

These include:

Duo “Two Bellows” Perform in Neunkirchen, Austria held at the Sparkassen Lounge in Neunkirchen, Austria. The concert was part of a long-standing concert series initiated by Herbert Scheibenreif in 1980, which has become a celebrated platform for world-class accordion performances. Since its inception, the series has hosted a remarkable lineup of accomplished artists, including Vladimir Dolgopolov, Aleksandr and Vitaly Dmitriev, Frédéric Guérouet, Friedrich Lips, Frank Marocco, Jean-Marc Marroni, Elsbeth Moser, Trio PSP, Sergey Osokin, and Klaus Paier, among many others. It has gained widespread recognition for featuring both celebrated soloists and distinguished ensembles, consistently drawing audiences with a passion for high-calibre performances.

Click on link for more: https://accordions.news/duo-two-bellows-perform-at-sparkassen-lounge-in-neunkirchen-austria/

The 11th International Accordion Festival “Accordion Spring” presented four world premieres for accordion and other instruments at its gala concert in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic last week, accompanied by the Pantonale Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Miran Vaupotić: Mikołaj Majkusiak’s “Pictures from the Darkness”, Vladislav Solotaryov’s “Martin Eden”, Gorka Hermosa’s “Hope” and Roberto Molinelli’s “Visions from Sunland”. These and other works by Viktor Vlasov (“Jazz Concert”) and Arkady Shilkloper (“Pilatus”, “Phiga”) were performed by international soloists: Radu Ratoi, Gorka Hermosa, Volodymyr Murza, Anna Lipkind-Mazor, Dmitri Prokoviev, Roberto Molinelli, Daniel Roth, Andrii Murza and Arkady Shilkloper.

Click on link for more: https://accordions.news/report-11th-international-accordion-festival-accordion-spring-in-berlin-germany/