In March 1998, two friends on opposite ends of the earth both said, “Paul, you need to do an accordion convention - and Las Vegas is the place.” He thought he had better listen. One of those friends is Jim Duane from Salt Lake City and the other friend, from the UK - over 7000 miles away, is Gina Brannelli.
At age 6, Paul began taking piano lessons but by age 8 asked his parents if he could play “that big thing” that Myron Floren played on TV. By the time he was in college, he was playing professionally.
Paul studied music, graphic arts, and business. In graduate school, Paul began importing and marketing electronic accordions in the United States from ELKA, in Italy. In 1987, he moved to California, joining Colombo and Sons, and in a short time he doubled their sales. He recognized then that there was room for improvement in the midi accordions being sold and began dreaming of building and marketing his own instrument.
In 1993, Paul returned home to Utah and spent two years developing and refining a state-of-the-art digital/acoustic instrument, which he christened the Concerto. The Concerto is the world’s first true digital accordion. Paul has found the time to handle all the details of presenting a top-notch international convention! Paul says, “I enjoy creating a week of fun for accordion enthusiasts the world over – it is like a family reunion each year!”