The accordion and its myriad forms—from the concertina and the button accordion to the sanfoninha and the bandoneón—has spread and taken root across many cultures. Branded as “the little man’s ‘piano,’” it became a medium for popular folk music in numerous regions of the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The accordion was thriving among the less affluent because it was a complete “one-man-band,” capable of providing melody, harmony and bass at once; it was also loud and durable and, therefore, ideal for outdoor performances. No other instrument has provoked so many scornful jokes, yet the accordion’s distinctive sounds have touched millions of people, stirred up passions and soothed pain.  The event will feature live performances by local musicians

Helena Simonett received her PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles. On the faculty at Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American Studies and the Blair School of Music, she has conducted extensive research on Mexican popular music and currently explores the role of indigenous music and dance in northwestern Mexico. Her publications include Banda: Mexican Musical Life across Borders (2001), En Sinaloa nací: historia de la música de banda (2004), The Accordion in the Americas: Klezmer, Polka, Tango, Zydeco, and More! (2012), and (with Javier León) of A Latin American Music Reader: Views from the South (forthcoming).