Upcoming Events September 2019 to June 2020

• RIAM Exams - 23rd November

• Saturday 14th December performing in Super Value - Virginia @2-4

• Sunday 22th December - Christmas Concert in Mullagh Church

• Saturday 22nd February - Northern Ireland Accordion Championship - Carrickfergus 

• 4th & 5th April - All Ireland Accordion Festival-Carrickmacross  

We are delighted to welcome the ALJO to Ireland to participate in 3 concerts around Ireland. The first concert is on Monday 28th August in St. Anne's Church- Baileboro. The Concert will consist of Castletown Senior Accordion Orchestra will perform along with the Akkordeon Landesjugendorchester (Germany) Lambay Singers (Dublin) Castletown Accordion Orchestra (Mullagh) Guest Soloists from The Royal Meath Accordion Orchestra. 

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The Accordion State Youth Orchestra of Baden-Wurttemberg / Germany (ALJO) consists of the best accordion players from the German Federal State of Baden-Wurttemberg. Members of this Orchestra have won many national and international awards. Since its foundation in 1985, the orchestra has already performed on five continents, visited many European countries, the USA, Canada, Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, Namibia, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Fiji and India for example and gave concerts on the World Music Festival in Innsbruck / Austria and on the EXPO 2000 in Hannover / Germany.

The 30 orchestra players age in range from 15-25 years and are selected

anew each year. The conductors are also appointed annually and guarantee a constantly high level of musicality. The orchestra plays contemporary, original music for accordion as well as classical and folk music. Included in the year’s concerts are pieces by Dobler, Hippe, Schumann, Piazzolla, among others.

Fabian Dobler, conductor Conductor, composer, author, pianist. Fabian, studied in Hanover with Hans-Herbert Jöris and Lutz Köhler, and in Zurich with Nello Santi. He has conducted at the National Theatre of Buenos Aires, Philharmonie Konstanz, Theatre of Hof, Trossingen University of Music, Theatre Lucerne and Würzburg, among others. From 2009-2014, he was Musical Director of the Hamburg Chamber Opera. Since 2004 he has been Artistic Director of [OPERASSION]. This award-winning ensemble transports classical repertoire into the 21st century. In 2011/12, Dobler received the Pegasus (i.e. theater prize of the EXXON Foundation) with the Hamburg Chamber Opera. As a pianist, he has performed in the USA, Argentina, South Korea, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. This is the first time Fabian Dobler has conducted ALJO. Antje Steen, Accordionist, Bandoneonist Antje Steen studied accordion with Prof. Hugo Noth at the Trossingen University of Music. Her focus was on baroque music. She won numerous national and international competitions and graduated with distinction. On her quest to find her perfect sound, Antje discovered the Bandoneon. During a study stay in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Antje realised that the Bandoneon was the perfect instrument for her. When she returned to Germany, she continued her studies with Klaus Gutjahr in Berlin.

As a professional Bandoneonist, Antje Steen has been a member of the Ensemble [OPERASSION] since 2004. With accordion and bandoneon, she has been performing in various renowned chamber music formations, as a soloist with orchestras and in musical theatres.

Douglas Yates, Baritone The almost blind master baritone Douglas Yates is highly respected among experts and connoisseurs. His tremendous vocal talent, versatility and charisma captivate both audience and critics. Born in Texas/USA, he studied at the Rice University in Houston, the Baylor University in Wace and the University of Texas in Austin. He has studied voice with Dr. Joyce Parwell, Ena Thiessen, Gerard Souzay, and Jeanette Lombard. Douglas Yates collaborated with many famous conductors like Leonard Bernstein and Christoph Eschenbach. He has been proclaimed “Singer of the year“, three times in a row; Winner of the Metropolitan Opera; National Council Award; Winner of several other awards, e.g. the American Institute of Musical Studies Meistersinger Competition; He has been Guest lecturer at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen and at the International Opera Studio in Zurich. He is vocal manager at [OPERASSION] and is responsible for the selection and professional coaching of all vocalists. He established his own vocal academy in 2005/06 – “Vocal Arts“ in Fürth/Germany. Silke D’Inka, managing director From 1999 Silke studied at the Hohner-Academie of Music in Trossingen. Her main courses included classical accordion, conducting and elementary music education, and musicology and psychology at the University of Freiburg. In 2010 Silke D’Inka was founding member of the German Federal Accordion Orchestra and was introduced as managing director of the Federal Accordion Youth Orchestra of Baden-Wurttemberg. She conducted the ALJO/BW in 2013 (Costa Rica) and 2016 (India).