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Charles Lesaffre

Charles Lesaffre was born in 1949 in Loos (a suburb of Lille) in French Flanders.

He studied trumpet, harmony, counterpoint and organ at the Conservatory of Lille. Afterwards he continued his studies at the prestigious National Music Conservatory of Paris, where he obtained various diplomas (trumpet, solfège, harmony). He also studied musicology at the University of the Sorbonne.

His compositions have great pedagogical and didactic value. Witness to this are the many imposed works selected by the Confédération Musicale de France (CMF). His works are played all over the world.

Arie Vonk

Arie Vonk was born in Amersfoort, the Netherlands on March 8, 1953. He studied at the Conservatory of Utrecht with Herm van der Heijden for music pedagogy and with Kees van Houten for organ. After the organ improvisation course with Bert Matter at the Conservatory of Arnhem he obtained his diploma for chamber music. He also studied electronic organ with Guus Jansen and keyboard with Ton Langhorst and Rob van der Sande. He started his career in the seventies as a music teacher at the Guido de Bres school in Amersfoort, where he was already active as an organist since 1969. Since 1982 he is teacher organ and keyboard at "Het Musiater" in Zevenaar. He is also one of the regular players of the "Naber organ" in the Koepelkerk in Arnhem.

Mario Balestra

Mario Balestra was born in Castelfidardo, Italy. As a young boy he worked with his father Claudio and his uncle Goffredo in their accordion factory. After completing harmony and counterpoint with Adamo Volpi, Mr. Balestra received a virtuoso degree in accordion from the Lanaro Music Academy in Rome. At the age of 20 he soloed with the Barzizza Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Piero Rizzi.

In 1964, Mr. Balestra moved to the US where he began working as a technician in New Jersey for the Guild Guitar Marker, an importer of accordions. He continued his modal harmony studies applied to jazz with Tony Zano of the Boston Conservatory and accomplished additional harmony studies with Lee Evans of the Columbia University School of Music and jazz accordion with Al Astone.

Mario Balestra has been a teacher and noteworthy accordion freelancer in the US for over thirty years, backing a great variety of artists like Maurice Chevalier, Joan Crawford, Carlo Bergonzi, Frank Sinatra Jr., Julius La Rosa, Vic Damone, Nino Rossano, The Scintilles, Tony and Geney Stevens, Stanley Broad, Bobby Vinton, Pat Jovine and Sy Wayne. Additionally he has performed with musicians like Al Di Miola, Tony Zano, Sally Man, Lou Shuster, Jerry Cat, Mike Panebianco, Steve White, Bobby Wina, Phil Garr, Carl Moscowitz, Jack Began, Eddie Monteiro, Charles Nunzio, Al Haughen and many others.

As a member of many noteworthy ensembles, Marion Balestra has worked with the Al Altiere Quintet, Tony Stevens Trio, Steve Della Quartet, Al Silver Orchestra, The Duke Quintet, The Nobleman, Hal Darnell Quintet, John Koening Big Band, Romeo Olilvieri Orchestra Italiana, Angelo Muto Quartet, Tony Oriolo Duo, Harty and Eddie Flatté Trio, Marty Sloane Orchestra, Joe Petrone Sestett, Peter August Quintet, Big Band at Concorde Resort and Hotel, and several high fashion shows at the Plaza, Saint Regis and Waldorf Astoria Hotels in New York.

In 1991 Mario Balestra returned to Italy, where he continued to teach privately and to serve as an examination jury member in various competitions and jazz workshops. He continued to perform concerts in Italy and abroad, and for six years Balestra hosted an annual accordion festival at Recoardo Terme. From 2005 to 2010 Mario Balestra played exclusively Polverini accordion, representing them at Frankfurt Fair Germany and Shanghai Fair China. he returned to the U.S. in 2012 and he is still enjoying his accordion “Grand Concerto Balestra” made by his father Claudio and continually writes new books and new songs.

Iwan Michailov

Iwan Michailov  was born in Lovech, Bulgaria. He's living in The Netherlands since 1979. He followed the Music Gymnasium in Bulgaria for french horn and accordion. Afterwards he studied at the Conservatory of Sofia majoring in French Horn and he graduated with honours. After that he played for 7 years in a Symphony Orchestra as a french horn player and was conductor of 2 wind orchestras and sang in an opera choir. In the Netherlands he studied at 2 conservatories: in Enschede for electronic organ and in Tilburg for keyboard. His heart lies in composing light music for record companies and for Dutch and Bulgarian artists. In 2000 he won the National Song Festival in Bulgaria which resulted in a CD. He has taught at 2 music schools in the subjects keyboard, electronic organ and French Horn. He writes many music books for a.o. accordion, keyboard, violin, trumpet, flute and clarinet.

Hans Aerts

Hans Aerts studied at the Music Academy of Mol clarinet and piano. After obtaining government medals for these two instruments, he studied at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp. There he was taught by Walter Boeykens (clarinet), Marc Verhaegen (harmony) and August Verbesselt (analysis). Afterwards he continued his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he followed counterpoint and fugue with Rafaël D'Haene. Finally, at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, he studied composition with Piet Swerts.

Several of his works were awarded. He received in 1984 an honorable mention in the Clarinet Choir Composition Contest of the University of Maryland. In 1993, 1995 and 2005 he won the Cantabile Composition with successively the piano works Berceuse triste - Canzonetta (1993), Rondino (1995) and Promenade (2005). In 1999, his song 'Tranen' on a text by Guido Gezelle, for soprano, clarinet in Bb and piano (1998) was selected by the composition contest of the city of Roeselare.


In both 1996 and 1997 Hans Aerts wrote the obligatory works respectively for harp and violin for the National Competition Axion Classics of Dexia Bank. These were the works At the lake or Connemara for harp (1995) and Contemplazione for violin and piano (1996). In 2004 he wrote for the same match Concertino da camera for woodwinds combined with piano: flute, clarinet, oboe, alto saxophone and bassoon. The piano work Sentimental Waltz was nominated in 2003 in the ISME-composition and released on CD.

Currently Hans Aerts active as a composer and as professor of clarinet and chamber music at the Academy of Music, Drama and Dance in Turnhout.

 

List of available scores

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