CIA - Accordions Worldwide

19
News from Lithuania…
Kaunas Accordion Society (KAS)
Kaunas Accordion Society
Kauno str. 54, Veiveriai, LT
59292, Prienu raj.
LITHUANIA
Phone: +370 676 29314
Fax: +370 319 68130
E-mail: mindaugas@dakra.lt
President:: Grazina Lukosiene
Vice President: Mindaugas Labanauskas
Vice President: Birute Ruseniene
Kaunas Accordion Society
formed in 1996: The Kaunas
Accordion Society (KAS) was
established to help unite
accordion teachers, students
and all the fans of accordion
music. The main goals include
to stimulate the cooperation
between the teachers and those who study accordion
music in the Kaunas region, to give chance for the
teachers to share their pedagogical experience, to
foster the creative initiative and self-expression of
young musicians, to help to improve the musical skills
and musical intelligence of young performers, to
organize accordion music concerts, competitions and
festivals and to represent Kaunas region in various
competitions, festivals, concerts in Lithuania and
abroad.
The year of 2009 has been especially successful for
Kaunas Accordion Society. The members of the
society took part in a large number of International
competitions such as ‘VAMÖ accordion competition’
in Austria, ‘2009 Strumenti & Musica Spring Festival,
Spoleto ’ in Italy, as well as competitions in Reinach,
Switzerland, Bielefeld, Germany, and the ‘7th
International Competition FISA ARMONIE’ in Italy.
A large number of concerts were arranged for the
community of Kaunas in cooperation with Kaunas
Philharmonic. Viatcheslav Semionov together with
the orchestra of Kaunas, the ensemble ‘Concertino’
from Moldova, and the most talented members of the
Kaunas Accordion Society including soloists and the
ensembles performed in these shows.
The competition ‘ASCOLTATE’ was the largest event
arranged this year. The IX international Accordion
Competition ‘ASCOLTATE 2009’ was held from June
5-7, 2009 in the Cultural Centre of Prienai.
It was arranged by Kaunas Accordion Society and
Veiveriai Antanas Kučingis Art School from the
municipality of Prienai.
Over 300 musicians performed in the cultural centre of
Prienai during this event. A large number of young
virtuosos including soloists, ensembles and orchestras
performing a variety of repertoire performed in concert.
A large number of classical, modern and popular music
was played in the competition. The participants came
not only from Lithuania, but also from Latvia, Estonia,
Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, United Kingdom,
Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Finland. The participants
competed in 16 categories according to their age and
the style of music. The participants were rated by five
world famous experts of the accordion music: a
professor, composer, and performer Viatcheslav
Semionov (the chairman of the jury, Russia), a Vice
President of the Confédération Internationale des
Accordéonistes (CIA, IMC-UNESCO) Raymond Bodell
(United Kingdom), a Professor, the rector of the
Academy of Music and Theatre of Lithuania Eduardas
Gabnys (Lithuania), an Italian accordionist, the
President of the company ‘Suoni S.r.l’ Mirco Patarini
(Italy), an accordionist, a great performer, a professor
of the conservatoire of Klagenfurt, the President of the
Accordionists’ Association of Karintia, Roman
Pechmann (Austria).
President Grazina Lukosiene (seated right), Vice Presidents:
Mindaugas Labanauskas (standing left) and
Birute Ruseniene (seated left) with some students.