Westmont Philharmonia Accordion
Orchestra
CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY
1960 Founding of the Orchestra by Stanley Darrow and Roman Pawlowski
1961 Drafting of the Orchestra's Constitution by Virginia Kreswick Wentz
1962 First formal concert, New York City, June
1963 Formation of Philharmonia Concert Quintet (P.C.Q., 1981)
1964 Stanley Darrow studies orchestration from Hohner Accordion
Symphony, with the late R. Wurthner, in Trossingen, Germany
1965 P.A.O. records for Kaibala L.P. Records
1966 P.A.O. travels to Chicago for concert
1967 P.A.O. presents J. Vlack of Czechoslovakia in concert
1968 P.A.O. presents guest conductor, Eddie Harris, from England presents M. Doudova from Czechoslovakia in concert presents S. DiGuesualdo from Italy in concert
1969 P.C.Q. gives concert tour in Paris and Germany
1970 P.A.O. presents Z. Racz from Hungary
1971 P.C.Q. gives concert tour of Germany and Yugoslavia
1972 P.A.O. presents O. Djurdjevic from Yugoslavia
1973 P.A.O. presents the Midnight Spook for Ballet and Orchestra
1974 P.A.O. presents Zoria Ukrainian Dancers
1975 P.A.O. concert tour in Iceland
1976 W.P.A.O. is recognized as Community Orchestra of Westmont
1976 hosts Stuttgart Accordion Orchestra from Germany
1977 W.P.A.O. initiates Children's Concert for Westmont
1978 W.P.A.O. records a record on the A.A.M.S. label
1979 W.P.A.O. designs commemorative paperweight in planning their 20th
Anniversary
1980 W.P.A.O. celebrates their 20th Anniversary hosts Colchester Accordion Orchestra from England gives a concert tour Montreal, Canada
1981 W.P.A.O. hosts Danish Accordion Orchestra, Denmark
1982 W.P.A.O. hosts Zurich Accordion Orchestra from Switzerland
1983 W.P.A.O. hosts Langenhagen Accordion Orchestra, Germany
1984 W.P.A.O. Quintet tours Iceland
1985 W.P.A.O. hosts Accordion Orchestra from the University of Tubingen,
Germany
1986 W.P.A.O. hosts Anny and Paula Van Wanrooy of Holland
1987 W.P.A.O. presents violin concerto soloist David Yarbrough
1988 W.P.A.O. hosts Stuttgart Accordion Orchestra from Germany
1989 W.P.A.O. Senior Challenger Quintet tours Canada
1990 W.P.A.O. hosts Kevin Friedrich from New Zealand
1991 W.P.A.O. hosts Plochingen Accordion Orchestra from Germany performs at Chubby’s for historic society performs for Italian Club presents trumpet concerto soloist Steve Hyde releases cassette tape on own label
1992 W.P.A.O. starts its newsletter Orchestrata
1992 W.P.A.O. recognized as the Community Orchestra of Haddon
Township performs first time in Cape May
Westmont Philharmonia Accordion
Orchestra
1993 W.P.A.O. presents harp soloist Walter Pfeil performs at Rowan College for Ethnic Festival performs in Gibbstown Early American Festival
1994 W.P.A.O. presents jazz soloist Monsignor Stanley Kloskowski presents premier performance of a suite by French composer Yves
Jusserand performs for Bucks County Community Television performs at Saltzman House in Cherry Hill, NJ
1995 W.P.A.O. presents Davyd Booth violinist of the Philadelphia
Symphony Orchestra presents music of Aster Pizzola performs for German Club at Constahter's Frankhouser
1996 W.P.A.O. presents youth soloist Richard Saunders performs at 3 Little Bakers Italian Dinner Show
2000 W.P.A.O. presents guest artist Vitaly Pirog of the Ukraine
2001 W.P.A.O. presents Rita Davidson performing the Manhattan Concerto
2002 W.P.A.O. presents Nick Bubbico performing a concerto solo
2003 W.P.A.O. features guest conductor Fawzi Habbioushe from the
Philadelphia Doctors Orchestra
2004 W.P.A.O. features guest conductor Roman Pawlowski from the
Delaware County Symphony Orchestra
2005 W.P.A.O. presents guest artist Alexander Poueleuv from Russia
2008 W.P.A.O performs at Polish Club in Trenton, NJ
2011 W.P.A.O presents musicians from the Czech Republic
First Accordion Fourth Accordion
Joanna Arnold-Darrow* Ed Jarasz
Renee Pestritto Gretchen Betz*
Annette Marinelli Wayne Huntsinger
Second Accordion Bass Accordion
Ray Haines
Bob Lijana
Frank Hodnicki*
Dallas Vietti
Third Accordion Electronium
Vladimir Denysenko* Renee Pestritto
Bob Lijana Phyllis Edamatsu
Percussion
Stefon Starkov
*Members of the Quintet Accord
rd
Concert Events
November 4, 2012: Accordion Day with
Mass Photo Festival, Westmont, NJ
December 1, 2012: Annual Winter Concert
Haddon Twp. Library, Westmont, NJ
March 15, 16, & 17, 2013: AAMS/MAMTG
Spring Festival, Whippany, NJ
May 19, 2013: Annual Spring Concert
Location To Be Announced
June 10, 2013: Open House & Awards
Concert, Westmont, NJ
August 07, 2013: Outdoor Summer Concert
Cape May, NJ

The Orchestra:
The Westmont Philharmonia Accordion Orchestra
(WPAO) is a classical symphonic orchestra.
The WPAO is made up of 10 members from the area who perform serious classical and contemporary music. The primary conductor for the orchestra is Mr. Stanley Darrow. Various guest conductors are featured who have been from all around the world. The Orchestra features virtuoso artists as guest performers. Its concerts have been heard in
Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Europe and throughout New Jersey.
Members are arranged into four separate sections, a bass accordion and percussion.
The harmonies, the thoughtful insights of the conductors, and the musical expertise of the members combine to create a sound not unlike that of a chamber ensemble. Often, other orchestral instruments such as violins, clarinets, horns, trumpets, and bells can be heard. A touch of amplification and the sound from a specially designed instrument, called the Electronium add interesting qualities. An
Electronium operates like an accordion but is an electronic instrument, developed and refined over the last 100 years.
The Orchestra's repertoire is diverse.
Performances include classical, contemporary, ethnic, original, and popular compositions.
Classical works include music by Bach,
Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, and other great composers. Ethnic works include Balkan,
French, German, Polish, Russian, and
Ukrainian themes. Original accordion works are performed often to accentuate the broad musical power of the instrument. Popular composers represented in our performances include the Bee Gees, Bernstein, and Stevie
Wonder. Our best-loved popular music is from the Big Band Era with composers such as Count
Basie.
The WPAO is affiliated with the Westmont
Accordion Club and the Pitman Accordion Club.
All of these organizations are dedicated to the advancement of the accordion.
Communities Served:
The Orchestra performs up to four concerts each year in the Delaware Valley area.
Attendees to the concerts come from Delaware,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. When the Orchestra hosts groups from abroad, there is a special appeal to ethnic groups in the local and Tri-State areas as well as in New York and Maryland.
Through Mr. Darrow, other communities across the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world, are kept informed of our activities.
Recognition:
The Westmont Philharmonia Accordion Orchestra
(WPAO), is a serious ensemble of musicians, was formed in 1960 by Stanley Darrow and
Roman Pawlowski. In 1976, Mayor William G.
Rohrer recognized the WPAO as the community orchestra of Haddon Township, New Jersey.
Education:
The Orchestra accepts young associate members who have talent and potentially greater musical abilities. These associate members rehearse and perform with the full Orchestra.
This gives the young individuals a chance to expand their musical knowledge with more advanced musicians. When the associate member has proven their musical abilities, they may become a full Orchestra member.
Each year the Orchestra performs a Children's
Concert. This concert is oriented toward introducing young people of the local area to baroque, classical, and contemporary music.
This concert is typically held during the winter.
The Orchestra is the training orchestra for accordionists attending Rowan University, New
Jersey.
Scholarships:
The WPAO has established a Scholarship Fund to encourage young musicians to continue their music education and to further the development of the accordion as a serious concert instrument.
The Orchestra awards one grant each year to an individual or group for advanced music studies. The recipient of this award is chosen on the basis of general musicianship, references, financial need, and performance in an advanced music competition held each spring. In addition to the cash award, the winner is featured as a guest artist at one of the Orchestra's major concerts.
The Music Director:
The WPAO is privileged to have as Director-
Conductor, Mr. Stanley Darrow, an internationally known classical accordionist.
He has made a career of demonstrating the accordion's vast potential as a serious musical instrument of concert stature.
Mr. Darrow keeps abreast of the field through regular concert study tours in Europe including the famous State Accordion College in Trossingen, Germany. His lectures and recitals have taken him from Rowan University in New Jersey to the Pilzen and Prague
Conservatories. He is a board member of the
Accordion Teachers Guild, a founding member of the American Accordion Musicological
Society, and the director of the Acme
Accordion School, in Westmont, New Jersey.
Conductors:
The Orchestra often invites guest conductors to lead the Orchestra during its concerts.
Conductors come from other parts of the
United States as well as other countries.
Guest conductors have been featured from
Great Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, The
Ukraine, and Russia.
The primary conductor of the Orchestra is the
Director, Mr. Stanley Darrow. Mr. Darrow selects the compositions that are to be performed at each concert. He also conducts at each of the Orchestra's concerts.
Members:
The members come from all parts of the east coast. Their purpose is to perform serious music and to premiere original accordion compositions. Most orchestra members are from
New Jersey and Pennsylvania but some have come from as far away as Maryland, New York,
Virginia and West Virginia. Often members join the orchestra from foreign countries as they may work in the area or attend local colleges. The WPAO contributes to the musicianship of each member and provides enjoyment for its audiences.