Anatol Eremciuc (Moldova) — Whirlwind from Bessarabia
Accordionist and music educationalist Anatol Eremciuc comes from the Republic of Moldova, formerly known as Bessarabia. This region is inhabited by a mishmash of people, who’s various musical styles like Balkan, Romani, Klezmer reflect in Anatols music. Anatol is founder of the Band Basarab, a project that depicts the virtuosity and intricacy of traditional Bessarabia folk music in its finest nuances.
He has played in many different projects, at various international festivals, has won competitions and been part of juries himself. Anatol emigrated to Barcelona yers ago, his music bridges the gap back to his home country Moldova.
Inga Piwowarska (Poland) — Romanticism and Brilliance
Young Pole Inga Piwowarska began her musical education at the age of nine at the national music school in Mlawa. Her decision for classical and contempory music lay in the appeal of the ambitious challenge to call music into life by mastery and concentration.
Despite her young age, she was awarded many scholarships for outstanding musical achievements, she won several prizes and awards in national and international competitions and as a darling of the public, alongside her soloist activities she is also in demand for chamber music. Ingas favourite composers are Gustav Mahler, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Claude Debussy.
Raquel Gigot (Belgien) — Stern am Musette-Himmel
Unfortunately, due to a sudden illness, Ginny Mac will not be able to perform this year. Instead, Raquel Gigot, who has charmed the 2014 Akkordeonale audience will take her place.
Raquel Gigot comes from Belgium, a land with a great accordion tradition. So, as a matter of course, she came into contact with the most different styles of accordion music. She plays chromatic as well as diatonic accordion.
The musette accompanies Raquel since her childhood and her interpretations take us back in time to the swing-jazz-epoch in Paris and Brussels.
She loves the accordion because it cuts across all social classes and is at home as well in pubs and village fairs as in concert halls.
Jan Budweis (Germany) — Trendy Bal-Folk
Jan Budweis began devoting himself to folk music in the eighties. Especially in folk dance and traditional music a whole new world opened up for him and he discovered his love for the diatonic accordion, that lasts to this day.
Furthermore, he studied bandoneon at the conservatoire in Rotterdam. Influences from gypsy, jazz, tango and stilistics from various traditional cultures are present and alive in his compositions. Amongst different band projects and activities for stage, movie and radio play, Jan works as a clarinet maker.
He is active and style-defining in the German bal folk scene and is a sought-after docent for diatonic accordion and ensemble work.
Servais Haanen (D/NL) — The Master of Fine Sounds
Servais Haanen, that musical maverick mastermind! Not just the organizer of the Akkordeonale, he composes and arranges the festival’s ensemble pieces and guides the audience through the programme. Servais’ introductions to each composition and each musician have already acquired cult status, famous for their wit and wisdom.
For a long time now, he has been working on pushing the boundaries of what his accordion can do, integrating elements of New Music, minimalistic structures and other unusual and exceptional sounds. Thanks to his multifaceted work with bands (i.a. Appellation Contrôlée, Quatro Ventos, KlangWeltenFestival) and his activity as a composer for various productions at music theatres and for film documentaries, Servais brings into play diverse musical material.
In addition to being an accordion teacher, one of his dearest activities is his ensemble work with exceptional or impossible instrumentation.
Accompanying musicians
Kaya Meller (Poland), Flugelhorn
Kaya Meller studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She is a jazz trumpet player, a flugelhorn player, a composer and arranger. Kaya is on stage with many projects, such as big band, symphonic orchestra and small jazz ensembles and has already played together with many jazz legends. Furthermore, she conducts her own Kaya Meller Quartett, based on her original music.
Johanna Stein (Germany), Cello
Multi-stylistic cellist Johanna Stein from Cologne feels at home on every stage, in every orchestration and in every studio - be it classical music, jazz, rock, pop, blues, fusion or world music – no style is foreign to her. Besides her soloshows, she can be heard in various formations like her avant-garde string quartet Badz.
Known to many from past years, Johanna will augment the Akkordeonale with her accompaniment on cello also this year.