CAA Blog

Mary Joan Kasprzyk Tokarski, December 13, 1946-February 20, 2026

The CAA mourns the loss of it's Co-Founder and Co-President, Mary Tokarski.Mary and I started the CAA in 2004, 2 years after I began studying with her.  Mary was well known in Connecticut, the United States and Internationally for her skill on the accordion.  As a child, she studied with her brother, Michael Fernino, in Connecticut.  She, along with her sister, Julie Cardona, and brother, Walter Kasprzyk, achieved national and international titles in statewide and national competition. They formed the "K-Trio," and delighted audiences in performance. Mary was an incredible teacher whose students excelled in competition. She served on the board of the American Accordionists' Association for years and served as President from 2015-2018.

Her lifetime accomplishments in the accordion world are too numerous to mention here. And the sadness that comes with her passing is similarly mountainous. 

You can read about her accomplishments here, as well as a personal tribute I wrote about her at:

https://accordionusa.news/obituary-mary-kasprzyk-tokarski/ 

Additionally, the AAA will be honoring Mary in a concert on April 26, 2026 in Yorktown Heights, NY. The CAA will be performing in her honor, along with a number of accomplished accordionists and guest artists.  The flyer below gives the details.  Hope to see as many of you there as possible to celebrate Mary's life and her contribution to the accordion.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Our concert at the Mattatuck was a huge success!  We had our usual large crowd. You can enjoy the concert again by going to the video section of this website!

Wishing everyone a happy, safe and healthy holiday season and new year.  We have plenty planned for 2026....

Join us on December 6 at 2:00 as we usher in the Holiday Season at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT!  The CAA orchestra, conducted by Peter Peluso, will delight you with holiday favorites.  Guest vocalists and soloists will accent the program and demonstrate the versitility of our beloved instrument!

Press OUR EVENTS here for all the details!

We're so grateful for the opportunity to work with the Mattatuck, a staple in Waterbury for years.  They have helped honor the rich history of the accordion in Waterbury, and the local teachers who made a mark in the accordion world.

See you at the Museum!

Hey All!

Our June 7 concert at the Mattatuck was a huge success! We're proud to announce that on Saturday, October 18, at 2:00pm, our CAA Orchestra will perform the entire concert, with some beautiful additions, at the Pequot Library in Southport,CT. We will be joined by The Friendship Choir as well as some very talented soloists. Don't miss this performance!  Secured by our own Sandy Zera, the venue is a beautiful compliment to this event.

To see all the details, click here:  NEXT EVENT 

Our orchestra is deep into rehearsing for our next concert at the Mattatuck Museum.  On Saturday, June 7, from 2-3:30 pm, we will be performing songs from theater, screen and television!  We will be joined by young and mature vocalists alike.  Our conductor, Peter Peluso, is a master at bringing out the very best in our orchestra members and displaying the accordion at its very best in Connecticut. Book your seats early, as we tend to draw a large crowd at these events.  Check out NEXT EVENT here on the website for all the details!

AND....

The CAA is a proud affiliate of the American Accordionists' Association.  The AAA is celebrating 87 years in existence this July at its annual festival, which is scheduled for July 10-13 at the Marriott Philadelphia West in Conshohocken , PA.  I'd like to encourage all of you to check out the details about this event  on the AAA website: American Accordionists' Association.  Book your reservations early, as attendance will fill up fast.  The festival includes concerts, workshops, competitions, orchestras, exhibits, food functions and more, with opportunities for all accordionists to become involved and those who love accordion to appreciate the instrument at its best.

We Squeezed In The Holidays!!!!

Our concert at the Mattatuck on Saturday, December 7 was a HUGE SUCCESS. We collaborated with students from Wakelee School in Wolcott, and about 25 third and fourth graders joined us in singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Winter Wonderland. The performance center was PACKED with families from all over the area as well as CAA family members. Our soloists performed in between traditional holiday numbers that the orchestra played/...all to the delight of an audience that spanned every age.

If you missed our performance, or if you’d like to see it again as you observe your holiday, you can go to the video section of this website and give a listen to a song of your choosing.

Happy Holidays to all. And a Happy, Healthy New Year!

More accordion music to come in 2025!!!

Love and Squeezes,

Marilyn

We just had a hugely successful concert at the Pequot Library on October 19!  Thanks to the efforts of CAA member Sandy Zera, we played a variety of pieces to a packed audience!  Solo vocalist Mary Periera and CAA orchestra member Charles Fanghella sang pieces by George Gershwin and Neil Diamond respectively. "The Friendship Choir" organized by David Harris sang pieces by Mozart and W. Howe. Another example of how an accordion orchestra can do it all!

You can access the recording of the concert, beautifully put together by Joseph Klettner here.

And NOW......

The CAA Orchestra, led by our illustrious conductor, Peter Peluso, is already in rehearsal mode for our Holiday Concert which will be held at the Mattatuck Museum on December 7!  We have reached out to Wakelee Elementary School in Wolcott and expect to have some young vocalists join us for this very special event!  Many thanks to the Mattatuck who always welcomes the accordion to its beautiful performance center!

You can access a flier with all the details under NEXT EVENT here on the website.  Hope to see you there on December 7!

Join us on at Pequot Library in Southport, CT as the CAA Orchestra Performs in Concert on Saturday, October 19 from 2-4:00pm!  Our esteemed conductor, Peter Peluso, will work his magic again as he leads our orchestra. We will be joined by special guest artists!

The concert, entitled "HELLO AGAIN," will include a variety of songs from musical theater, classic Latin and American composers, classic choral pieces jazz...and Neil Diamond.

Click  OUR EVENTS on this website for complete details.

And while we're talking ACCORDION ORCHESTRA......

Are you an accordionist with a desire to play along with a great group of fellow accordion lovers?  Join the CAA and participate in making music with us!  We perform regularly and have done so since 2004 both in and out of Connecticut.  The only requirement besides CAA membership is the ablility to read music.

The CAA performed alongside the Plainville Choral Society on Saturday, May 18.  Under the direction of Peter Peluso the concert, entitled "Singing With One Accord(ion)," featured the orchestra and the chorus performing a variety of pieces both alone and together. It was a packed audience at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, a beautiful venue for both groups.  We are so grateful to the Plainville Choral Society for allowing us to join them in this endeavor. And we are proud of our Conductor who works tirelessly for both groups!

You can view the pieces we played jointly as well as the ones featuring only the CAA Orchestra here: CTAccordion.com - Videos

Please note:  you can actually watch all of our videos by clicking on Who We Are, and all of the videos we've posted over the years will be accessible to you.  We are working on the website to make it easier to get to the videos.

Spring is here, finally! and The CAA Orchestra is embarking on a new adventure!  Peter Peluso will be conducting the Plainville Choral Society with our accordion orchestra acting as accompaniment!  This concert, "Singing With One Accord(ion)" will take place at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Bristol, CT on Saturday, May 18 at 2:00. 

Peter has a long history with the Plainville Choral Society.  This collaboration is still another gift from our multitalented, cherished conductor.

Preregistration is encouraged.  And you get a discount on your admission fee if you do preregister!

Admission is $15.00 if you pay at the door.  Age 12 and under is $5.00.  If you preregister, it's $12.00.

Click on the link below to preregister and get your discount!

https://plainvillechoralsociety.ticketleap.com/singingwithoneaccordionsaturday/

Go to the Event Page on this website to see the flyer!  Click Below!

CTAccordion.com - Our Events