Lisle accordion fest focuses on jazz, classical music
This is not your father's polka band.
Well, some of it is. But most of the music on the roster at the Accordion and Teachers Guild International Accordion Festival this week in Lisle falls into the "classical" or "jazz" categories.
The festival, underway at the Lisle Hyatt Regency since Wednesday, will continue to feature performances, workshops and competitions through Sunday, July 23.
"People don't realize all that the accordion can do," said Amy Jo Sawyer, guild president and herself an accomplished accordionist.
Sawyer has performed with the St. Louis Symphony for years, she said.
At age 19, she was in a worldwide accordion competition in Switzerland that was exclusively classical music.
"We have sets of reeds that duplicate the sounds of violins or oboes or bassoons," she said.
Sawyer will perform with her group, the President's Quartet, at a gala concert that begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday's headliner will be Paul Betken, a jazz accordionist who will be accompanied by a bass and drums.
Headlining the Friday night bill is a world-renowned Canadian classical crossover quartet, Quartetto Gelato, featuring Russian-born accordionist Alexander Sevastian.
Sevastian will present a workshop titled "How to Practice and Learn New Material for a Performance" at 2 p.m. Friday. At 11 a.m. Saturday, Betken will present a workshop titled "Let's Talk Jazz."
New this year, said Sawyer, is a workshop explaining how to use an app that allows musicians to read sheet music from a tablet while operating a foot control to turn pages.
Other festival highlights include workshops about accordion repairs, how to perform as part of an ensemble, and how to properly operate accordion bellows.
The guild is a nonprofit association of accordionists and accordion teachers.
"We have a festival every year in summer. This will be our third year in Lisle," Sawyer said.
Last year's festival featured several musicians from China, where Sawyer said accordion music enjoys great popularity.
"We bring in the best artists in the world," she said. "We're trying to get people interested. We're trying hard to get it back as a wonderful, legitimate instrument that can play many styles of music."
If you go
What: Accordionists and Teachers Guild International Accordion Festival
When: Runs through Sunday, July 23
Where: Hyatt Regency Lisle, 1400 Corporetum Drive, Lisle
Tickets: $20 for single day pass, $25 for a daily buffet lunch with entertainment, $15 for an evening concert
Info: accordions.com/atg/