Coupe Mondiale

The 60th annual Coupe Mondiale is an international competition for accordionists, sponsored by the Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) founded in Paris in 1935. This year, the competition comes to the United States, hosted by the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG) and the American Accordionists' Association (AAA).

The competition is open to solo accordionists in the following categories:

* Coupe Mondiale
* Junior Coupe Mondiale
* International Competition for Piano Accordion
* International Competition for Virtuoso Entertainment Music
* Junior International Competition for Virtuoso Entertainment Music
* International Competition for Ensemble Music

Each first-place winner will be featured in a concert performance at Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in Washington on Saturday, August 18. In addition, the Kennedy Center will feature accordionists and accordion groups at its nightly concerts on the Millennium Stage during the whole week of the Coupe Mondiale activities. There will also be accordion performances in outdoor venues and concert locations in Alexandria.

Highlights of the Coupe Mondiale are nightly concerts, the premiere performance of the World Accordion Orchestra under the direction of Joan Cochran Sommers, a massed band of accordionists conducted by an accordion-playing army colonel will perform in front of the US Capitol, a sightseeing tour of beautiful Washington, DC, the 60th Anniversary Coupe Mondiale Banquet Gala will take place Friday night, the US Army and the US Air Force Bands -- each featuring an accordionist -- will perform in concerts, a series of social receptions with entertainment, and late-evening performances in a lounge setting with open mic for participating accordionists.