Betty Jo Simon's musical aptitude and love for the accordion appeared early. As high school student, she became the first accordionist to win the instrumental division of the Youth Talent Auditions of the Topeka Civic Symphony. Betty Jo earned a Bachelor of Music in Accordion Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), where she played the world premiere of Paul Creston's Fantasy for Accordion and Orchestra with the UMKC Civic Orchestra. She participated in USO tours to Greenland, Newfoundland, Labrador and Germany, adn spent two years performing with the renowned Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. Simon now performs as a soloist throughout the United States and currently leads a German polka band called The Alpen Spiders. She strives to project a positive image of the accordion through her concerts and hopes to encourage others to take up the instrument by demonstrating its versatility using MIDI technology.
In this recording, Betty Jo Simon uses the Baldoni MIDI accordion. The selections showcase a wide variety of instrumental sounds, all produced by the Roland U-220 Sound Module. No sequencing or over-dubbing was used.
"Iam dedicating this album to mamma mia, Carrie Pisciotta Stubblefield, for her continued encouragement, and to my father for making education possible. Many thanks to Professor Joan Cochran Sommers for teaching me how to be a well-balanced, professional musician; to Bill Palmer & Bill Hughes and Anthony Galla-Rini for their inspiring and challenging arrangements; and to my family for their support. Special thanks to my son Eric for editing this album. Last but not least, I thank the Lord for the talent He gave me." |
