Kansas City to Host Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International (ATG) Festival – USA

May 17th 2024
Mary Ann Covone, ATG President

 Mary Ann Covone, ATG President,

ATG FESTIVAL JULY 2024
ATG FESTIVAL JULY 2024
ATG FESTIVAL JULY 2024
ATG FESTIVAL JULY 2024

Kansas City’s vibrant music scene is set to take center stage in a whole new way as it welcomes the Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International (ATG) for its annual Festival from July 23rd to 27th, 2024.

Spanning five days of festivities, the ATG Festival will showcase the incredible versatility and artistry of the accordion, drawing participants and performers from not only the United States and Canada but from around the world. Audiences can expect to be treated to a breathtaking array of performances that will redefine their perceptions of the accordion.

Evening concerts will begin Wednesday, July 24th, with Stas Venglevski premiering a new composition he wrote for Joan Cochran Sommers followed by Das Kollektive Duo (flute and accordion) from Austria.

Thursday evening will feature the UMKC Accordion Ensemble directed by Joan SommersMirco Patarini (Italy) (President of the Confédération Internationale Des Accordéonistes CIA), and Nikolay Bine, jazz accordionist from Canada.

Friday evening will be an evening of Tango and Fusion. Bridge and Wolak (Dr. Michael Bridge on accordion and Kornel Wolak on clarinet) will begin with a concert of classical, jazz and world music fusing various genres of music to create a life-affirming concert full of beauty, virtuosity and humor.

Next, Grayson Masefield (New Zealand) will be joined by a group of prominent Kansas City musicians, “Ensemble Iberica,” to present an all-tango program.

The Festival will culminate on Saturday evening with a concert performed by Gorka Hermosa (Spain), followed by the ATG Festival Orchestra, conducted by Joan Cochran Sommers. Among other works, the orchestra will premier two new works commissioned by the ATG.

The first is composed by Gorka Hermosa entitled Oparoa, which means in the Basque language “Truly full” (referencing the “truly full life’ that Professor Joan C. Sommers has had, giving so much to the accordion world in America). The second commissioned piece is Eternal composed by Ian Watson (UK in honor of Joan C. Sommers’ 90th birthday.

For more information, visit: ATG