The 2008 Pedone - Ballarini Accordion
Cruise Report
Dear friend,
We just returned from an accordion cruise seminar aboard Carnival Cruiselines'
Ecstacy. The cruise was arranged by instructors Nick Ballarini, Mario
Pedone, and Shelia Lee. On board were several members of our Houston
Bay Area Accordion Club and their spouses as well as other participants
from Sugarland, Dallas, Austin, and Victoria, B.C.
The cruise was a great success as everybody had a good time. Not surprising
when you have three of the best accordion instructors on board (including
our own Shelia Lee!).
The highlight of the trip was when (thanks to the initiative of Shelia
and Mark Ropel) we played as a group during "Talent Hour"
for over 1,000 spectators aboard the ship. We played two songs: "That's
Amore", which was a big hit, but "Beer Barrel Polka"
brought the house down! Nothing like being accompanied by a thousand
singing and cheering spectators in the audience!
Mark also had a good time jamming with a group of pro guitar players
in one of the lounges one evening. Talk about being at the right place
at the right time!
Several videos of the event were recorded, including one by the ship's
staff. Gaylynn's recording seems to have the best sound quality so I
plan to post it on You Tube as soon as it is edited and I'll send you
a link so you can watch it.
See you at our next meeting on Feb. 13, which will be a "Valentine
Day" meeting with love songs and audience vocal participation.
"That's Amore" will be our featured jam song - plus others.
See you then.
Sincerely
Joe Brikha
President
www.bayareaaccordionclub.com
Check this out http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=WGj4WspJQiA
Hi Nick,
Enclosed please find a few souvenir pictures from the accordion cruise
on the Caribbean. It was a memorable vacation and a learning experience.
Thanks for teaching me the technics and the finer points of playing
the accordion. We all enjoyed to listen to your music. Also appreciate
the difficult work of organizing this complex cruise and still keeping
your humor. Well done! Hope to see you soon, perhaps on another cruise,
Bob
For more photos, click here !
