2024 AAA 86th Anniversary Festival
Friday July 12, Daily Reports

Download print pdf 2024 schedule
2024 AAA Schedule
Download print pdf 2024 schedule


2024 AAA Journal Download Color 2024 AAA Journal 36 pages, 14MB download.

Video: Opening Speech by AAA President Frank Busso Jr.

Picture Gallery

Our grateful thanks to Rita Barnea, Heather and Amber Masefield for providing the video and pictures.
Click each picture to see full size
Only the professional accordionists are named.

Picture Information: 1. Festival registration; 2. Registration helpers; 3. Registration helpers; 4. AAA Festival Programs; 5. Posters advertising events; 6. Heather Masefield, New Zealand Accordion Assoc. Secretary and mother of multi world champion Grayson Masefield, Dr Robert Young McMahan, Chair of the AAA Composers Commissioning Committee, Carmela Busso, wife of Frank Busso Sr.; 6-7. lunch tables;

Kickoff Luncheon Concert

Picture Gallery

Picture Information: 11. Kickoff Luncheon Concert Poster; 12-14. Concert Program; 15-20. Nikolay Bine; 21-22 Concert compere Frank Busso Jr; 23-27 Dallas Vietty playing Machino free bass accordion; 28 AAA Festival booklet; 29. Exhibit Room poster; 30. Dallas Vietty; 31-33 Nikolay Bine; 34-36 Dallas Vietty; 37 Nikolay Bine, Robert Ford, Dallas Vietty.

Video: Nikolay Bine

Video: Dallas Vietty

Accordion Exhibit Room

Click each picture to see full size
Only the professional accordionists are named.

Picture Information: 43. Exhibit Room poster; 44-46 ABC TV News filming Frank Busso Sr and Jr.; 47. Nikolay Bine and Frank Busso Sr. 48. Alex Chudolij AAA member and Manager of Music Magic; 50. Joe Natoli JanPress Publications compositions and recordings; 49, 50a-50c. AAA Photo History by Joan Grauman.


ABC News interview as broadcast

Video above: Nikolay Bine and Frank Busso Sr. impromptu jam session

Workshops, Competitions, Massed Orchestra Rehearsal

Click each picture to see full size

Picture Information: 51. Workshops poster; 52-56. Dee Langley Workshop. Losing the Fear of Flats and Sharps, 57 Dallas Vietty by his poster; 58. Adults Orchestra rehearsal; 59-63. Nikolay Bine workshop;
64a-64i. Competition competitors;
65-68.Massed orchestra rehearsal.

Video: Interactive Workshop - Proper Fundamentals by Nikolay Bine

Video: Losing the Fear of Flats and Sharps: Playing in Any Key You Want by Dee Langley

Pasta Night

Picture Information: 70. Pasta Night poster; 71-75. Frank Busso Jr. and Sr. entertaining at Pasta Night; 75-78. Alex Chudolij entertaining; 79. Dee Langley; 80. Frank Busso Jr. and Sr.

Gala Concert

Video: Opening Gala Concert Speech by AAA President Frank Busso Jr.

Picture Information: 80. Gala Concert poster; 81a-18e. Gala Concert program and tickets; 81. Frank Busso Jr. compere; 82-101. Joe Natoli performing including Nine Children's Pieces which was a world premiere of these new works composed by Joe Natoli. You can see the projector for each work in the pictures. Thanks also to Don Gerundo, AAA Board member, who ran the projector.
102. Dr Robert Young McMahan anouncing the 2024 AAA Elsie M. Bennett Accordion Composition Competition; 103. The winner was Joe Natoli with an exciting composition titled "Frenetic Tango" with a video being played for the audience with the music on the screen, so they could read the notes. Joe Natoli seated with Don Gerundo at the computer running the pictures/video

Picture information: 110-117. Hanzhi Wang performing with picture 117 Hanzhi taking a bow with a standing ovation. 118 Nikolay Bine, Hanzhi Wang and Joe Natoli; 120 Christina nee Busso and Rita Barnea AccordionUSA.com Editor for many years; 121. Carmela Busso and Don Gerundo; 122. Don Gerundo and Rita Barnea; 123 and 124. AAA Massed Orchestra rehearsal conducted by Frank Busso Sr.; 128. Performers Nikolay Bine and Hanzhi Wang; 129. Don Gerundo, Nikolay Bine and Hanzhi Wang; 130. Don Gerundo and Joe Natoli; 131. Don Gerundo and Joe Natoli and Robert McMahan; 132. Amber Masefield and Nikolay Bine; 133. Hanzhi Wang, Frank Busso Sr.


Joe Natoli performing "It Never Entered My Mind" arranged by Joe Natoli.

Dr Robert Young McMahan announcing the winner of the AAA Elsie M. Bennett Composition Competition.


Winner of the AAA Elsie M. Bennett Composition Competition, "Tango Frenetico", composed and performed by Joe Natoli.

Hanzhi Wang performing the last piece of her program.