Last of Five Intermediate Level Concert Works Commissioned by the AAA to be Discussed and Performed at the 2024 Schimmel Accordion Seminars this July

July 19th 2024
Dr. Robert Young McMahan Chair of AAA Composers Commissioning Committee

by Dr. Robert Young McMahan Chair of AAA Composers Commissioning Committee

William Schimmel
Robert Mcmahan

For those dedicated accordion students who have through hard work and determination reached the all-important milestone of performing compositions rated at the “intermediate” level of difficulty and are interested in adding timely contemporary classical works composed for our instrument to their repertoire, I would like to direct attention to five such mid-level solos that Elsie Bennett commissioned during the 1960s to accommodate that group: Embryo Suite, by Paul Creston, Introduction and Dance, by David Diamond, Lilt, by William Grant Still, Prelude to the Sea, by Carlos Surinach, and Danza Ritual, by Jóse Serebrier.

Regarding the first four on this list, I have had the pleasure of giving brief descriptive and historical presentations and performances of each during Dr. William Schimmel’s excellent and excitingly diverse three-day online seminars for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The final one of these five pieces, Serebrier’s Danza Ritual, will be my contribution to the series during this summer’s production at, as always, the last weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) of July.

In addition I have composed two little suites, entitled Tidbits 1 and Tidbits 2, for the intermediate level student and performed them for the Seminars as a supplement to my presentations. I will be happy to send free copies of these scores to anyone who might be interested in playing them.

See Dr. Schimmel’s announcement and description of this year’s wonderful and, as always, multi-varied Seminar program: https://www.accordionusa.com/#art5592