Music on a Saturday Morning - Two Classical Accordions

The award-winning accordion department from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland showcases the versatility of the instrument. For many people in Scotland when they see ‘accordion’ they think of traditional tunes, but have you ever heard the classical accordion?

Come and experience the thrilling sounds of the RCS accordions, starring two critically acclaimed accordionists, BBC Radio Scotland’s inaugural Young Classical Musician of the Year, Mélia Simonot and prize-winning Spanish accordionist Sofía Ros.

The programme spotlights the stunning expression, virtuosity and versatility of the performers and the instrument through music by Bach, Zolotaryov, Rameau, Paganini/ Liszt, Phil Cunningham/ Corbett and others.

 

Mélia Simonot

V. Zolotaryov - Sonata 3 Finale

J.S. Bach - Fantasia and Fugue in g minor BWV 542

V. Semyonov - Kalina Krasnaya

V. Malich - Toccata

 

Sofia Ros

Jean-Philipe Rameau - Les Cyclopes (Pièces de clavecin)

Vaclav Trojan - The Ruined Cathedral

Viacheslav Semionov - Sonata N.2 : Basqueriad (Mov I&II)

Phil Cunningham / Corbett - Loch Katrine's Lady (This arrangement quotes Bach BWV 572 and BWV 552)

Paganini/Liszt (arr. Sofía Ros)- La Campanella

 

Mélia Simonot

Mélia Simonot graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a Bachelor’s degree in Accordion Performance with first class honours in 2024. She just started her first year of Master studies at the same place, in the class of the Serbian professor, Djordje Gajic.

In 2023, she won the first prize with honors at the Leopold Bellan International Competition in Paris and the third prize at the Tony and Tania Competition in January 2024. More recently, Melia has also been awarded BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year 2024, after playing a concerto in the final of the competition on the stage of City Halls, accompanied by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Martyn Brabbins.

As a soloist, she has featured now three times in the BBC Radio Scotland broadcast of Classical Now, hosted by Jamie MacDougall. But also part of the Conservatoire accordion quartet (with Sofia Ros, Ryan Corbett & Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul), she featured in the BBC Radio 4 broadcast of Front Row. Invited by Radio France, she will be recording in March for the « Generations France Musique, le Live » program.

 

Sofía Ros

Spanish accordionist Sofía Ros has quickly established herself on the international classical music scene, with notable performances at Carnegie Hall, Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein. A prizewinner at the Trophée Mondial de l’Accordéon, the Manhattan International Music Competition, and a finalist at the Royal Over-Seas League Competition, Sofía’s performances have received critical acclaim, including features on BBC Radio Scotland’s Classical Now and BBC Radio 4’s Front Row. Currently, she is studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Serbian accordionist Djordje Gajic.

She has performed across Europe and the UK in prestigious venues, including the Purcell Room in London, Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, Alten RatHaus in Vienna and the 1001 Harmonies Festival in Switzerland. Her performances have also taken her to Texas, where she has performed with the Irving Symphony Orchestra, Plano Symphony Orchestra, and San Angelo Symphony Orchestra.

She has been featured at the Edinburgh International Festival in various occasions as well as St. Magnus Festival, East Neuk Festival, and the Emerging Artists Scheme at Usher Hall in Edinburgh. In addition to her solo performances, Sofía frequently collaborates with orchestras and ensembles, most recently performing Piazzolla’s Aconcagua Concerto under the guidance of Maestro Hector Guzman in the States and Maestro Allistair Willis with the Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra.