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ACCORDIONIST NICK ARIONDO CONTINUES HIS CINEMATIC JOURNEY BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
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Nick Ariondo plays his accordian at Nicole’s Market & Café in Pasadena
Longtime music lover Ariondo was born in Pittsburgh and started private accordion lessons at age 7 under the tutelage of TV personality Mario DiNardo. As fledgling performers, Ariondo and his older brother, Anthony, began playing for church functions, fashion shows and family events in the late 1950s before traveling to the West Coast. “In the late ’50s, early ’60s, when we were little kids, my dad made the major move to the West Coast in the 1955 Ford station wagon,” he says with a laugh. “He moved out here for work. This is where I started continuing with all my accordion and music training.” At age 16, Ariondo won the virtuoso category in the Western States Accordion Festival for his performance of Liszt’s “Rhapsody Espanol.” He went on to study at Los Angeles City College, and upon graduation, he was presented the Hugo Davise Composition Award for his “String Quartet No.1.” Ariondo continued his education at California State University at Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1976 and, four years later, a Master of Arts degree in composition and performance with special emphasis toward the utilization and integration of the accordion in chamber music settings.
Photo by Luis Chavez
ick Ariondo considers himself lucky. Others may say the world-renowned accordionist’s success comes down to talent. The Glendale resident, who entertains annually on Bastille Day at Nicole’s, has a resume most musicians would envy. “I’m very fortunate,” says Ariondo, who showcases his music on YouTube at nickariondo1. “I’ve been able to do this most of my life. I do play keyboards, but predominantly, my true virtuosity is with the accordion.” The accordion, he says, takes tremendous self-discipline. That’s why the instrument is a dying art. “Nowadays, people are attached to their computers and phones,” he says. “It’s hard to get a kid to sit in the room and practice. My dad was a plasterer back east. They were artisans. He told me to sit in there and practice every day. He said to be serious about what I wanted to do so I didn’t waste anyone’s time.” In October, movie fans can hear the fruits of his labor when “Addams Family 2” hits the silver screen. He also lent his sound to the first chapter, “The Addams Family,” which featured music written by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna. “I have some other things lined up, but there are questions marks next to them,” Ariondo says. “With the pandemic, musicians are the last ones working again.”
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