The Winner of Primus Ikaalinen 2011 is Cory Pesaturo from USA The international Primus Ikaalinen Accordion Competition was held at the Sata-Häme Soi Festival. The competition was organized for the seventh time and the final was broadcasted live on Finland´s National TV. The winner of Primus Ikaalinen is Cory Pesaturo from USA. Giorgio Albanese from Italy came second. The tight competition culminated in a breathtaking musical duel where Cory Pesaturo and Giorgio Albanese played ’Libertango’ by Astor Piazzolla. The first prize of Primus Ikaalinen is 3000 €, the second prize 2000 €, the third prize 1000 €, and the fourth and fifth prizes 500 €. The winner also received a bronze sculpture by a local artist, Sirpa Ristamäki. Results: 1. Cory Pesaturo, USA 2. Giorgio Albanese, Italy 3. Matthias Matzke, Germany 4. Marko Kotilainen, Finland 5. Julie Blocher, France & Alexander Veretnnikov, Russia 7. Natanael Teixeira, Portugal 8. Danijel Stankovic, Austria

Primus Ikaalinen 2012 Primus Ikaalinen 2012 will be held during Sata-Häme Soi Festival 2012 3rd - 8th July in Ikaalinen. More info about taking part in Primus Ikaalinen 2012 competition will be published later.

Photo: Helene Lindfors.

The winner of Primus Ikaalinen 2011

Cory Pesaturo, USA (24 years old)

Competition pieces:
1. Caravan-Cherokee 

2. World-Mix

Cory Pesaturo is an internationally known 24-year old musician, who studied in the USA Boston Conservatory of Music and has graduated from there as the only accordionist to do so. He is a dazzling improviser, whose specialty area is jazz. He performed as early as the age of 12 at the White House for President Bill Clinton.

Second prize

Giorgio Albanese, Italy (25 years old)

Competition pieces:
1. Cherokee-Donna Lee (Ray Noble/Charlie Parker, arr. R. Ruggieri)

2. Italian Medley: Tango en tres-Grande Jo

The Italian representative Giorgio Albanese is a 25-year old musician, who has become familiar to an international public with customized accordion performances – and the handsome dreadloclks. A skillful player who is equally at home in different areas of popular music from jazz to tango, and various world music styles. He studies at the Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA). In Italy, in the last two years, he has won almost ten different competition and music awards.


Gary Daverne, New Zealand / president of the Jury, Kevin Friedrich, USA, Julien Gonzales, France, Satu Sopanen, Finland,Aleksandr Shirunov, Russia and Renzo Ruggieri, Italy.

Primus Ikaalinen 2011

Primus Ikaalinen Competition was arranged first time in 2005 at Sata-Häme Soi  Festival. Primus Ikaalinen is open invitational competition. The comCompetition Committee selects contestants to the Final in Ikaalinen. The winner of Golden Accordion competition represents Finland. The Final will be broadcasted live on Finnish National TV Channel TV2 on Thursday 30th June 2011. It can be watched live and for 30 days after the broadcast online in Yle Areena. I Prize 3000 € II Prize 2000 € III Prize  1000 € IV and V Prize 500 €

Primus Ikaalinen 2011 finalists

• USA: Cory Pesaturo
• Italy: Georgio Albanese
• France: Julie Blocher
• Germany: Matthias Matzke
• Russia: Alexnder Veretennikov
• Austria: Danijel Stankovic
• Portugal: Natanael Teixeira
• Finland: Marko Kotilainen
  

	Cory Pesaturo, USA Cory Pesaturo is an internationally known 24-year old musician, who studied in the U.S.A Boston Conservatory of Music and has graduated from there as the only accordionist to do so.  He is a dazzling improviser, whose specialty area is jazz. He performed as early as the age of 12 at the White House for President Bill Clinton.
	Giorgio Albanese, Italy The Italian representative Giorgio Albanese is a 25-year old musician, who has become familiar to an international public with customized accordion performances - and the handsome dreadlocks. A skilful player who is equally at home in different areas of popular music from jazz to tango, and various world music styles. He studies at the Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA). In Italy, in the last two years, he has won almost ten different competition and music awards.
	Julie Blocher, France At 16 years old Julie Blocher is the youngest competitor in the Primus. She has already appeared in, for example, French TV in several popular entertainment programmes. Her first CD album was released at 12 years of age. Now studying jazz and contemporary music at the Conservatory of Annecy, France.
	Matthias Matzke,Germany Matthias Matzke is an 18-year-old Hohner-Conservatory student at the University of Music in Trossingen. He is a virtuosic and energetic player, who is also a digital accordion virtuoso.  He is the first German participant in the Primus.
	Alexander Veretennikov,Russia Alexander Veretennikov was born in Khabarovsk. This 22-year-old player has a lively stage presence which is a joy to watch. He is studying classical music in Moscow and Vaudeville music in France.
	Danijel Stankovic, Austria Danijel Stankovic is a 26-year-old musician from Vienna, the European Musical capital. Balcan style and complex rhythms are in his control due to his Serbian origin.
	Natanael Teixeira, Portugal Natanael Teixeira is 21-year-old musician. He began to play at the age of ten and studied with Jose Antonio Sousa and Paolo Jorge Ferreira as his teachers. After finnishing his studies at the concervatory in 2008 he has continued his studies in France with Jacques Mornet and Frédéric Deschamps. Natanael Teixeira is versatile musician who plays as well classical as virtuoso music. Because of the musical family backround Portugese music is natural for him.
	Marko Kotilainen, Finland Marko Kotilainen (33 years) began playing the accordion at the age of 5, inspired by his father's accordion hobby. Marko plays with the Joensuu Accordion Quartet, which reached a joint number one place in the accordion bands’ Championship competition in 2008. He has also accompanied, for a long time, the Motora folk dance groups, with his band Rälläkkä. His hobby has been a counterbalance to science studies, and dissertation research. He is the father of two daughters, and his main job is teaching math and chemistry in high school.

The International Jury

• Gary Daverne, New Zealand: The Chairman of the Jury, the Musical Director Emeritus of Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, conductor and a productive composer and arranger
• Kevin Friedrich, USA: The long-term President of CIA (Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes) and the current Ambassador of CIA
• Renzo Ruggieri, Italy: Musician and a festival leader, one of the most important accordionists on modernization of the accordion jazz. Ruggieri has been on the Primus Ikaalinen Jury many times before.
• Julien Gonzales, France: One of the most talented and popular musicians of the young French music generation. Gonzales won the Primus Ikaalinen Competition in 2007.
• Alexander Shirunov, Russia: Musician and a festival leader of an international festival founded by Terem Quartet. This young talented musician from St. Petersburg took also part in Primus Ikaalinen in 2005.
• Satu Sopanen, Finland: Master of Music, one of the most popular names on the children’s music in Finland. The President of the Jury of the Golden Accordion 2011.

The secretary of the International Jury: Aino Ojakoski