Qualifications: ATDNZ, LTCL (piano), FIRMT
Accordion Teacher, Performer, Editor
In 1996, Harley Jones started the Accordions Worldwide group of internet sites.
These include:
www.accordions.news www.accordionusa.news www.diatonic.news
the largest and most visited accordion internet sites in the world.
These sites provide advertising banners for companies and artists with a very large readership attracted by such accordion community services as: Weekly News from around the world, Reviews, Interviews, Articles, major event reports etc.
Additional sites include: MusicForAccordion.com a site which sells eSheet music (download to the client), music catalogs for publishers in different parts of the world.
Harley Jones has received several international awards for his accordion internet activities:
2000 American Accordionist’s Association – USA The plaque had the inscription –
“The American Accordionists Association honors Harley A Jones founder of Accordions Worldwide for his vision and creativity in launching a significant and prestigious cyber space voice for the international accordion community accordions.com”
2001 National Accordion Organisation of the United Kingdom (NAO) – UK presented at the 2001 Coupe Mondiale.
July 2007, the Sata-Häme Soi Accordion Festival presented a beautiful plaque to Accordions Worldwide “in recognition of the global work Accordions Worldwide is doing in the promotion of the accordion, and Finnish accordion activities.”
2007 Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) Merit Award presented by President Kevin Friedrich (left) and Secretary General Kimmo Mattila.
2007 August, the Accordions Worldwide website was ‘Recommended by Beesker as the world’s best website on Accordions’.
2018 Selected as a member of the ATG International Accordion Hall of Fame at the ATG Festival in Lisle, IL.
On 13th January 1998, Harley Jones was elected a “Fellow of the Institute” by the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand. Harley flew to Dunedin (South Island, New Zealand) to receive this prestigious award. This honour was presented to him in recognition of his distinguished services to the New Zealand teaching profession. Official Citation
Harley Jones is a virtuoso concert piano accordionist. He has appeared on T.V. and National Radio in New Zealand many times, and has performed extensively in the USA, Canada, England, Germany, Holland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore and China as well as his home country of New Zealand.
Harley was soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra on a C.D. of symphony orchestra works composed by Gary Daverne, recorded in 1992 and now released internationally by EMI. “Rhapsody for Accordion and Orchestra” was written by New Zealand composer Gary Daverne especially for Harley Jones.
He premiered this work in New Zealand with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer (December 1987). He performed “Rhapsody” at the International Piano Accordion Competition and Festival in New York (August 1988) and at the Prize Giving of the 1990 Coupe Mondiale held in Germany in 1990.
Harley has performed this work over 120 times worldwide, usually with composer Gary Daverne as the conductor, including Europe, North America, Australasia, China and Turkey.
Harley Jones Recordings:
– Harley Plays Gary mp3 album
Harley Jones performing the music of New Zealand composer Gary Daverne.
Further information and sound samples:
– Harley Jones Accordion mp3 album from various 1990’s recordings and from the 1975 album
Further information and sound samples:
1975 LP and then CD album, Virtuoso Accordionists of Harley and Maurice Jones.
Harley Jones has performed on a number of CD’s – Listen to the MP3 sound samples:
Accordion Concert Music – solo, duet, group and concerto music composed for accordion by Gary Daverne, performed with accordionists.
Youth of Auckland – concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra composed by Gary Daverne.
On Tour – Air New Zealand Accordion Orchestra. Concerto with accordion orchestra.
Harmonika-Spielring Böblingen E.V. – concerto with accordion solo recorded by Radio Stuttgart and also performed at the 1990 Coupe Mondiale Prize Giving concert.
Harley Jones has been involved with the Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA) for many years, having been an adjudicator on a number of ocassions and Chairman of the Coupe Mondiale Adjudicators in 1976 in Washington.
He has served on the Music Committee for the CIA for about 16 years (the committee which selects the Coupe Mondiale jury) and is currently the Public Relations Officer for the CIA and has been a CIA Executive member for some 20 years.
Harley was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1953. His qualifications include LTCL piano, ATDNZ accordion and AIRMT, later awarded FIRMT.
Winner of the New Zealand Accordion Championship at 14 years of age he represented New Zealand at 16 years of age at the Coupe Mondiale International Accordion Solo Competition held in New York in 1969.
His performance repertoire includes novelty and musette pieces, serious original compositions and classical transcriptions. With his brother Maurice Jones, he has recorded an L.P. record in 1975 and been featured soloist on various other accordion L.P. records and CD’s.
As a teacher Harley has enjoyed much success with his students:
- Winning the New Zealand Solo Piano Accordion Championship eight times and South Pacific Accordion Championships.
- Three top ten placings In the Coupe Mondiale International Accordion Solo Competition.
- Numerous successes in New Zealand competitions and 1st and 2nd placings in national class competitions in the USA.
He was a co-director of the North Shore Accordion Orchestra which as the Air New Zealand Accordion Orchestra has had nine successful American, Asian and European tours receiving standing ovations in many countries.
The Air New Zealand Accordion Orchestra, was made a New Zealand Cultural Ambassador for their 1986 tour to Germany, Switzerland and England and for their 1988 tour to the People’s Republic of China, Singapore, Hong Kong and also USA in 1990.
The orchestra under his direction enjoyed many standing ovations across Europe, Asia and North America and has produced four albums which are all available online.
He has been an active member of the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand during the 1990’s serving as Chairman of the Auckland Branch for two years and a past Chairman of the Institutes Teacher Training Course Committee. He is an executive member of the Accordion Examination Board of New Zealand and Vice-President of the New Zealand Accordion Association since 1980.
Contact:
E-mail: harleyjones.nz@yahoo.com
Phone: +64 212166102
WeChat: harleyaccordion
WhatsApp: harleyaccordion
Skype mobile: harley.accordion
