New Hampshire Accordion Association

Monthly meeting of the New Hampshire Accordion Association, held the third Sunday of each month at the Accordion Connection shop in Gilmanton, NH, from 1pm to 4pm.

New Hampshire Accordion Association [NHAA]’s monthly meeting will take on an international flavor with Scottish traditional music followed by an Oktoberfest celebration. This special event is open to the public without charge.

Accordionist Douglas Brunson was only 11 years old when the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts relaxed its age guidelines in order to award him a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant last year, making him the youngest recipient in the program’s history.

This grant, the first ever awarded to an accordionist, enabled Douglas to study traditional Scottish music with Sylvia Miskoe, founding member and former president of the Strathspey and Reel Society of New Hampshire, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and teaching of Scottish music.

The goal of the apprenticeships is to further traditional arts, e.g., music, woodworking, instrument making, and pass the skills on to other artists. One of the requirements is a public presentation of what the recipient has learned during the preceding year. Now age 12, Douglas will fulfill this requirement by performing a program at the NHAA meeting. Sylvia will also participate. Both are longstanding NHAA members.

An Oktoberfest celebration will follow [with no beer, alas!]. Everyone is encouraged to prepare appropriate music for the open mike session, and to bring suitable refreshments. Lederhosen, dirndls, and pretzels are welcome, but no sauerkraut, please, unless it is baked into a delicious German chocolate cake.

Attention accordionists, from beginner to professional level: bring your accordion to play or just come to listen and enjoy the music! Accordion fans of all ages are welcome to attend free of charge.