Cory Pesaturo

Cory Pesaturo is an American musician from Cumberland, Rhode Island. Pesaturo is an accordion player, who also plays the piano, clarinet, and saxophone. He began playing at the age of nine, and in 2002, became the youngest person to win the National Accordion Championship.[1] He most recently won the 2011 Primus Ikaalinen World Championship and was the first ever American contestant.[2] Additionally, Pesaturo won the Coupe Mondiale World Digital Accordion Championship in Auckland, New Zealand, and became the first American to win a World Accordion Championship since Peter Soave 25 years earlier.[3] In 2017, he broke the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous playing of the accordion, which was sponsored by Red Bull.[4] In June 2009, Pesaturo won the Leavenworth International Championship, and International Jazz Championship, along with performing in 5 different continents which included the countries of Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Tunisia and Japan. Cory is one of only four accordionists in history to win a World Championship on both acoustic and electronic accordion, and is the only person to also win a world championship in jazz.

Cory Pesaturo and one of his modern electric accordions. This particular accordion has a full vinyl skin, and midi-sequenced LED's in the grill connected to the keys in a symmetric pattern.
Cory Pesaturo
At a Festival in 2012
Background information
OriginRhode Island, United States
GenresVarious
InstrumentsAccordion, Piano, Clarinet, Saxophone
Years active1996–present
Websitewww.CoryPesaturo.com
Medal record
Accordion Championships
National Championships
2002 US National Accordion ChampionshipsUS Open Solo National Championship
2004 US National Accordion ChampionshipsUS Open Solo National Championship
2009 US National Accordion ChampionshipsUS Open Solo Digital Accordion Championship
World Championships
2009 Coupe Mondiale World Accordion ChampionshipsDigital Category
2010 World Jazz Accordion ChampionshipsJazz Category
2011 Primus Ikaalinen World Acoustic Accordion ChampionshipPrimus Ikaalinen

Life and career

He was accepted on the accordion at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA[5] where he studied Contemporary Improvisation and a variety of music styles, including Italian and French folk music, Bulgarian and Jewish music, Classical music and Jazz. He became the second person to major in and graduate as an accordionist at the New England Conservatory.[6]

Pesaturo performs live, playing the accordion, piano, clarinet and saxophone. His past performances have included filling in for an ill Myron Floren, the accordionist on The Lawrence Welk Show at the age of 12, performing on four occasions at the White House, and playing at six other public events and private functions for President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. In June 1999, he performed at a State Dinner held for the President of Hungary.[7]

In 2008, Roland named Pesaturo as part of their team of four American accordionists which will promote Roland's V-Accordion.[8] Pesaturo performed for Roland at the Music Trade show NAMM in 2009 and was featured with Eddie Montiero, backed by pianist Rick DePiro and drummer Mike Snyder in a Concert for international press and NAMM dignitaries. Pesaturo has also performed with different symphony orchestras around the country, including the Brockton Symphony Orchestra in 2003.[9]

His music has been played for various Formula 1 races on SPEED TV and now NBC Sports starting in 2007, on the Velocity program "Chasing Classic Cars", and also at various Concours around the United States such as the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. He has also combined his interest in statistics and sports with his appearance on the "100 Year Anniversary of Fenway Park" album in 2012, with current and past Boston Red Sox players, and journalists.[10]

Discography

Albums
  • Zulu Time (2011)
  • Change in the Weather (2007)
  • Crosswinds (2007)

Collaborative Albums
  • Unscripted with Mari Black (2020)
  • 100 Year Anniversary of Fenway Park (2012)
  • Tiny Orchestra (2008)
  • A Pennywhistle Christmas (2004)

References
  1. "Pesaturo squeezes cool jazz from 'polka box'". The Providence Journal. September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  2. "Cory Pesaturo Wins Prrimus 2011". Primus Ikallinen World Championship. July 1, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  3. "Cory Pesaturo Wins 1st Place at the Coupe Mondiale". Accordions USA News. August 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  4. "Pesaturo powers to world record". Valley Breeze. August 9, 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  5. Greenlee, Steve (October 18, 2007). "He brings accordion into jazz's fold". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  6. "On The Fringe". The Providence Phoenix. April 2, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  7. Clinton, Hillary Rodham (2000). An Invitation to the White House. Simon & Schuster. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-684-85799-2.
  8. "Accordions are more than a punchline". Entrepreneur.com. November 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  9. "Brockton Symphony's Cohler a maestro for a new era" (PDF). The Sunday Enterprise. April 23, 2006. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
  10. "Fenway Park 100 Years Album". redsox.com. April 20, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
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