Dear Members of the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International,
I have been writing Thank You messages to members of all the different groups, including the members of the Festival Accordion Orchestra, the members of the Featured Choir and its director, in addition to the featured artists, various ensembles, and individuals who participated in any manner during this year-long preparation for the 2024 ATG Festival. Hopefully, this message of thanks will be read by all ATG members, whether present at the Festival or not.
A couple of weeks before the Festival began I was reading something in a newspaper which was reminding readers that “Success Is Not A Solo Venture.” I mentioned it to the members of the UMKC Community Accordion Ensemble; I didn’t have to explain it to them! It is a wonderful group of musicians who rehearse regularly and they all know how important each one of them is to the success of this group.
It is the same for any kind of group effort, regardless of the activity being pursued. Every member must know that it is the combined efforts of each and every member if real success is to be achieved.
While I may not know at this moment which one of you might have been in charge of some detail involved in planning the 2024 Festival, I do know that the 2024 Festival was a tremendous success. Just think of all the fantastic concerts we had with soloists, mixed groups of all ages and abilities, workshops, competitions including the ATG World Cup, food events, tables in the hotel hallways with things to buy, and the bus to take people to and from UMKC every day and every evening. We had members performing during the lunch and dinner, beautiful decorations on our banquet tables, people watching the doors into the competitions, people being sure we had mics when needed, 77 chairs and music stands to be placed on the White Hall stage where the chart indicated they should be, and someone to water those absolutely gorgeous flowers on both the small stage at the hotel and on the large stage in White Recital Hall. Just as important, someone was always ready to sell a ticket to a concert and to make all the concert attendees feel welcome and that the ATG was so happy they came to our concerts! The list goes on and on, and all of this began a great many weeks before the actual Festival began! This was a gigantic success made possible because of the equally gigantic efforts of each of you and many, many more people not listed above! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
It was not my idea that the 2024 Festival would be held in Kansas City, Missouri, but when the discussions began in earnest and I was told it would indeed be in Kansas City and, in addition, it would be a celebration of my 90th Birthday even if my birthday was really on February 6. I was assured it was going to be just fine and even much fun to have several birthday celebrations during the year. I can say it was indeed fun and really wonderful. The big surprise, of course, was the Special Presentation at 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon! I was told nothing about this except that I might want to make a few notes if I decided to say anything. When I arrived at the door, I was told to wait until the door was opened for me to enter the room and that I should walk slowly to the front …all of which I followed because others were seeing that I did so.
When the door opened, I immediately saw a bright red carpet leading up to the stage where members of the ATG Board were seated. I was handed a really beautiful bouquet of Red Roses and, again, told to walk slowly to the front. I do remember Kevin helping me walk up the steps to the stage and seeing to it that I sat down in a big comfortable chair to find out what was next in store for me.
Then, of course, the fun began. I found out that all ATG members were asked to write down a few words which they thought might describe me. Members of the Board on the stage each stood up and read many of these words after which I was handed the terrific framed art work by Joan Grauman Morse of an accordion with all these descriptive words drown in and around the instrument. I was also given an envelope with a sizable amount of money donated by the ATG Board of Directors… simply remarkable and so appreciated!
There were other gifts including a really lovely acrylic piece of art inscribed from the American Accordionists Association, of which I have been a member seemingly all my life, presented by Frank Busso, Sr., and Frank Busso, Jr., the President of the AAA.
At this point I found out why it was suggested I write down a few words. Well, I got carried away and I didn’t need my notes! I just wanted everyone to know how much I appreciated them and all their efforts to help the Accordionists and Teachers Guild International be the great organization it has become. It is so important that accordion players of every level support this organization; one does not need to be a professional performer or a teacher to be involved in the ATG. We know that it takes a lot of members willing to donate their time and energy. I related my going as a teenager to the ATG Workshops in Chicago during the period in which the huge NAMM organization always held its convention. The AAA ran the Competitions while the ATG ran the Workshops, both groups sponsored well-attended and very popular concerts. There were many attendees! Well, during one of the ATG Workshops, there was a rather famous conductor who spoke to us. He encouraged us to stand up and follow his demonstrations of what it felt like to be a conductor. I was hooked! From that day on, even as a teenager, I knew I wanted to be a teacher and a conductor. Luckily, all that has turned out to be possible.
After my talk, all of us watched a fantastic video with many of our mutual friends from throughout the world giving their birthday wishes to me. It was exciting and it is something which all of us can watch again and again in the future. Speaking of the future, my idol was Anthony Galla-Rini and he lived to be 102 plus 6 months. I have always said I would like to live just as long as he did. If I do, I can promise you I will do everything possible to have another big birthday party for all of us and we can watch this 2024 video together once again.
Thank you to each and every member of the ATG. Thank you especially if you attended the ATG 2024 Festival. 2025 will see our Festival back in the Chicago area. Plan right now to attend: Believe me, you will not regret it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a member of ATG and, especially, once again, many thanks to those who came to the ATG 2024 Festival this summer. It was a terrific celebration.
Love and sincere appreciation.
Joan Cochran Sommers
September 2, 2024
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