The Santa Maria Accordion Band, founded in 1992 and directed by Marthese Busuttil Cassar, recently organised the third Accordion Festival − Malta.

The visiting guest band was the 35-strong Swentibold Accordion Orchestra from Holland, directed by Henk Tiebosch. 

The festival was held at the Santa Maria Band Club, Mqabba, on October 17 and at The Imperial Hotel, Sliema, the following day. A highlight of the second performance was soprano Olga Agafonova’s rendition of Habanera. She also sang the popular Maltese hit Xemx to the delight of the audience, who clapped and sang along.

Other performance highlights included The Second Waltz by Shostakovich, William Tell by Giacomo Rossini, Yo so Maria by Astor Piazzolla and Abba Gold by Benny Andersson.  

Jean Carl Busuttil playing solo

The bands also performed together. They played Laurena by Johan Nijs and La Morenita by G.S. Mathis, under the baton of Tiebosch, and Danza Kuduro by Niels Tiebosch and España Cañi by Pasqual Narro, led by Busuttil Cassar.

Four performers from the Santa Maria Accordion Band also played solo. One of them in particular, eight-year-old Jean Carl Busuttil, stole the show as he played The Village Tavern polka by Svec and a waltz from the operetta The Poet and the Peasant by Suppé.

On October 19, the two bands performed at San Anton Palace, with proceeds going to the Community Chest Fund. Here they were honoured by the presence of Djoeke Adimi-Koekkoek, Ambassador for The Netherlands, who was instrumental in making these joint concerts possible.

The third Accordion Festival was sponsored by the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government and VisitMalta.

The band will next perform at Rabat Sacrum on Sunday at 4.30pm.  Among other activities, they are to hold a Christmas concert in Balzan on December 7. For more information about the band and its upcoming events, visit their Facebook page.