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INTRODUCTION
The Accordion has always been my passion, but my profession has been in Sales and Marketing - 25 years in the Airline Industry and up to now in the Industrial, Mining and Telecommunications markets.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS
In 2010 I started a concerted effort to revive the Accordion in South Africa through Radio Media, concerts, folklore and whatever available promotion channels that can help the cause. Interested enthusiasts are encouraged to join the Accordion South Africa Page on Facebook.
Since the beginning of 2010, I have been trying to develop a School of Accordion with associated teachers in South Africa , to back up the efforts of the “ Accordion Drive ”.
HISTORY
I was born in Italy and started playing the accordion at the age of nine.
I came to South Africa when I was eleven. My achievements in my early years in South Africa include the following:
• 1957 South African National Junior Champion (Classical)
• 1958 South African National Senior Champion (Classical)
• 1975 - 1984 Various musical fillers for the South African broadcasting Corporation (TV),
as well as appearances in a number of music programmes on Radio
• 1980 SABC Artes nomination for the best light music performance
• 1990 SABC Artes nomination for the best light music performance
• 1994 Jury member for the Accordion World Championships in Allassio , Italy
ENSEMBLE COMBINATIONS
In recent years, I have frequently performed and recorded CDs with leading South African pianist Rocco De Villiers and leading South African chanteuse Daniele Pascal.
We have performed at various Art Festivals, theatres and also at private functions. I had a long run of performances with Rocco de Villiers at the Rendezvous Theatre in Pretoria and a long run with Daniele Pascal at the Liberty Theatre on the Square in Sandton
Sergio Zampolli and Daniele Pascal
Sergio Zampolli and Rocco de Villiers
ENSEMBLE COMBINATIONS - SALON MUSIC
In recent years, I was involved in three big concerts with Salon Music. All three were recorded on CD. These three were:
• Boulevard Café (with Federico Freschi as Baritone) (on Facebook)
• Gypsy Fiddle (with Violinist Gina Beukes as soloist) (on Facebook)
• Viennese Violin (with Michael Snyman as soloist) (on Facebook)
I played the accordion in the ensemble of arrangements made by Willem Vogel of Salon Music.
Willem Vogel, Sergio Zampolli and Daniel Vos, during the recording of Gypsy Fiddle.
UNIQUE COMBINATION - DUO 2000
I have formed a unique Duo with Harpist Amarillie Ackermann. We are the only two people in the world doing this. We can not find anybody else, our informants in America report that there is nobody in America doing it, and my infrastructure of connections report that there is nothing like this in Europe. We could not find any repertoire from any publisher anywhere in the world. Our repertoire now comprises 120 arrangements (our own) of popular classical works including one full harp concerto – Amarillie plays the harp and I play the orchestral accompaniment.
In addition to Amarillie's concerto, she has learned the piano reduction of my accordion concerto, then she accompanies this for me on the piano. We can have a double concerto programme.
For fifteen years running, we have been performing together regularly, in ± 300 concerts and we still continue to make arrangements, learn new repertoire, and perform older repertoire all over Gauteng , and as far as Bloemfontein and the Drakensberg, at various Arts Festivals as well as private concerts and functions.
Sergio Zampolli and Amarillie Ackermann
TEACHING
I am an approved Accordion Teacher of the CDMI in Italy .
HIGHLIGHTS
A few exceptional other highlights of my life include:
• 1999 Orchestra member for the Three Tenors (Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti),
during their Bravo Africa! Concert, at the Union Buildings, Pretoria
• 2000 Duke of Edinburgh Awards Dinner with Duo 2000 performing as artists for
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, at the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg
In 2007 I was invited to give an impression of my hand in clay at the Hall of Fame of the Accordion Museum in Recoaro , Italy
• 2009 I performed the Pietro Deiro Concerto in A Minor for Accordion with the
Rand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bernard Wozny, three times.
Sergio with Conductor Bernard Wozny
Sergio Zampolli and Conductor Bernard Wozny, at the Gala Evening Performance at the Johannesburg Country Club
• 2010 Guest artist with Duo 2000 at the St David's Day concert of the
Welsh Male Voice Choir of Africa, at the Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg
• 2010 Guest artist with Duo 2000 at the Music in the Mountains Festival with the
Drakensberg Boys Choir, Rina Hugo (soprano) and JP Malan (cellist)
• From 20 - 31 July 2010, I had the pleasure of playing the accordion in a Jacques Brel Show in the Brooklyn Theatre in Pretoria, together with veteran Jacques Brel, singers
Jannie du Toit, Laurika Rauch and pianist Christa Steyn.
CONFÉDÉRATION MONDIALE DE L'ACCORDÉON
I am the South African representative for the Confédédation Mondiale de l'Accordéon.