Alena Budziňáková comes from Slovakia. She is one of the leaders of the accordion domain in her home country. Since 2009 she has permanently lived and worked in Poland, boldly breaking the stereotypes related to the origins of the accordion music and the instrument’s performance potential. She is equally successful as a solo and chamber musician, she also performs to the orchestral accompaniment. Alena did her studies at the Conservatory of Kosice (Slovakia), Academy of Music in Kraków, Wien Privatuniversitat Conservatory (Austria), and Hochschule für Musik Detmold (Germany), from where she graduated with honours from the class of Prof. Grzegorz Stopa and was awarded the Konzertexamen diploma. In 2023 she obtained a doctoral degree of Musical Arts at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk.

She lives an active international concert life, giving performances both in Poland and Slovakia, and in many other countries, such as Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Czech Republic, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, and Luxembourg. In her renditions she combines emotional charm and sensitivity with temperamental and vigorous energy. Owing to her broad horizons of artistic classical music performance, Alena’s repertoire is cross-cut and includes pieces ranging from the Baroque and up to contemporary times. Alena was a laureate at many international music competitions. She won e.g. the first prize in Pula (Croatia, 2012), Poprad (Slovakia, 2010) and Dunajska Streda (Slovakia, 2010).

In 2019, together with Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie and playing the solo part she gave the first performance of the concerto dedicated to her, written by Peter Machajdik, one of the most outstanding Slovakian composers. She also gave concerts with the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, Przemyśl Chamber Orchestra, Polish Art Philharmonic, Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria, and the ‘PANtonale PhilHARMONIKA’ Festival Orchestra at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, and played at the Odessa Philharmonic Theatre, Philharmonic Hall in Kosice, Konzerthaus Detmold, Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, in Tonhalle Düsseldorf, European Parliament in Brussels, Jesus and Mary Church in Rome, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

As a member of the critically acclaimed chamber project „Feminine forms” she performed twice at the International Festival of Contemporary Music ‘Warsaw Autumn’ (2020, 2021) and at the Sacrum Profanum Festival in Krakow (2020). Alena is invited to perform at international accordion festivals in e.g. Kiev (Ukraine), Poprad (Slovakia), Przemyśl (Poland), Ugljevik (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Vilnius (Lithuania), and to sit on juries at accordion competitions.

She regularly participates in world premieres of contemporary accordion compositions written by e.g. Miłosz Bembinow, Bartosz Kowalski, Sven Ingo Koch, Peter Machajdík, Volodymyr Runchak, Kira Maidenberg-Todorova, Renāte Stivriņa, Anna Sowa, Grzegorz Majka, Maciej Zimka, Wojciech Ziemowit Zych, Żaneta Rydzewska, Marta Śniady, Paweł Sotomski, Teoniki Rożynek, Martyna Kosecka, Nina Fukuoka, Katarzyna Krzewińska, Paweł Malinowski, Paweł Sotomski, Monika Szpyrka, Miłosz Bembinow, David John Roche and Tyler Versluis. Her output also includes numerous CD albums published by Chopin University Press, DUX, Sarton Records and radio recordings for the Slovak Radio and Television, Polish Radio Rzeszów, Slovakian Radio Devin, and German radio WDR 3.

Grzegorz Palus is one of the most outstanding Polish accordionists. His artistic activity focuses on performing classical music in a broad stylistic spectrum and teaching: he is also a lecturer in the accordion class at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. His distinct artistic style has been shaped by his international education and extensive experience performing both solo and in chamber music ensembles. He graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen (Master of Music under Geir Draugsvoll), the Hochschule für Musik Detmold (Konzertexamen under Grzegorz Stopa) and the Academy of Music in Kraków (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees under Janusz Pater). In 2016 he obtained a doctoral degree, and in 2023 he earned his habilitated doctor degree at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.

He regularly performs in Poland and abroad (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia, Ukraine, USA). He has played on renowned stages such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, WDR3 Radio in Cologne, the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, Konzerthaus Detmold, Wiener Konzerthaus, the General Consulate of the Republic of Poland in New York, Jesuit Millennium Center in Chicago, St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin, the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic Hall in Kraków, the Philharmonic Hall in Zielona Góra, the Oskar Kolberg Philharmonic in Kielce and the Odessa Philharmonic.

Grzegorz has given many concerts with orchestras, performing with such ensembles as the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic Orchestra in Kraków, the Oskar Kolberg Philharmonic in Kielce, the Gorzów Philharmonic, the Przemyśl Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Art Philharmonic, the Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria and the orchestra of the PANtonale PhilHARMONIKA Festival in Berlin. He has also performed as a member of the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic Orchestra in Kraków, the Orchestra of the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków, the Modern Symphony Orchestra, and Die Reihe Orchestra (Austria).

Since 2011, together with Slovak accordionist Alena Budziňáková, he has co-founded the duoAccosphere, currently one of the leading accordion chamber ensembles in the world. In addition, Grzegorz Palus is a member of the Chopin University Accordion Trio and collaborates with other musicians in various chamber music projects. He regularly participates in world premieres of contemporary solo and chamber music compositions for accordion written by composers such as Miłosz Bembinow, Bartosz Kowalski, Wojciech Widłak, Jan Sanejko, Mikołaj Majkusiak, Wojciech Kostrzewa, Sven Ingo Koch, Peter Machajdík, Volodymyr Runchak, Anna Sowa, Tyler Versluis, Ignacy Zalewski, and Wojciech Ziemowit Zych.

Grzegorz has been honoured with numerous scholarships awarded by the Ministry of Culture — “Młoda Polska” and “Sapere Auso” — as well as by the Mayor of the City of Kraków. He has won many awards and distinctions at national and international music competitions. His major achievements include the Grand Prix at the competition in Poprad (Slovakia, 2007), 1st prize in Pula (Croatia, 2012), and a Special Prize in Arrasate (Spain, 2010). He is also a laureate of major Polish accordion competitions in the professional category (Czechowice-Dziedzice, Gorlice, Gdańsk, Mława, Przemyśl, Sanok and Szczecin). He is invited to give masterclasses and workshops in Poland and abroad (Denmark, Czechia, Lithuania) and frequently serves as a jury member at national and international accordion competitions. Grzegorz Palus has released many solo and chamber music recordings for Chopin University Press, DUX, Sarton Records, and SPMK Records, as well as radio recordings for Germany’s WDR3 and Polish Radio.

Mirco Patarini was born in Spoleto (Italy) on 05/26/1966.
In 1978 he began studying music at the CDMI (Centro Didattico Musicale Italiano) in Spoleto.
In the same year he began to participate in various national competitions, ranking in the first places.
In 1981 he ranked first in the Italian Pre-Championship of Castelfidardo, obtaining the right to access the 31st CMA Accordion World Trophy, where he was the youngest participant. Between 1983 and 1985 he won the Italian Pre-Chamionship three times, so that he could participate to the World Trophy in Caracas (Venezuela), Caldas de Rahina (Portugal), and La Chauxde-Fonds (Switzerland), where he obtained the 1st prize. Winner of the World Accordion Trophy in 1984.
His concert activity ranges from classical repertoire to modern music; from acoustic to electronic and MIDI accordion; from solo performance to concerts for accordion and orchestra, reaching today 69 countries around the world. His career boasts many important collaborations with famous artists such as Luciano Pavarotti and Nicola Piovani in the most prestigious theaters in the world.
He was the General Music Manager in the Bontempi-Farfisa Group for many years, actively participating in the design, marketing and distribution of Bontempi Musical toys, Farfisa amateur, professional keyboards and synthesizers; and Furnstein, Furstenberg, Hermann and Anelli acoustic pianos. He is the President of “Scandalli Accordions” company, one of the historical and most prestigious accordion factories in the world.
In January 2006 he founded, together with Gianluca Bibiani, the publishing company “Ars Spoletium”, of which he is President. In September 2007 they aquired the historical music magazine
“Strumenti e Musica” (founded in 1948 by Bio Boccosi) restarting its publication and transforming in an international bilingual edition.
Since 2007 he has been the Artistic Director of the IAC (Italian Accordion Culture) association, Italian Premier Voting Member of the CIA.
For years he has been the Italian juror for the CIA Accordion Coupe Mondiale.
Since 2008 he has been the founder and Artistic Director of the Instruments & Music Festival of Spoleto.
In 2011 he was the Artistic Director and organizer of the CIA Coupe Mondiale in Spoleto.
On 2014 he has been elected President of the Music Committee of the CIA (Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes) IMC-UNESCO.
In 2017 he was the Artistic Director and organizer of the CIA Coupe Mondiale in Osimo (Italy);
Since 2017 he is President of the CIA (Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes), IMC-UNESCO;
Since 2018 he is Guest Professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Since 2018 he has been the Artistic Director of the Master Classes of High Musical Refinement in Osimo.

Marcela Kysová is a Czech accordionist, music manager, and organizer of the Hudební současnost Festival, which has for many years connected Czech and international composers, performers, and audiences.
As a performer, she is devoted to a wide-ranging repertoire, spanning from classical works and contemporary music to Argentine tango. Thanks to her extensive concert experience and expertise in artistic programming, she views music not only from the perspective of a performer but also as a creator of artistic concepts, seeing it as a dialogue between artists and audiences.
She teaches accordion performance at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ostrava and at the Leoš Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava.
Marcela Kysová is also the organizer of the International Accordion Competition Ostrava, the Musicollage Composition and Improvisation Courses, and the Summer Accordion School in Hradec nad Moravicí.
She is a frequent jury member at international music competitions and regularly leads masterclasses for young musicians and accordionists.

Marie-Andrée Joerger is considered as one of the most brilliant artists of her generation (Classicnews). She has performed at prestigious festivals such as Freiburg’s Zelt-Musik-Festival, and collaborated with renowned orchestras, including the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia.

Her performances have reached distinguished venues like the Wiener Konzerthaus, while her debut solo album, Bach en Miroir (Klarthe, 2021), garnered unanimous international acclaim. As the founder and artistic director of the ensemble Les musiciens de Strasbourg, she also maintains a global touring schedule alongside Vincent Dubois, titular organist of Notre-Dame de Paris.

She has commissioned numerous works, including Thierry Escaich’s first solo piece for accordion premiered at the Berlin Philharmonie. She leads masterclasses at Europe’s leading conservatories and at the Agora International Summer Academy, which she co-founded. She is a professor at the Haute École des Arts and the Strasbourg Conservatory, where she established the accordion department in 2014.

Momir Novakovic is classical accordionist of Serbian origin, based in Estonia. Momir is known as a soloist and chamber musician who performed in various festivals and occasions across the world. He is currently teaching accordion at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre as well as in “Heino Eller” music college in Tartu and Lasnamäe music school in Tallinn. Momir has won over 40 awards in international music competitions. In 2008 he won the Coupe Mondiale competition for classical accordion in Glasgow, Scotland and took the 2nd place on the
international accordion competition “Città di Castelfidardo” in Italy, which are the highlights of his competition career.

Momir has graduated with distinction from Serbia’s most prestigious accordion high school, Kragujevac Music School, studying in the class of Miljan Bjeletic. At Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, he gained the title of Master in Arts of Music with professor Leslaw Skorski.

Momir Novakovic’s artistic formation was supported by the Fritz Gerber foundation from Basel and by HRH Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. He was part of many ensembles, including the distinctive Trio Ambassador with violin and cello, and has collaborated with several composers of modern classical music such as Nadir Vassena, Wolfgang Rhim, Alisson Kruusmaa, Elo Masing, Tze Yeung Ho, Giovanni Santini, Alessio Sabella, and others. Momir Novakovic has premiered many contemporary music works for accordion and he is currently focused on enriching the Estonian original repertoire for classical accordion. He is artistic director and co-founder of the Accordionfest Estonia, an international event that gathers world’s top tier accordionists every year in Tallinn. Momir Novakovic performs with the accordion model “Extreme X” that has been made for him by Scandalli Accordions in Castelfidardo, Italy. He is currently engaged in a PhD research at the music academy in Tallinn.

Natālija Meļņikoviča is an accordion virtuoso with extensive performing experience in Latvia and many European countries. She studied in Rīga and Rome, and now teaches accordion at the Limbaži Music and art school and Jāzeps Mediņš Riga Music High School . She is artistic director of Viktor Nikandrov Accordion festival in Limbaži and participate as jury memeber in International competitions.

“Pietro is a musician not only technically very well prepared but also gifted with a poetic and sophisticated expressiveness, able to make his instrument sing and to follow the composer’s musical thoughts with imagination and empathy”

(Dario Marianelli, Academy Award-winning composer)

Pietro Rof’s intensive concert activity has led him to soloist performances, with chamber ensembles and symphonic orchestras, in hundreds of concerts on five continents. His repertoire ranges from classical to tango, from his own compositions to film music.

On the occasion of Ennio Morricone’s 90th birthday, he made his solo debut with the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Carlo Rizzari, at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, performing a new composition written by the Oscar winner Dario Marianelli for this special occasion.

Recent seasons’ engagements include debuts with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra in Zlín (Czech Republic), the AASSM Symphony Orchestra in İzmir, the CRR Youth String ChamberOrchestra in Istanbul and the Bursa District State Symphony Orchestra in Bursa (Turkey).

He has performed in prestigious seasons and theaters in Europe and across the globe, at venues in Germany (Die Glocke in Bremen, where he performed the “Fairy Tales” concerto for accordion and orchestra by V. Trojan with the Internationalen Jugendsinfonieorchesters), Romania (Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, with the National Youth Orchestra conducted by Gabriel Bebeselea), Lithuania, England (Royal Academy of Music in London and Peterborough Cathedral), Argentina (with a sold-out tour of thirteen cities), Malta (Bir Miftuh International Music Festival), China (Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen and the Nanjing University of Arts), Australia (Melbourne and Woodend Winter Arts Festival in the Victoria State), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Sala Italia and the Museu de Belas Artes and Belo Horizonte), Hungary (with the string quartet from the MÁV Symphony Orchestra), France, Spain, Croatia, Switzerland and Norway. His performances in Italy include events such as the IUC season at La Sapienza University in Rome, the Unione Musicale in Turin, Amici della Musica in Taranto, the Mantova Chamber Music Festival, the Narnia Festival, the Vittorio Emanuele Theatre in Messina and the Musica Riva Festival, where he was Artist in Residence in 2023. In 2022 he made his debut with the Odeion String Quartet in South Africa, performing in theaters in some of the country’s main cities with his original arrangement of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons for accordion and string quartet.

In September 2021, he debuted his own composition, the “Goldberg Rework”, in a duet with the Latvian accordionist Ksenija Sidorova. To mark the centenary of the birth of Astor Piazzolla, in 2021 Pietro toured the “Tutto Tango #piazzolla100” project in Italy as a duo with the pianist Alessandro Stella. This tour continued in the following years, reaching several European cities including Paris, Barcelona, Bucharest and Iași, where they performed in 2025 at the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theatre.

In 2017 he performed a concert suite based on the score for the film “Anna Karenina” composed by Dario Marianelli with the Roma Tre Orchestra, in Rome and Pordenone, under the direction of Luciano Acocella; on this occasion, Pietro met the Oscar-winning composer, who in November of the same year asked him to record the soundtrack of the film “Nome di donna” directed by Marco

Tullio Giordana. He also recorded the soundtrack for “Pinocchio” (a film by Matteo Garrone starring Roberto Benigni), written by Marianelli and nominated for the David di Donatello Awards, the result of a close and ongoing artistic collaboration.

Highly active in the world of film music, Pietro Roffi has contributed his accordion to numerous soundtracks for both Italian and international productions. He recorded and co-produced the score for the French TV series La Garçonne (France 2) together with the group Mokadelic. His other collaborations include Solo per passione – Letizia Battaglia fotografa, a RAI TV film directed by Roberto Andò with music by Michele Braga and Emanuele Bossi; the film Rido perché ti amo, directed by Paolo Ruffini with music by Claudia Campolongo; and the anime series Dog Signal, produced in Japan, with a score by renowned composer Michiru Oshima.

In September 2019, Pietro released “1999”, his first solo album of original compositions for accordion and electronica, for the INRI Classic label. In 2021 the album won the Orpheus Award for the best Italian accordion record of 2019/20.

In 2018, alongside the pianist Alessandro Stella, Pietro published the EP “Tutto Tango | Live in Rome” and, in 2021, “La vie en blanc”, a monographic work on Erik Satie, for the Extended Place label.

Pietro’s music is regularly broadcast by major European radio stations, including BBC 3, WDR 3, Klassik Radio, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, NPO, Rás 1, Antena 2 Portugal, DR P2 and Radio France, and performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls worldwide.

In recent years, many of his works for accordion – from solo pieces and chamber music for string quartet or quintet to full-scale compositions for accordion and orchestra – have been performed at renowned venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Munich Philharmonic, the Tonhalle Zürich, Sala São Paulo in Brazil, the Belgrade Philharmonic and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.

His Valse-Rêverie for solo accordion is performed by Ksenija Sidorova during a European tour in 2025, which includes some of the most prestigious musical institutions such as Schloss Elmau in Germany, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Konzert Theater in Coesfeld, the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.

His “Nocturne” for accordion and string quintet is included in the album “Piazzolla Reflections” by Ksenija Sidorova released in 2021 for the label Alpha Classics.

His works are now performed by accordionists worldwide and studied in leading European conservatories. Some of them have been chosen as required pieces for entrance exams, such as by the Department of Music Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece.

He has held masterclasses as a lecturer at the National University of Music in Bucharest, recorded live concerts for national TV and radio in China, Romania and Italy and each year is invited to represent his home country by Italian Embassies and Institutes of Culture around the world. His students have won some of the most prestigious international accordion competitions (Coupe Mondiale de l’Accordéon and PIF Castelfidardo).

In 2010 he won the First Prize at the International Competition of Castelfidardo (virtuoso category).

Pietro studied at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome under the guidance of Massimiliano Pitocco, graduating summa cum laude. He has attended seminars with accordion pioneers such as Owen Murray (UK), C. Jacomucci (Italy), Y. Shishkin (Russia), F. Angelis (France), M. Rantanen (Finland), S. Hussong (Germany), C. X. Qing (China), R. Sviackevicius (Lithuania), I. Alberdi (Spain), A.

Melichar (Austria).

A passionate teacher, arranger and author of transcriptions that broaden the contemporary accordion repertoire, Pietro Roffi is actively contributing to the rise of a new Italian school of accordion, nurturing an emerging generation of young talents.

Pietro plays a Scandalli Extreme built in Castelfidardo and is currently an accordion teacher at the “Domenico Cimarosa” Conservatory in Avellino.

An active instrumentalist engaged in various fields, involved in cultural activities through active performing, co-organizing artistic events, and working in the educational and scientific sphere. In 2014, he graduated with honors from the Academy of Music in Krakow, named after Krzysztof Penderecki. In 2018, he defended his PhD, and in 2024, he obtained the degree of habilitated doctor. Currently, he leads the accordion class at the Department of Woodwind Instruments and Accordion at the Academy in Krakow.

A significant point in the personal development of the accordionist was completing the two-year project “Italian Accordion Academy” in 2016—an advanced pedagogical and performance postgraduate program dedicated to the art of the accordion, held in Italy and the Netherlands. The program was led by the eminent accordionist Claudio Jacomucci and the expert in Alexander Technique, Kathleen Delaney.

The main focus of the accordionist’s interests is performing and promoting contemporary music. He has several dozens of world premieres of newly composed works, both solo and chamber, many of which were initiated by him. Wiesław Ochwat is a laureate of over twenty accordion competitions and festivals. In 2022, he received the main award—the “Musical Eagle” statuette—for the world premiere of the concerto “In Between” by Mikołaj Majkusiak for quarter-tone accordion and orchestra, which he performed with Sinfonietta Cracovia under the baton of Maestro Maciej Tworek. His career includes an extensive concert activity both in Poland and abroad. Apart from contemporary music, the instrumentalist’s interests also include classical, improvised, and popular music.

For several years, Wiesław Ochwat has been involved in collaboration with the Art Forum Foundation, actively participating in the organization of successive editions of the Kraków Accordion Festival and other cultural events.