NZ Championships & Festival

History

2008 - Friday 30th May

The 2008 South Pacific International & New Zealand Accordion Championships & Festival was opened by the President of the New Zealand Accordion Association Inc. John Statham, on Friday evening, at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre in Auckland. John Statham welcomed accordion lovers from China, Australia and around New Zealand to the event.

The Welcome Concert began with a program by the North Shore Musicale Accordion Orchestra conducted by Linley Hawkes. Singing with the orchestra is well known entertainer Lionel Reekie.

Next was Grayson Masefield, who had just returned from his studies in France with Frederic Deschamps.  This evening,  he was playing the first section of his program for the Coupe Mondiale Virtuoso Entertainment category. 

Grayson will represent New Zealand at the Coupe Mondiale in Scotland this October, in that category and the Coupe Mondiale category. 

Then the draw for the top three top solo categories of the Festival took place.  Pictures of the contestants at the draw for playing order for each category will be added below.  South Pacific Piano Accordion Solo Championship Class SP252. Contestants Calum Anderson, Jessica Chen, Wang Jiaqui, Grayson Masefield, Christopher Thwaites, Yan Weizhuo.

South Pacific Button Accordion Solo Championship Class SP253. Contestants Chen Bingging, Wu Bolin, Wei Wei, Xuan Guan, Zhang Yelin.

South Pacific Open Piano Accordion Solo Championship Class SP256.  This class provides a stepping stone to the Class SP252. Contestants Martin Meyer (not pictured), Stephanie Panzic, Bor-Kuan Song, Campbell Thwaites, George Xu. 

After the draws for playing order, Super Soundz (musical director Lorraine Parnell) performed a variety program for the audience.

The concert ended with the President of the NZAA announcing the opening of the new rebranded website of the NZAA and telling the audience, that computers would be available over the weekend at the competition venue, for everyone to look at the new website. The Welcome Concert was then closed.

What's on this month

September 2010 M T W T F S S     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Did you know?

Many New Zealand Accordionists are Registered Music Teachers (IRMT). > more interesting facts

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