Joe Natoli Wins 2024 Elsie M. Bennett AAA Composition Competition – USA

July 26th 2024
Rita Davidson Barnea

by Rita Davidson Barnea

Joe Natoli Wins 2024 Elsie M.Bennett  AAA Composition Competition

Video: “Tango Frenetico” by Joe Natoli. This is the winning composition for the American Accordionists’ Association 2024 Elsie M. Bennett composition competition.

Joe Natoli shares, “Very happy and grateful to have been chosen the winning entry for the 2024 Elsie M. Bennett composition competition announced by the American Accordionists’ Association (AAA) at their annual festival near Philadelphia, PA last week. My composition is called “Tango Frenetico” and I am performing on this recording. Many thanks to the AAA and the judges for this award and for an amazing festival.”

Elsie Bennett established the AAA Composers’ Commissioning Committee in 1954. As its permanent chair, she succeeded over the remainder of the century up to a short time before her death in 2005, in commissioning 55 works from 33 composers, many of whom were world famous.

For further information, see the memorial tribute of Elsie M. Bennett (1918 – 2005) by Faithe Deffner.

In addition to winning the Elsie M. Bennett Composition Competition, Joseph Natoli was a featured performer and workshop presenter at the 2024 86th AAA Festival in West Conshohocken, held from July 12 – 14, 2024. AAA President Frank Busso Jr. shares, “No stranger to the AAA, Joe Natoli has been a performer, composer, arranger, and advocate of the accordion since age seven.”

Joe is the co-founder and director of GR8 Ideas, an organization dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge of digital accordions and digital peripherals via its web page as well as its accompanying GR8 Ideas Facebook page. Joe also founded his publishing company JANPress Music.

To view photos and video of a performance at the 2024 AAA Festival, July 12-14, check out the website: 2024AAA86th