These are some of the musicians who have visited the Reykjavik Accordion Festival in recent years :

From the Netherlands:

Accordéon Mélancolique

©photo Monique Kortbeek

Duo "Accordéon Mélancolique" has given hundreds of concerts during the last few years, primarily in the Netherlands. They have appeared on television and radio on many occasions. In 1998 they were honoured to be able to play at the Marshall Aid Commemoration in Rotterdam, before an audience that included the President of the US, Bill Clinton, Prince Willem Alexander and Prime Minister Kok.Besides all these achievements they take great pleasure in their commitment to playing their music in old people’s homes throughout the Netherlands.

Their first CD "L'imparfait du Cœur", released in May of 1998 has received wide acclaim at home and abroad. (The Swedish Dragspels Nytt voted it best accordion CD of 1999.) Because of that, they were invited to play at the international Reykjavic accordion festival in Iceland and the Jyderup Accordion festival in Denmark. The CD is distributed in the Benelux and the USA and worldwide through the internet.

The second CD "Parade des Poules", was released in March of 2002

Songs:
Although there are no vocal tracks on their CDs so far, Accordion Melancolique do sing in French, Dutch and Indonisian during their song-concerts. French chansons were very popular in the Netherlands up to the end of the sixties. Some of the older members of the Dutch audience join in with numbers such as J'attendrai or Nathalie or Parlez-moi d'amour.

Cherie:
"It was as a girl of ten that I first heard the sound of an accordion, and
I was immediately sold. After a period of rather uninspiring lessons, the accordion disappeared under my bed. It made its next appearance fifteen years later for a performance with a friend in a band based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. By coincidence, the ensemble included Jean-Pierre. The first time I heard him playing the accordion I recognised my own approach to the music in his interpretation." It was apparently such a success that they have now been together for seventeen years, physically, spiritually and musically.

Jean-Pierre:
Jean-Pierre Guiran's French background is undoubtedly an advantage in performing the French repertoire. The character he radiates is authentic. "While I was a physics student I picked up an accordion for the first time. My life took an immediate U-turn. The feeling for music which manifested itself at that point, having lain dormant for so long, moved me to immerse myself completely in this music and instrument. I'm a natural accordionist. I squeeze for a living!" "It is Cherie's authenticity and the way she utilises dynamics in melodies that appeals to me."

Read more about Accordéon Mélancolique on:
www.acmel.nl

From Norway:

Killingberg's Orkester

Killingberg's Orkester is a lively family band from Leksvik in Nord Trøndelag, Norway. This orchestra has been continuously active since 1930, making it very likely Norway's oldest dance band. Members have, obviously, changed over the years, and the present bandleader, Arnstein Killingberg, is the son of the group's founder.

This orchestra plays a large array of functions in Central Norway, as well as annual trips to North America and the Canary Islands. This will be the group's first tour to Iceland. Since their first meeting in 1995, Edwin Erickson from Alberta, Canada has become an integral guest member of the group, and is one of two Canadians who will help complete Killingberg's Orkester for this tour.

The 2003 Iceland Tour was comprised of the following members:

Arnstein Killingberg: (Leksvik,Norway)
Chromatic Accordion & Bandleader
Arnstein was born with an accordion in his lap! He has played together with father Asbjørn and other family members for many years. Arnstein is leader of both Killingberg's Orkester and the Leksvik Accordion Club, and has won 10 District Championships, with either one or the other of these groups. Arnstein is a building design consultant and general contractor.

Grete Melhus Killingberg: (Leksvik, Norway)
2-row Diatonic Accordion, Piano Accordion & Vocals
Grete has been playing accordion since 1975, having started as a student of the group's founder. She has won three Norwegian Championships on diatonic accordion, together with her orchestra, Trekløver'n. Aside from being an accomplished accordionist, Grete also does much of the lead singing in the group. She is Arnstein's wife and is also a nurse.

Alexander Boye Killingberg: (Leksvik, Norway)
Guitar & Vocals
Alexander is 13 years old, and is a student, composer, comedian, author and artist. He has recently won the district Youth Culture Competition for his original song and comedy antics. Alex is the third generation of Killingberg's Orkester, and joined the group in 2002.

Svein Arild Bjerkan: (Røra, Norway)
Bass & Vocals
Svein Arild is a cousin to Arnstein, and joined the orchestra in 2001.
He received his first bass at 13 years of age, and played in eleven various groups before joining Killingberg's. Aside from being a top-notch bassist, he is also a fine singer, and enjoys old North American swing tunes. Svein Arild works in the plywood industry.

Edwin Erickson: (Buck Lake, Canada)
Chromatic Accordion & Vocals
Edwin was born and raised in rural Alberta, and started playing for dances at age 15. He has since toured in Canada, the USA, Norway and Sweden. He is also an avid composer, having created over 60 original pieces in various genres. Edwin is a forestry entrepeneur.

Connie Jensen: (Buck Lake, Canada)
Drums & Percussion
Drums are Connie's latest musical endeavor, as she is also an accomplished pianist and organist. She has been very active in choir
and theatrical performances for many years. Connie is a school teacher
and administrator, and this will be her first tour with Killingberg's Orkester.



From Ukraine :

Igor Zavadsky

Igor Zavadsky was born in Russia in 1966.He graduated from the Chaikovsky Kyiv State Conservatoire, Kiev, in 1991, where he was a student of Nikolay Davidov. Igor is well known and admired, not only in Ukraine, but also througout Europe. He has in recent years given many solo concerts in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and France.

Igor Zavadsky lives in Kiev and in year 2000 the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, awarded him the title "Honored artist of Ukraine".

Igor Zavadsky plays classical music, his own arrangements for button accordion, Ukrainian and Russian folk music. He has won many international contests; in 1993 he won the "World Cup" competition held in Portugal, in 1996 he was awarded the International Grand-prix, the Cup and the Laureate´s gold medal at the 16th accordionist competition "Grand Prix" in France. He is the sole owner of "Golden Lira" - the prize awarded to him in "Grand-prix Stefano Bizzarri" contest in Italy in 1995,for scoring 100 points out of 100 possible.

In 2001 the Cd "Minor. From Bach to Piazzolla" was released, followed by the Cd "Minor 2" in 2002. These Cd's continue an uniqe recording of Igor Zavadsky's button accordion solo, accompanied by a chamber orchestra in Antonio Vivaldi's concertoes, as well as a duet with harpsichord in musical compositions by Johannes Sebastian Bach and Giuseppe Tartini.
Igor Zavdasky's latest CD "Angel Trill" (2003) contains among other numbers, a sonata by Tartini, "Devil's trills" that has been transcribed by Igor.

From Iceland :

Karl Jónatansson

Karl Jónatansson was born in 1924 in Blikalon, a small farm in the Northeast part of Iceland. He learned to play the accordion on his own, when he was a young boy. He started his carrier playing on public dances and concerts in Akureyri, the biggest town in Northen Iceland.In 1943 Karl moved to Reykjavík, Iceland's capital. In the period from 1943-1966 he played with several bands and conducted his own.

He played other instruments along with the accordion, such as trumpet and tenor saxophone. During this period Karl took lessons in music theory and conducting. In the same period he started teaching.

In 1966 Karl and his family moved to Denmark, where Karl provided for
his family, by teaching and playing accordion for the next five years.
After returning to Iceland Karl established the General Music School (accordion school). He also established the first formal accordion club
in Reykjavík(The Accordion Lovers Club of Reykjavík) and later the Reykjavík Accordion Club, which today counts over 50 accordion players, most of whom have been his students. From the foundation of the club, Karl has made musical arrangements and conducted the R.A.C. orchestra, which is the largest orchestra of it's kind in Iceland.

Karl Jónatansson is well known in Iceland, not only as a teacher, but
also for his musical arrangements on records, films and on TV and as a composer and a conductor. The CD's Neistaflug (1996) and Lillý (1997) include some of Karl's most known songs and accordion arrangements.