Accordion Music that Inspires, Educates, and  Entertains
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Accordion Music that Inspires, Educates, and  Entertains
  • Home
  • About
  • Workshops and Concerts
  • Sponsors and Donors
  • Past Events

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS

Judy Contino, for the Dick and Judy Contino Accordion Scholars


Amanda Balcom 

Coreen Bergholm

Gail Campanella

Ron Griffin and Beverly Fess

Robert Herridge

Howard Howe 

Shirley Johnson 

Donna Kaspar

Edward Karisch 

Martina Li

Dr. Takashi Morita

Laura Niland 

Jim Rice

William Salkin

Naomi Sanders

Pamela Tom

Greg Wyder  

Ina Yakubeika

Innovative Accordion Music Productions is a 501c3 non-profit

Accordion Music that  Entertains, Educates, and Inspires Every Audience 

Dick and Judy Contino Accordion Scholars

    Dick Contino was born on January 17, 1930 in Fresno, CA. He attended St. Alphonso's School and Church where he served as an altar boy. His time at Fresno High School was punctuated by his popularity and he subsequently attended Fresno State College.


    Fame came to Dick in winning the National Grand Prize (1948) of the Horace Heidt Show which began his extensive musical career. His 48 appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show were unprecedented. At the height of his career, 180,000 accordions were shipped from Italy to the US.  After his service in Korea, Dick continued his professional music career at the Mocambo nightclub in West Hollywood, CA (1952), where celebrities filled the audience. In the 1950s, Dick met the beautiful Leigh Snowden, an actress for Universal Studios. They were married in 1956, and had a wonderful marriage and family. Their love endured until her death in 1982. Dick was again lucky in love when he married Judy Campbell later in life. 


    Dick continued his musical career throughout the USA. Dick enjoyed entertaining an audience, from showrooms in Las Vegas, NV, to many Italian events. He entertained on the “Dick Contino” stage for 35 years at Festa Italiana in Milwaukee, WI. He also was a popular and regular performer for the Cotati Accordion Festival in CA. 


    Sadly on April 19, 2017 the world lost one of the most famous accordionists of all times. In Dick’s memory, the donations made by Judy Contino to the Dick and Judy Contino Accordion Scholars supports talented youth and their accordion pursuits and is a part of the Youth Accordion Fellowship Fund under the direction of the non-profit Innovative Accordion Music Productions (IAMP).  

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