© 2024 Milwaukee Public Media is a service of UW-Milwaukee's College of Letters & Science
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Accordionist Guy Klucesvek: Not Your Grandma's 'Oom-Pah'

Bonnie North

If your idea of accordion music begins and ends with the tunes featured on the Lawrence Welk show, Guy Klucevsek would like to broaden your horizons. He's a world-class accordionist who has founded bands and even entire record labels around the oft-forgotten reed instrument.

Klucevsek got his first accordion after a protracted battle of attrition with his father when he was just five years old, and six decades later he is considered to be one of the most deft accordionists alive. He has composed intricate and haunting pieces across a wide range of genres, and sees the accordion undergoing a contemporary renaissance of sorts.

"In the fifties and sixties, the guitar became the instrument of choice of the children of European immigrants who brought accordions with them, and then synthesizers took over, and then DJ-ing and things like that. Now the accordion is making a comeback," said Klucevsek.

song_-_claire_buoyant.mp3
Guy Klucevsek performing his original composition, "Claire Buoyant."

song_-_clarissa.mp3
Guy Klucevsek performing "Clarissa."

song_-_little_big_top.mp3
Guy Klucevsek performing "Little Big Top."

Klucevsek will perform tonight and tomorrow night in the 5th floor theatre of the Kenilworth Building on Milwaukee’s east side, presented by Theatre Gigante.

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.