When squeezed for details, Powell River Accordion Fest co-directors Karina Inkster and Walter Martella say festival goers will be treated to outstanding performances, showcasing how versatile and melodic the instrument really is.
The pair has planned and organized the festival for May 6 and 7, with most events at Powell River Academy of Music, presenting some world-class talent, as well as giving the opportunity for local talent to show off their accordion chops. Inkster said the hope is it can become an annual event.
The festival will feature two main concerts, one of which features Jelena Milojević, who is a world-renowned classical accordionist. Milojević will be giving a full concert on the first night, with Inkster and Martella also featured.
The second concert setting will be the accordion kitchen party, held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 164 facility on the Saturday night, with two main sets, one with Martella’s band. The two festival directors will perform a selection together and Inkster will also perform with bandmate Jessica Colasanto, with guest musicians rotating through the main band. Accordionists who are comfortable playing with the band will be able to participate in the kitchen party, and dancing will also be featured.
Inkster said plans include workshops, master classes and presentations throughout the weekend. A presentation on the history of the accordion will be given by Bruce Triggs, host of the Accordion Noir radio show in Vancouver, and author of an expansive history book on the instrument. He will be presenting during performances in the courtyard of the music academy, where local and visiting performers will share music in a casual environment.
“It’s kind of open-mic style,” added Inkster.
Martella said he and Inkster have been playing together for several years, since she moved to the qathet region.
“She came just to take lessons with me,” said Martella.
They have been playing together since.
The germ of the idea for an accordion festival sprung from a suggestion Martella made to Inkster. He said she knew quite a few players from out of town, so she got the ball rolling with Milojević and garnered interest from other people. Martella said he has also contacted some people who he knows in various places.
Local people are also interested in the accordion. Last summer, the co-directors ran an Accordion 101 session designed for absolute beginners.
“Most of them were playing in about an hour and a half,” said Martella. “The instrument looks really difficult to play but once you get an understanding, it’s not so complex.
“We had 10 people in total, from teenagers to professionals. We had a two-day weekend where they learned to play the accordion. It was actually really great. I think there are more people in town who have played accordion when they were younger and are interested in it again.”
More than polkas
Inkster said something drawing audiences to the accordion fest is the fact that the event is not built around polkas.
“We are broadening the stereotype of what an accordion is,” said Inkster. “We are including music by Astor Piazzolla, for example, who was the father of nuevo tango, which is tango that takes into account jazz and classical influences. It’s very different from what most people expect accordion music to be.
“We’re also playing jazz pieces, but it’s very tango-inspired. Richard Galliano is another artist that we perform a lot of and he studied with Piazzolla. The types of genres we are playing are not what people usually think of first when they think of accordion.”
Martella said they want to give people a different insight into the kind of music for which they are using the instrument. During the accordion kitchen party, the house band will take those attending the event through pop, rock and country tunes, he added.
“I will be playing the accordion that night and making it a part of whatever genre of music we are playing,” said Martella.
The surprise is going to be at the Milojević concert when she plays classical music, which Martella said hasn’t been heard here, and all the way through various other genres she performs for audiences.
Martella said if anyone is interested in playing at the event, at the courtyard performances or accordion kitchen party, they can contact the organizers through the contact portal on the accordion fest website: praccordionfest.com.
“I’ll be available to play with people if they want to do it with somebody,” said Martella. “We’re there to support people’s interest.”
For those with old instruments collecting dust, wanting to purchase an accordion or have one appraised, Tempo Trend Music from Victoria will be in attendance over the weekend. Inkster said the accordion specialty shop has been around for more than 60 years.
“If folks have an old accordion languishing in a closet somewhere, if they want it serviced, or if they want to buy their very first, or maybe seventh accordion, he will be at the Powell River Academy of Music in a dedicated room.”
Classic photos
In terms of the period-style photographs taken of Inkster and Martella with their accordions featured with this story, Inkster said it was inspired by a pile of donated accordion sheet music. She said the music sat in Martella’s office, with nobody going through it.
“Finally, we decided someone needs to go through the music, so I took the stuffy box home and started,” said Inkster. “It’s mostly accordion band sheet music that requires five to eight accordions, which was not super useful for our purposes.
“One thing I found, however, was a collection of eight by 10 photos from the 1950s and 1960s of professional accordionists. They are all world-class players. The photos were so amazing, so I immediately thought Walter and I had to do a mimicked vintage accordion photo shoot.”
Inkster had photographer John C. Watson in town to take photos to illustrate a book she was writing, so the pair arranged to get styled for the replica photos.
“He really nailed it,” said Inkster. “They are some of my favourite photos, ever.”
For information on various sessions, and tickets, go to praccordionfest.com.
