Latest news with #accordion
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Collecting accordions became my dad's obsession'
Known to many throughout Europe as "the accordion man" – Ken Hopkins from County Down dedicated decades of his life to collecting and restoring the the time of his death last year, he had amassed what is thought to be one of the largest private collections of accordions in the collection contains everything from early 19th century flutinas, up to the digital models of about 750 of them are going under the hammer at a Belfast auction house priced from £10 up to a potential £5, of the more unusual items in the collection include an accordion coffee table and television, and an instrument rumoured to have been used to smuggle cash out of Colombia. Family home was 'like an accordion museum' Ken Hopkins' daughter Lisa Allen said the instruments had become an "obsession" for her father."He was a musician himself, an incredible accordionist, and he was well renowned throughout the accordion world, playing in bands for decades," she said."He started purchasing accordions, going to shows and auctions and it just escalated."He absolutely loved accordions and it became an obsession." Mr Hopkins fell in love with the accordion at a young age, and met his first wife when her father gave him instrument shaped his life. Ms Allen said there were accordions lining every room of her father's Comber took five truck loads to move them from the property to Ross's Auction House in Belfast."The house was just absolutely packed with them, five bedrooms upstairs with no room for anything else other than accordions," she said."You would arrive and there would be a coachload of people parading up and down just looking at the collection so it was like an accordion museum." 'I can't play a note' Despite growing up around accordions, neither Lisa nor her siblings inherited her father's musical capabilities and after realising they did not have the space to house the collection, the decision was taken to sell it. "It's bittersweet to see it go but I haven't a note in my head," Ms Allen said."I've had all the piano lessons, singing lessons, guitar lessons and we've had some amazing musicians at the house, bands in the living room, but I can't play a note."Music has really been a part of our lives, every birthday, every Christmas, every celebration but they need to be played."They should be played and it'll be lovely to think they'll be at somebody else's birthday, playing Happy Birthday and bring more joy."As they say, the music will go on." Angus Clarke, managing director of Ross's Auctions, said sorting through the instruments had been a "mammoth task from start to finish"."It's very unusual to have a collection of this size," he said."We believe it to be the largest private collection of accordions in the world so it's not every day you get something through the door just like this."The sheer volume of accordions themselves – picking them up, the storage facilities for them has been a bit of a handling."Also we've had to educate ourselves a lot on accordions, it's been a great challenge."We've had people from all around the world getting in touch, it's amazing how many of them know about the auction. "In particular people in eastern Europe - they have a deep-rooted musical traditional with accordions."It's a bit of an unknown but early indications suggest the auction might realise upwards of £250,000." Ms Allen said her dad would have loved the attention his collection was getting."He would love all this. He was really a showman and he enjoyed entertaining people so he would love to see how people are reacting to the collection."We've had people from Italy, America, just all over the world getting in touch. "Everyone knows dad and the collection and there are a lot of people who just want one of his accordions – nothing in particular just a piece of the Ken Hopkins collection which is nice."They've been telling us stories about him, and about some of the accordions and it's been lovely to know he was so well thought of."The rarity of Mr Hopkins' collection saw him targeted by robberies at his home a decade apart he lost accordions worth several hundred thousands of 2012, 12 of the stolen rare instruments where recovered on wasteland in County Meath in the Republic of at the time, Mr Hopkins told the BBC the thefts were something "you got used to".The Ken Hopkins Accordion Collection auction ends on August 6
BBC News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Winner of BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year 2025 announced
Sofía Ros has been named the winner of the esteemed BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award. The accordionist triumphed in the grand final held at Glasgow's City Halls on 14 June 2025, performing alongside the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Andrew Gourlay. The event, hosted by broadcaster and musician Jamie MacDougall, featured three talented young finalists: violinist Emma Baird, alto saxophonist Ziheng Huang and accordionist Sofía Ros. Each delivered an exceptional live performance in front of a packed audience and panel of expert judges: Alice Farnham (head judge - Conductor, Founder and Director of Women Conductors, author), Nick Zekulin (Head of music programme, Edinburgh International Festival) and Jennifer Martin (Composer and Music Consultant). Sofía said: 'I moved to Scotland from Spain when I was 13 to study music, and the BBC has been a big source of inspiration for me ever since. Getting the chance to perform with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at City Halls is a dream come true, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity and especially grateful to have won.' Hayley Valentine, Director of BBC Scotland, said: 'Sofía is a worthy winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award, and we look forward to showcasing more of her performances in the future. The level of entrants was incredibly high, and of course the three finalists were outstanding. We could not be more delighted with the event and indeed this competition, through which we hope more young people in Scotland will engage with classical music.' Heather Kane-Darling, Commissioning Editor at BBC Radio Scotland, said: 'Sofía is a truly deserving recipient of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award. We're excited to share more of her exceptional performances with our audiences in the future. The overall standard of entries, particularly among the three finalists, was remarkable and we are thrilled to spotlight these talented musicians through the competition. Our hope is that it will inspire more young people across Scotland to connect with and explore the world of classical music.' Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: 'It's been inspiring throughout to have such terrific young musicians demonstrating their technical excellence as well as their passion and creativity. BBC Radio Scotland's Young Classical Musician of the Year is such a valuable showcase for them and also for classical music in Scotland. My warmest congratulations to all involved.' As well as the title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician 2025, the prize includes a further performance on BBC Radio Scotland later this year. The Young Classical Musician of the Year competition aims to encourage and highlight the wealth of talent in Scotland's vibrant classical scene. MG Follow for more
New York Times
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Guy Klucevsek, Multi-Genre Accordion Virtuoso, Is Dead at 78
Guy Klucevsek, a masterly accordion player who developed an eclectic body of work for his beloved, if sometimes mocked, instrument that expanded its repertoire well beyond polkas and other traditional fare, died on May 22 at his home on Staten Island. He was 78. His wife and only immediate survivor, Jan (Gibson) Klucevsek, said the cause was pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. Praise for Mr. Klucevsek (pronounced kloo-SEV-ek) typically noted that he had elevated the profile of the accordion beyond the realms of beer halls and 'The Lawrence Welk Show.' Writing in The Village Voice in 2015 about a series of performances by Mr. Klucevsek in the East Village, Richard Gehr noted that, 'having mastered the instrument in virtually all of its classical, modern, jazz and international manifestations,' Mr. Klucevsek 'has extended it into another dimension altogether.' He recorded more than 20 albums, composed dozens of pieces and commissioned others, in multiple genres. He accompanied the performance artist Laurie Anderson on her 1994 album, 'Bright Red,' and collaborated with the dancer Maureen Fleming on 'B. Madonna,' a 2013 multimedia piece based on the myth of Persephone. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
National accordion festival coming to Sharon this weekend
SHARON, Pa. (WKBN) — Sharon's 155-year-old Apollo Maennerchor Club will host the National Button Accordion Festival this weekend. The festival was held in California for 26 years, and for the past 17, it's been held in Sharon. Organizers expect 40 accordion players to attend, coming from Florida, Virginia, Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Greenville's Ron Pivovar was in the club's festhalle Friday afternoon, demonstrating the style of music that will be heard. 'We don't hire bands. We provide backup musicians, and so if you come in and you say you want to play on the mainstage, we put your name up on that sideboard there, and you can play any kind of music you want,' Pivovar. The festival runs from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. At 9 p.m. on Sunday, the festival will end with the Grand Jam, where players gather in a circle and play whatever song is called out. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
How an excise officer kept up their spirits
John Garforth's work as an excise officer (Letters, 8 May) reminds me of an ex-colleague's job as the same, visiting bonded warehouses to check the quality of the spirits kept in store. After testing, a form was presented to the officer to complete. In answer to the question: 'Was the remaining spirit disposed of in a common sewer?,' the answer always given was: 'Eventually.'Colin PhillipsLondon Congratulations to Matthew Butte (Letters, 7 May) for his perseverance and ultimate success. In a similar vein, I have been learning to play the accordion, practising every day for 10 years, and I'm still married. I'm not sure whose success is the more ForsterShipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire As the new pope is American (Robert Francis Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV as cardinals elect first US pontiff, 8 May), will Trump declare the Vatican to be the 51st state?David ProtheroHarlington, Bedfordshire I knew I was getting old when first the police, then the headteachers, and now even the new popes have started to look GoreEnfield, London Pea guacamole AKA mushy peas (Letters, 4 May) is also described on one menu as 'Yorkshire caviar'.Trish DurrantBristol Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
