CNFA Coupe Mondiale organizer Frederic Deschamps (pictured right) welcomed more than 700 people to the Salle des Capucins in Pontalier for the Opening Concert of the 57th Coupe Mondiale. Welcome speeches were given by the Mayor of Pontarlier Mr. Patrick Genre (left) and the CIA President Kevin Friedrich (center).

The concert opened with a superb performance by The 'K' Trio who were making their European debut concert tour. The "K" Trio (Mary Kasprzyk Tokarski, Julie Kasprzyk Cardona and Walter Kasprzyk) performed nationwide in competitions and concerts as youngsters. As young adults, life moved them to different areas of the United States however after 25 years apart, they all relocated to Connecticut again, and soon after began performing as The "K" Trio.

Both Julie and Mary represented the USA in previous Coupe Mondiale Competitions. Julie represented the United States in Holland (1967-3rd place), England (1968-2nd place) and New York City (1969-4th place) and Mary represented the United States in the CIA Coupe Mondiale in Belgium (1971) and France (1973). Walter captured the Connecticut State Championship Title in 1966, 1967 and 1968, and went on to be a contender for the United States Championship many times thereafter.

The "K" Trio delighted the Pontarlier audience with their program of light classics and were called back for an encore. The capacity audience were shown why The "K" Trio has been described as three world-class musicians with the technical precision of the Juilliard String Quartet and the universal appeal of the Boston Pops.

In addition to their concert in France at the Coupe Mondiale and addition European concerts in Switzerland and Germany, The 'K' Trio has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

To finish the first part of the concert, Alexander Poeluev of Russia, a student at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow, performed a classical program including the popular Don Rhapsody composed by his teacher, Mr. Viatcheslav Semionov. Alexander was the grand winner of the 2002 CIA Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships hosted by the Danske Harmonikaspilleres Landsforbund (DHL) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Alexander became the first contestant to ever win two categories in the same year - the "Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships" and "International Competition for Piano Accordion".

Renowned for his superb control and musical style, Alexander has been invited for concert tours by many CIA member nations including the Australian Accordion Teachers Association (AATA), the New Zealand Accordion Association (NZAA) the Danske Harmonikaspilleres Landsforbund (DHL) in Denmark, and both the American Accordionists' Association (AAA) and the Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International (ATG) in the United States prior to this apperance for the Confédération Nationale Française de L'Accordéon (CNFA) in Pontarlier.

Each a master soloist, placing First and Second as fellow contestants at the Coupe Mondiale, the two are also very good friends from childhood, and together, make one of the most outstanding Bayan duos of today!

Both students of Viatcheslav Semionov at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow, the two were born in Surgut, Siberia. Friends and duo partners from childhood, the two have grown to form a duo so tight, that it can be easily seen that the two, while having different personalities, 'think' together.

Paying close attention to the control of their sound, the two are exceptionally artistic and musical. Combined with their superb technique and sometimes mischievous nature, the two form an exciting world class duo.

Their broad range of repertoire allow them to showcase the beautiful tonal qualities inherent in the broad dynamic range of the instrument, their sometimes light hearted nature as well as their expert control, technical virtuosity and musicality. The duo were asked back to the stage for several encores.

A talented performer in both Virtuoso and Classical styles, it the Virtuoso style that keeps Jérôme in demand performing around the world. Jérôme (in addition to Alexander Poeluev) is the only other double CIA competition winner (Coupe Mondiale and Virtuoso Entertainment in separate years). His performance highlighted his flawless and effortless technical ability with his popular and appealing program.

After several solo numbers, Jérôme was joined by guitarist Jeff Rossi featuring his "Jazzy Duo". The "Jazzy Duo" have been invited to appear at next years (2005) ATG festival in the United States.

The Grand Opening Gala Concert concluded with a reception given by the city officials for the visiting Delegates, artists, jury and guests from around the world.