Celebrate accordion music in its many styles:  Ethnic, popular, classical, and much more.  Enjoy this celebration with accordionists from around the world featuring concerts, competition, dancing, workshops, jam sessions, and FREE accordion lessons.  

THURSDAY, JUNE 17th  7:30  - 8:30 p.m.
GARY BLAIR-- has appeared at LIAC a number of times now due to popular demand. He will be welcoming celebration-goers with a concert on Thursday night. He will also be a competition judge.He started playing accordion at the age of 8 and won many prizes throughout his career including the UK accordion championships. He has appeared many times on Radio and TV and has recorded several CD's. Gary likes to play all styles of music and puts emphasis on entertaining the audience.
He was awarded the titles "Honored friend of the Accordion" by the CIA (accordion world governing body) and "Veteran of the Accordion", by the Rossini institute in Italy.

FRIDAY, JUNE 18th   8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
MURL ALLEN SANDERS--is a free-lance musician, composer, teacher and recording artist who has been active in the Seattle area music scene and across the United States, Canada, England and Japan for over twenty-five years. He performs and records regularly with his own bands, as a soloist, and with numerous bands in the Northwest.  Murl plays piano, accordion, B-3, keyboards, harmonica, sings, teaches and composes music. Murl has worked with many diverse artists and most recently has been performing his jazz-influenced  orchestral compositions "Accordion Concerto #1" with Cascade Symphony and  Everett Symphony and "Accordion Concerto #2" with Orchestra Seattle.

SATURDAY, JUNE 19th  7:40 - 8:40 p.m.
PATRICIA BARTELL--holds a B.A. in Music Education and Performance.  She teaches accordion and piano full time in Spokane Washington and travels worldwide as an adjudicator, professional performer and teacher. She conducts the Spokane Accordion Ensemble, is involved in an Argentine Tango Quartet (Tango Volcado) and is the guest artist for the Hot Club of Spokane - a fantastic swing jazz group. She performs and teaches a wide variety of music. Patricia is now the permanent USA delegate (a member of the jury) for the international competition of the C.M.A (World Confederation for the Accordion - World Trophy) one of the top accordion competitions in the world.

SATURDAY, JUNE 19th  9:00 - 10:00 p.m.
CORY PESATURO-- 2009 World Digital Accordion Champion is a graduate of
the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, where he was the first musician to major and graduate in the accordion.  Upon winning the Championship, he became the first American to win any World Accordion Championship in 25 years.  Accordion Legend Dick Contino said, "Of all the accordionists I've seen over the years, Cory is the one to pass the torch to, the only one who has all the tools to bring the accordion back to its former glory."  2009 was also a fantastic year for Pesaturo, as he won the four International Competitions he entered, including 2 International Jazz Accordion competitions. He also performed in many different countries including Japan, New Zealand, and Tunisia.