LIAC

Here's the latest update of 2022

June 24, 2022

Well, we had a wonderful festival....lots of great comments. Our concerts, workshops, gazebo entertainment, and grange activities were stunning. Our competitive and non-competitive events are outstanding and we need to get more participation in this portion of LIAC. It is a great opportunity for accordionists to improve their skills.

Thank you for coming and we will see you next year on June 22 - 25, 2003.

Here is a link to a tribute to Leavenworth citizen Frank Calapristi performed by Stephen Wall (tenor), Bonnie Birch (accordion), and Nick Heiting (guitar).  https://youtu.be/xKBUPdRpf_c .   

June 13, 2022

LIAC is now only 3 days away. We have a great festival planned, even though it has been 3 years due to the covid outbreak.

We will have the accordion parade on Saturday. Meet at the Festhalle at 12:30 on Saturday to get ready. The pieces we will be playing are:

Beer Barrel Polka (key of C)

Happy Wanderer (Key of C

SchneeWaltzer (key of C)

Edelweiss (key of C)

Beginners are welcome to parade with us even if you don’t know all the pieces. Just have your accordion with you.

Accordionists: Take advantage of our Private Coaching sessions. You have the opportunity for valuable feedback from two of our highly respected accordionists/musicians. Beverley Fess and John Giuliani will be there to work with you. Sign up at the Festhalle desk.  

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We look forward to seeing you at LIAC.

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April 1, 2022

We are ready for Advanced Ticket Sales. Go to the Ticket page of the website to purchase tickets at a discount. After many years of a manual method requiring that a check be sent in, we now have an online ticket ordering system. See the Ticket page for details.
It is now also possible to sign up for the Competition using the online system. When we say “Competition” we are using that as an umbrella term to mean “competitive” and “non-competitive” categories. See the Competition tab for details.

Speaking of non-competitive categories:
We encourage accordionists who want to move their playing to a higher level to sign-up for Artistry or Private Coaching/Evaluation. These categories are explained in the Competition section.
For Private Coaching/Evaluation, we are excited to have the team of Andy Mirkovich and John Giuliani providing feedback to the accordionist. This highly qualified team will provide feedback similar to what you would get in a private lesson or master class. Be sure to take advantage of it.

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February 21, 2022

The LIAC website is mostly ready for our 2022 festival. Please take a look at all we have to offer. Starting April, we will open up for Advanced Ticket Sales, Competition Registration, Volunteer Sign-up, and Gazebo Performance Sign-up.

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February 10, 2022

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Due to Covid and the complications of travelling from Canada to the U.S., Emmanuel Gasser has decided not to perform at LIAC in 2022. We are fortunate instead to have Sergei Teleshev and his daughter Maria perform their Two Accordions duo. See the website for their information.
We are looking forward to Emmanuel performing at a future LIAC.

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To get ready for LIAC, be sure to read this message: CLICK HERE

February 3, 2022

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Here are a couple new items to mention….

This year, 2022, is the 100th year anniversary of Petosa accordions. On Saturday evening after the concerts, we are going to have a celebration in the Festhalle. There will be refreshments, dancing with dance music provided by the Northwest Accordionaires, and general merrymaking.

Be sure to celebrate with us and congratulate the Petosa’s.

We lost a dear friend of LIAC and the city of Leavenworth last August, 2021. Frank Calapristi was a well-known musician and resident of Leavenworth. He was instrumental in involving the Northwest Accordion Society to be a key participant and eventual producers of LIAC. His family is going to have a bench by the gazebo with a plaque honoring Frank. They will also help to sponsor our music at the gazebo and the accordion parade. In honor of Frank, we will name the parade the “Frank Calapristi Accordion Parade”.

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January 31, 2022

by Bonnie Birch - bonniebirch@msn.com

Please note: the website is not fully updated yet but should be done by the end of February.  Most everything is current since it is carried over from 2020.

During these COVID times, planning a festival in advance is very difficult due to a certain amount of uncertainty. However, there is reason for optimism so we are going ahead with the full program for LIAC 2022.

This means activities will resume in the Festhalle, Gazebo, and Grange. We will, of course, follow all city and state regulations.

At this point, I don’t believe vaccinations will be required to attend our indoor events. I am not sure what the state policy will be about masks for indoor events. Anyone feeling safer wearing a mask is encouraged to do so.

Our concerts and workshops that were planned for 2020 are being carried over to 2022 so be sure to check the rest of the website.

The competition will basically remain the same as was planned for 2020. We will evaluate how it goes this year and possibly make changes for 2023. We have something to offer everybody that wants to get on the stage and show what they have been practicing and creating. There are competitive and non-competitive categories. A person entering any category can get valuable feedback from a professional staff as well as valuable performing experience.

Gazebo sign-up will start at about the first of April.

Advanced ticket sales will also start around the first of April. We hope to have our online payment system ready to eliminate the need to mail in a check.

Sign-up for the competition categories should be in March and April. However, if you are going to participate, start preparing as soon as possible.

It will be wonderful to see everybody again and encourage all to participate.

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