Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration
Sponsored by the Northwest Accordion Society
Herzlich Willkommen!
JUNE 25-28, 2026
LIAC 2026
SCHEDULE
Festhalle 2026 Performers
Festhalle Schedule (PDF) - Click Here
(Competition and Performance Schedule)
Lori Beth Brooke
If the perfect combination of Old West and Old Bavaria could be found, it would be Lori Beth Brooke; an accordionist, yodeler, and songwriter from Austin, Texas. Growing up in the Lone Star State, she was immersed in the combination of both Western and German music that has inspired much of Texas culture. She began accordion lessons at age 7 and progressed to writing her own songs at age 12. That passion for music led her to seek a Bachelor of Arts in Music. After college she continued her studies, becoming a top yodeler, a main feature of her accordion performances. Awards and accolades have followed Lori Beth throughout her career, winning the 2016 International Western Music Association Female Yodeler Award, the 2020 IWMA Western Swing Album Award, the 2020 Academy of Western Artists Female Western Performer Award, and the 2021 and 2024 Walnut Valley Festival Humorous Song Award.
Blaser-Faver Kapelle
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With a strong heritage rooted in Switzerland, Kapelle Blaser-Faver brings the lively music of the Swiss Alps to audiences all across the Pacific Northwest. Joe and Don Blaser grew up playing Swiss music with their legendary father Werner Blaser, whose own band began in 1952. They have continued that family tradition by bringing in their sons Louie and Johnny. Likewise, John Faver grew up playing Swiss music and has passed his love of the old tunes on to his son Taylor. Together, they give authentic performances of Swiss Ländlermusik which never fail to capture the attention of audiences wherever they go. The traditional repertoire includes polkas, waltzes, schottisches, ländlers, marches, mazurkas, and fox trots. The band delights in playing the most virtuosic examples of those songs with button accordion, clarinet, soprano saxophone, piano, and bass. The music is complex and challenging but comes across with joy and ease with the immaculate skill of these musicians. Their performances are the highlights of any events in which they are included
Gail Campanella
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Gail Campanella has a flair for the dramatic as she brings the old accordion classics to life for new audiences, which is no surprise as she began her accordion journey at a young age. She first cracked open that “mysterious suitcase” as a young girl on a farm in rural Colorado which led her to begin accordion lessons at age 10. By age 14 she was teaching her own students while studying with Anthony Pennetti in Denver. She did a piano major in college while simultaneously studying accordion with Robert Davine. She put her music skills to work professionally teaching music in the public schools of Denver and playing honky-tonk piano on weekends. This mix of skill and performance panache has brought her to performances for accordion groups all around the US and in Europe. She is a board member of the ATG, plays in Stas Venglevski’s Houston Accordion Orchestra, teaches and performs at the Rose City Accordion Camp in Oregon, and maintains an active teaching studio near her home in Santa Barbara, California.
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International Cavalcade
Bonnie Birch-Italian / Jakob Bean-Swiss /
Thomas Tilton-German / Toby Hanson-Scandinavian
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What do you get when you bring together four of the Northwest's finest accordionists for a concert? You get an amazing show full of everyone's favorite accordion tunes. Bonnie Birch will share some of her lovely, romantic Italian favorites, Toby Hanson will bring the excitement of a Midsommar celebration with his Scandinavian music, Jakob Bean will entice with his intricate Swiss favorites, and Tom Tilton will round out the program with some hearty Bavarian numbers. Put it all together and it becomes and irresistible mix of snappy tunes, not to be missed.
The Northwest Accordionaires
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The Northwest Accordionaires is an accordion orchestra with fourteen accordions joined by drums, tuba, bass, vocals, and strings, with other orchestral instruments joining depending on the demands of the music being performed. The group is well-known in the accordion community of the Pacific Northwest, having performed extensively around Western Washington and also in Victoria, BC. Members of the orchestra come from such varied backgrounds as engineering to education. The orchestra has performed together for over fifteen years, covering a repertoire including folk music, Broadway show tunes, classical arrangements, and original compositions. The orchestra was founded by noted South African accordionist and educator Cooksie Kaserzon Kramer. During her time in South Africa, she ran the largest music studio in Johannesburg, featuring three accordion orchestras and teaching piano and organ alongside accordion. An accomplished concert artist, Ms. Kramer represented South Africa in the 1959 Coupe Mondiale, held in New York. She now resides in Kirkland, Washington, where she runs her music studio, the Northwest Accordionaires, and founded the Eastside Jazz Club.