© Stas Venglevski 2025
Web Design by Brian Leahy
About
The Artist
Stas Venglevski is a bayanist, composer, conductor,
arranger, entertainer and a teacher and his
extensive repertoire includes his original
compositions and a broad range of classical,
contemporary and ethnic music. He has toured
extensively as a soloist throughout the former
Soviet Union, Canada, Europe, and the United
States and most recently in South Africa. Numerous
U.S. performances include performances with Doc
Severinsen, Steve Allen and Garrison Keillor on the
Prairie Home Companion Show.
He has performed with symphony orchestras in
Europe and throughout the United States, including
the Anchorage, Grand Florida, and Detroit
symphony orchestras in the opera production of
Frida, and with the University of Wisconsin
Chamber Orchestra in 2003 for the official World
Premiere of the Concerto No. 2 in D minor. It
marked the first time the piece had been performed
in its entirety with a symphony orchestra. He has
performed the concerto on multiple occasions since,
with the Tacoma, Colorado Jefferson and Racine
symphony orchestras, and with that of Nurenberg,
Germany.
For over 25 years he has been a regular participant
in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Arts in
Community Education program (ACE).
He’s done television commercials and performed in
theater and opera productions; produced 31
recording albums, including a transcription of
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite for Bayan, as well as
original compositions. Additionally, he has published
several books of original compositions.
For the past 10 years he has been the Artistic
Director of the Houston Accordion Orchestra Retreat
and in 2021 he was named Artistic Director of A
World of Accordions Museum (AWAM) in Superior,
Wisconsin. He is a past President of the
Accordionists and Teachers Guild and currently
serves on its board. Most recently, he has joined
the faculty of the Music Department of the
University of Wisconsin, Superior, WI.
In 2023, he established the Stas Venglevski Music
Foundation, SVMF. The aim is to revolutionize
the world of accordion by inspiring young people to
embrace the fine arts, empowering them to
create music, honing their performance skills as
soloists and with orchestras, and giving them
opportunities to compose and debut new music. In
addition to the core mission, the foundation is
committed to expanding public knowledge of art
and music and supporting impactful cultural
initiatives worldwide.
In February of 2025, Stas performed at the
prestigious Carnegie Hall.
The Instrument
The accordion is one of the most widely played
instruments in the world. Popular, it seems,
everywhere except the United States.
The accordion is generally made of wood, metals like
aluminum and steel, plastic and cellulose. Some
accordions have over six thousand individual parts,
making them one of the most complex musical
instruments manufactured.
The accordion makes its music when air from the
bellows is forced through metal reeds causing the
reeds to vibrate.
In the accordion class of instruments are the piano
accordion, bayan, concertina, bandoneon, button
box, et al. The concept is universal and each culture
has adapted the instrument to its own requirements.
The genesis of the accordion is thought to be the
Chinese Sheng, which dates back to around the 13th
century B.C.
The Bayan is an accordion that was developed in
Russia in the very late eighteen hundreds. It differs
from most accordions developed in western Europe
primarily in the detail of its construction. These
details make the Bayan a richer sounding instrument
with a wider range of notes. It shines its best in the
classic repertoire, often sounding like a cathedral
pipe organ.
In classical genres Stas Venglevski performs on the
Petosa Concert Series Cathedral Bayan SV developed
by Petosa Accordions in Seattle, WA, and custom
crafted specifically for Stas. It has 61 treble notes
and bass converter for either 120 Stradella bass or
55 free bass. Specs here.
The Cathedral Bayan SV has fifteen treble registers
giving it incredible range and large spectrum of
sounds. The left hand is a specially designed Russian
system offering the sound quality of a Cathedral
Organ pedal tone.