Bryant Park Presents Hosts ACCORDIONS AROUND THE WORLD, Starting Today

Bryant Park Presents, an outdoor performing arts series with over 50 free events, announces the lineup of Accordions Around the World, a weekly series that regularly features over 75 accordionists - as well as bandoneon, bayan, concertina and harmonium-players of different musical genres - performing in various locations around Bryant Park.

The series, which highlights six musicians each Wednesday, represents many cultures and genres, offering audiences the chance to experience the often underappreciated instrument. The series, produced with Ariana's List, has garnered acclaim fromThe New York Times, Wall Street Journal, ABC News and NY1.

The series begins this year with the first ever Accordion Picnic (June 29), featuring 24 accordionists, and culminates with the second annual Accordion Band Festival (August 31), featuring Fidelina Pascual performing Dominican merengue tipico, as well as local favorites Pistolera, Golem and more.

Ariana Hellerman, founder of Ariana's List, says, "We Americans can think of the accordion as a symbol of the yesteryear kitsch of polka, when in actuality it is one of the most important instruments in many cultures around the world. With this series, audiences and passers-by are invited each week to roam the park to get a taste of these different musical traditions and share in something that they may never have experienced before, all in an accessible and intimate manner."

"Bryant Park has become THE place throughout the United States to see an extremely diverse representation of accordion music by very talented accordionists," says Ethan Lercher, Executive Producer of Bryant Park Presents. "This summer, Ariana Hellerman has brought together many favorite players from the last three years and several new performers to highlight, plus an amazing schedule for Accordion Band Festival, which was attended by over 3,500 people last August."

Bryant Park Presents is a singular contribution to a city already rich with summer festivals. The venue is extraordinarily convenient, within a few blocks of major transportation hubs including Penn Station, Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, and virtually all subway lines. There's never a need to wait in line since the park can easily accommodate several thousand attendees on chairs or blankets. Amenities abound, including free board games, ping-pong, kubb, Petanque, and Wi-Fi, plus food and beverages available for purchase from a variety of in-park and nearby restaurants.

More information available at BryantPark.org/BryantParkPresents.

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Bryant Park Presents Accordions Around the World

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 6-8PM
ACCORDION PICNIC
FREE

The kick-off event features tasty food and picnic blankets on the lawn with 24 accordionists playing music from all corners of the globe, including Argentina, France, Italy, South Asia, Louisiana, Ireland, Japan, Eastern Europe, The Balkans, Brazil, Colombia, Russia and more. Performances take place at six stations around the lawn, each with a roster of eight accordionists playing 15-minute sets.

Performers include Maestro Tito Castro (bandoneon: Argentine tango), Brooke Watkins (French musette & American standards), Papa Joe De Clemente (Italian & American standards), Akbar Chaudhary (harmonium: South Asian), Matt Dallow (rock & blues), Phil Passatino (Cajun, zydeco & Colombian vallenato), Erica Mancini (jazz, blues & country), Christy McNamara (concertina: Irish traditional), Kenny Margolis (zydeco & blues), Mark Hamza (American and European standards), Dmitry Sokolovsky (retro, samba, musette & jazz), Sam Reider (American roots), Shoko Nagai (Japanese & Jewish), Michael Spudic (French musette, klezmer & tango), Eva Salina (Balkan), Felipe Hostins (northeast Brazilian), Amy Kohn (experimental pop), Earl Accordionist (polka, pop & tango), Vitor Gonçalves (Brazilian choro & forró), Alma Mia Music (Colombian vallenato), Alan Morrow (waltzes, tango & blues), Melissa Elledge (pop & rock), Mikhail Smirnov (garmoshka: Russian folk) and Mary Spencer Knapp (cabaret, soul & pop).

WEDNESDAYS, JULY 6- AUGUST 24, 6-8PM*
ACCORDIONS AROUND THE WORLD
FREE

These weekly performances will feature six accordion acts working in a wide range of genres, including:

• July 6: Eva Salina (the Balkans), Laren Droll (Cajun & zydeco), Papa Bavarian (German oktoberfest), Peter Flint (ragtime & classical), Foncho Castellar (Colombian cumbia & vallenato) and Madeline Solomon (children's songs)
• July 13: David Hodges (bandoneon: Argentine tango), Mindra Sahadeo (harmonium: South Asian), John Sherman (Cajun, Appalachian & blues), Ismail Butera (Middle Eastern, Balkan & African), John Redmond (Irish traditional) and Bachtopus (contemporary classical quartet)
• Tuesday, July 19 at 4-6pm* (note special day and time): Jody Kruskal (concertina: old Americana), Rob the AccordionMan (doo wop & classic rock), The Dolomites (avant garde Japanese & Romanian), Uri Sharlin (Brazilian and Balkan), Nathan Rivera & Jessie Andra (Gypsy blues) and Jet Black Pearl (French waltzes, Dutch pap & English pop)
• July 27: Barry Adler (German & Austrian), Gregorio Uribe (Colombian cumbia & vallenato), Dan Gurney (Irish traditional), Melinda Fields (Balkan), Ivan Filipchyk (bayan: 17th century baroque & original compositions) and Julie Winterbottom (Cajun)
• August 3: Albert Behar (Gypsy jazz & waltz musette), Ariel Lud (bandoneon: Argentine tango), Rob Curto (Brazilian bluegrass), Lacey Anderson (indie), Phil Racz (classical & Brazilian) and Lauren Brody's Accordion Bytes (Balkan)
• August 10: Maestro Tito Castro (bandoneon: Argentine tango), Melissa Elledge (pop & rock), Jenny Luna (Balkan & Turkish), Jay Palylyk & Walt Syzonenko (Ukrainian folk), Vitor Gonçalves (Brazilian choro & forró) and Sadys Rodrigo Espitia (Colombian cumbia & vallenato)
• August 17: Yumbell Donato (Colombian cumbia & vallenato), Suzanne Davenport (French musette), Tony Kovatch (French musette & Gypsy jazz), Mary Spencer Knapp (cabaret, soul & pop), Jody Kruskal (concertina: old Americana) and Niall O'Leary (Irish traditional)
• August 24: Christina Crowder (klezmer), Gregory Grene (Irish rock), Alma Mia (Colombian vallenato), Mario Tacca (French musette & waltz),Yuri Lemeshev (world, classical & jazz) and Brooke Watkins (French musette & standards)

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 5-10PM
ACCORDION BAND FESTIVAL
FREE

In this second annual festival, six exemplary New York-based bands play music from across the globe, each featuring an accordion, performing to an audience of thousands on the lawn. The lineup includes Silver City Bound (American roots), Barynya Balalaika Trio (Russian), Pistolera (Latin alt party),Golem (klezmer punk), Fidelina Pascual (Dominican perico ripiao) and Brooklyn Qawwali Party (Pakistani-inspired party funk).

Soloists perform in between each band, including Ismail Butera with Natalia Perlaza (epyllion music from the Mediterranean), Gregory Grene (Celtic roots-rock), Albert Behar (Gypsy jazz & waltz musette), Eva Salina & Peter Stan (Balkans), and Gregorio Uribe (Colombian cumbia & vallenato).

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Part guide, part cultural diary, Ariana's List is a listing of free cultural events that take place in New York City, written and curated by Ariana Hellerman. The List is a leading source for local cultural recommendations, so that anyone, regardless of financial standing, can participate in arts and culture. The consulting arm of Ariana's List produces events in public spaces around the world, taking into consideration local contexts of culture in order to bring relevant art to each community. The goal of all Ariana's List projects is to make arts more accessible to all people. www.arianaslist.com

Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a private not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance and operate Bryant Park in New York City. BPC is funded by income from concessions, corporate sponsors and events, as well as an assessment on neighboring properties, and does not accept government or philanthropic monies. In addition to providing security, sanitation, and horticultural services tending the park, notably the lush lawn and seasonal garden displays, BPC provides public amenities, programming and activities, including Bryant Park Presents, plus movable chairs and tables, cafe umbrellas, restaurants, food kiosks, world-class restrooms, and a wide range of other free events throughout the year. The Midtown Manhattan park is visited by more than six million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. Visit BPC's website, www.bryantpark.org, for more information and a schedule of upcoming events.