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Bonnie Birch - Sample Performances: Solo concerts at accordion clubs and festivals including Bay Area Accordion Club, Northwest Accordion Society, San Diego Accordion Club, Leavenworth, Cotati, Las Vegas, Orlando, Chemainus B.C. Downtown Seattle restaurants and clubs: Seattle Yacht Club, Seattle Tennis Club, Serafina's, Pink Door, Il Bacio, Columbia Winery, Festa Italiana, Worldfest, Cultural Crossroads, Seattle Center Dances, Seattle's Folklife Festival, organizer of Day of the Accordion, Musicals such as Cabaret; guest accordionist in orchestras, Member of Tango Divino and the Vagabond orchestra, Organizer and accompaniest for Ballroom Dance and Argentine Tango exhibitions, Performances with Opera Singers and Cabaret Singers, Private Parties including wedding receptions and anniversaries, Officer and Past President of Northwest Accordion Society.

Background Information:
Bonnie began accordion lessons at the age of 7. Her primary teacher up to the age of 19 was Thorild Swanson from Stancatto School of Accordion. Thor was a classically trained musician on the piano and organ and was noted for his attention to detail and desire for perfection. With his guidance, Bonnie developed excellent technique, music reading skills, performing skills, and the appreciation of practice and patience. She was a consistent winner at the Washington Accordion Teachers competitions culminating in a trip to New York for an International competition and a performance in Carnegie Hall.

While attending the University of Washington, Bonnie discovered the budding field of computers and decided on a career as a Computer Systems Programmer specializing in large mainframe operating systems. After obtaining her degree in Mathematics, Bonnie worked for companies such as Bank of America, Seafirst Bank, Computer Sciences Corp., Control Data Corp., Scientific Data Systems, and Ames Research Center.

Currently, Bonnie is retired from the computer field and is a fulltime musician. This includes performing in many diverse situations and performing with many other skilled musicians. It also includes studying. Bonnie is concentrating on jazz studies and has studied with highly reputable artists such as Marc Seales, Doug Miller, Randy Halberstadt, Fred Hoadley, and Marc Fendell. She has also studied with respected accordionists Ken Olendorf and Gary Dahl. Bonnie is continually attending classes and workshops to broaden her musical skills. She has a strong desire to see the accordion take it's deserved position of respect amongst other well-established instruments.