Igor Zobin is one of the most active young accordionists on the Italian musical scene in many different musical spheres. He started accordion studies at a very young age at the Glasbena Matica music institute in Trieste with Claudio Furlan. At the age of nine he took part in his first international competition, the 14th International Accordion Competition in Treviso, winning first prize. He then competed successfully in numerous international and national competitions, in Italy, France, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. He regularly performs as a soloist, as a member of chamber music groups and as guest artist with symphony orchestras in Italy, Canada, Cuba, France, The Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Romania, Poland, and Hungary. He collaborated with composers and conductors : G.Kurtàg, S.Gubajdulina, A.Corghi, F.Nieder, L.Francesconi, J.Francaix, B.Furrer, A.Cattaneo, D.Kawka, T.Brock, R.Tamayo, Z.Pesko, L.Jia, F.Lanzillotta, M.Angius, F.Maestri, F.Perocco, B.Hannigan, B.Gaertner, D.Michel-Dansac, A.Caiello, I.Windsor, with the National Symphony Orchestra of the RAI, Philharmonic Orchestra Novecento and with the Symphony Orchestra of Tuscany.

He has been invited to severals musical festivals (Biennale Musica in Venice, Rai Nuova Musica, Bologna Festival, MITO Festival, Society of concerts in Milan), and has performed in many international and national premieres with some of the most important Italian music ensembles (Arsenale, Ex Novo ensemble, Le Risognanze ensemble, String Orchestra Camerata strumentale italiana).

He graduated in Accordion at the Conservatory G.Rossini in Pesaro, in Composition at the Conservatory G.Tartini in Trieste and in Orchestral Conducting at the Academy of Music in Pescara.

Ralf Bethke (Germany) has been with us from the beginning. He is a passionate accordion technician, player, and teacher. Often referred to as "Doktor Ralf", he can do wonders on your instrument! He is available for all MIDI consultations, questions, requests, inquiries on Sibelius software and ForScore app, as well as programming, including: basics of MIDI, tools, sound(s), creating your own MP3 files...and so much more. We all look forward to hearing Ralf’s tasty playing in Sauris!

Joey Miskulin (USA) is a hall of fame accordionist and producer. In a music career spanning more than four decades, Joey Miskulin has collaborated with a range of artists including Paul McCartney, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs, Roy Rogers, Andy Williams, Ricky Van Shelton, Emmylou Harris, Frankie Yankovic,U2 and many others. He is a performer, studio musician, producer and pedagogue.

Joey, the child prodigy discovered by Chicago’s Roman Possedi, toured the United States with Yankovic - "America's Polka King” - as his featured accordionist at age thirteen, writing and arranging songs between performances. Broadening his experience, Joey toured the Far East with the Hawaii International Revue, and, in the 1970’s became a studio musician and producer, performing on bass, piano, banjo, guitar, organ, accordion, and as a vocalist with the likes of Andy Williams, Doc Severinsen, and Charlie Daniels. Among his astounding list of credits are countless appearances on national television and radio, in the movies, and on video; hundreds of recording sessions; four Grammy-winning and several gold and platinum albums among scores of international hit recordings.

Joey has always represented Cleveland-Style Polkas with the utmost of class and dignity, befriending most everyone with his congenial and personable demeanor.

Massimo Pividori (Tarcento, Italy) studied accordion with Flocco Fiori, and Adolfo Del Cont. He graduated at the Conservatory of Music in the Accordion Bachelor Degree program as well as piano and harmony under the tutelage of Maria Puxeddu. He has won several national and international awards and is now artistic director of "Gruppo Fisarmonicisti Tarcento" and the "Flocco Fiori" Ensemble. Massimo is at the forefront of a renewed interest for the accordion in the Tarcento region, an area renowned for its rich accordion heritage.

Manuel Šavron (Slovenia) is a young virtuoso of the diatonic accordion. Born in 1991 in Koper, Slovenia, he started studying piano accordion at age 10 on his own. The following year, he undertook diatonic accordion with A. Gropajc and continued with Prof. Z. Lupinc. In 2014 he obtained a bachelor's degree in classical saxophone at the Music Conservatory “G. Tartini” in Trieste and in 2016 he graduated with honour with a master's degree in performance of the diatonic/styrian accordion at the Schubert Konservatorium in Vienna. As a soloist, he has appeared in various theaters & concert halls throughout Europe and has been invited to numerous Accordion Festivals and radio and TV shows. Aside from his own adaptations and musical arrangements, Savron transcribes compositions for diatonic accordion at the Austrian publishing company “Knöpferl-Musikverlag für Steirische Harmonika”. He is teaching diatonic/styrian accordion in several music schools and is now a music teacher at Limex in Austria. Manuel’s versatility leads him to a vast range of music, from classical to popular, from tango to rock, from folk to jazz, ethno, world and more.

Viatcheslav Semionov (Russia), a renowned composer, concert artist & pedagogue, is a pillar of the concert accordion world. In 1995, Semionov was awarded the title of "Artist Of The People Of Russia" by President Boris Yeltsin. Professor at the Gnessin Institute of Music in Moscow, his students have won numerous gold medals in the most prestigious international competitions. Many of his compositions for accordion, namely Don Rhapsody, are becoming standard repertoire. Slava is an accordion ball of fire who brings great flavor and color.

Sincere gratitude to the Pigini factory for sponsoring Mr. Semionov's travel.

Mary Tokarski (Connecticut, USA) is an outstanding artist and dynamic educator. Her performances are bombastic and her dedication to the accordion is tremendous. Long time member of the "K" Trio, Mary is current President of the American Accordionists' Association (AAA). For over 20 years Mary served as Director of Music Education at Tokarski Music Center, where she taught piano and accordion, conducted the choral & ensemble programs, supervised the pre-school programs, and served as a Music Educator in the North Haven Department of Education's Early Childhood Development Program at Green Acres Elementary School.