Beyond The Polka: Writing for Accordion

April 26, 2017 –

The Accordion has long been known in the US as the butt of jokes, a black sheep of the instrument family, and very simply a much maligned instrument since its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s. But in this seminar, you will learn just how complex, intricate, and highly versatile this instrument is. Multi-World champion accordionist Cory Pesaturo will discuss the various capabilities of the instrument while providing information on how to write for it. He will be assisted by long time LA copyist and arranger Liz Finch, who’s been playing accordion her whole life and currently serves as 1st Vice President of the ATG (Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International).

Cory Pesaturo is one of only four accordionists to win world championships on both the acoustic and digital accordion and is the only person to also win a world championship in jazz. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was the first musician ever to major and graduate in the accordion.

Cory’s primary contribution to the instrument is his visionary thinking of how the accordion should be used, played, and presented in modern music. Cory currently gives masterclasses on music theory and the accordion throughout the US and Europe. He is developing his own electric accordion, and has created the first ever skinned accordion that includes a symmetric midi lighting system attached to the keys.