Lou Coppola – AAA US Virtuoso Champion in the 1950s is still making great musicsix decades later

By Joan Grauman, AAA Archivist

I would like to begin bysaying how very fitting andextraordinary it is to haveLou Coppola and hisdelightful Stereo Stringsserenading us this Saturdaynight at the banquetce l eb r a t i ng the 75 t h

anniversary of the AAA. Lou was the first person towin the AAA’s US Virtuoso

Competition four times, taking his first trophy when hewas 15 years old. His last first place status, at the ageof 18, was his ticket for entrance into the CoupeMondiale. Lou was the first AAA US VirtuosoChampion to be sent to thisrenowned internationalclassical accordion solocompetition (the ATG sentJoan C. Sommers the sameyear, another first). Theyear was 1955 and the eventwas being held in Brighton,England. This was anexciting moment for theAAA! Lou did not takehome the first place trophy,but his skills were highlypraised by the judges and the audiences in England. Lou came home from this exhilarating experiencedetermined that he would spend his life as anaccordionist, and he has certainly done just that. Hisincredible skills, warmth and musical interpretationshave pleased audiences through the decades, all over theworld, whether playing as a soloist, with the US AirForce Strolling Strings, or with his Stereo Strings. Sincehis teen years, Lou has been an active supporter of theAAA and we are so pleased to have him as a featuredperformer at our 75 anniversary celebration!th

Growing Up in Bridgeport, Connecticut

A bet with his mother changed Lou’s life forever. Amember of a music-loving Italian family, Lou had takena couple of lessons from his mother on the piano and afew from his father on banjo and mandolin. But this 11year old boy much preferred playing baseball outsideevery day instead of being inside practicing music. One

day, recognizing unique skills in her son, Lou’s motherapproached him. “I want you to take accordion lessonsfor one month. If you don’t enjoy it, you can quit, andyou will never have to study music again.” Lou agreedto this bet to please his mother. He was brought to thestudio of the highly regarded accordion instructor, RudyMolinaro. With Rudy’s skillful coaching and talent forbonding with young people, the month turned into years, and playing the accordion became his lifelongvocation and avocation. Lou reverently credits Rudyfor his outstanding training that has served him so wellduring his extraordinary career.

Rudy Molinaro’s studio was a home away from homefor the kids in the Bridgeport area in those days. AAAPresident, Linda Soley Reed, also studied with Rudyand shared her memories of young Lou:

“Each year, Rudy would leave during the summermonths and go back to Italy to visit family and do sometouring. He left all of us in the hands of the slightlyolder, more seasoned students - in particular, LouCoppola. My mother used to complain, ‘I hate payingsome kid to give you lessons.’ But I could hardly waitfor Rudy to leave so I could con Lou into giving me allof the advanced pieces that Rudy felt I wasn't quiteready for - but at the age of 11, I thought I could do itall. And Lou was so adorable in those days -- not thathe isn't still adorable!

When Lou received the position with the US Air ForceBand, we were all so proud. To Rudy, that was theepitome of his own career - a student leading the US AirForce Strolling Strings. Rudy carried that famous"Camelot" photo of the Stereo Strings at the WhiteHouse performing for President and Jackie Kennedywith him always. In case anybody missed the article,Rudy always had a copy of it tucked away in hispocket. “

The US Air Force Strolling Strings

After Lou returned from England, he settled intoteaching at Rudy’s studio, performing locally andpreparing for college. Lou was the first accordionist tobe accepted by the New England Conservatory of Musicin Boston, Massachusetts. However, he never ended upgoing to the college. There was an opening for an

Lou Coppola at age 18, 1955

accordionist with the US Air ForceBand in Washington, DC and Rudyurged Lou to audition. “You’lltravel the world,” Rudy told hisprotégé.

On October 23, 1956, Lou wasaccepted into this most exclusivegroup of instrumentalists in the USAir Force Band: the accordionists.Rudy’s prediction came true. Loutraveled the world during his 28 yeartenure with the Air Force StrollingStrings. Lou, who earned the distinction of being the

first non-string playerto become non-c o m m i s s i o n e dofficer-in-charge ofthe US Air ForceStrings, took this elitegroup of musiciansall over Europe andAsia frequently. TheStrings performed formilitary audiences,

for kings, queens, sultans and heads of state, but hismost memorable experience was having the opportunityto perform for nine US Presidents at the White House. The Strings performed for State Dinners and officialparties many times a year. “I will always treasure theunique memories of those evenings. One of my prizedpossessions is the photo taken by Jackie Kennedy in theWhite House private quarters. It was very late after aformal dinner when I found myself in the middle of animpromptu performance of the Mendelssohn ViolinConcerto 3 movement with Isaac Stern and Leonardrd

Bernstein, when Mrs. Kennedy took the picture. It ishanging in my office and always will!”

And in his “spare” time…

Lou’s Air Force trips werefrequent, rehearsals weredaily, and yet Lou and histhen wife, award-winningaccordionist Rose-MarieBruno Coppola, somehowfound the time to open anaccordion school in theirh o m e . B o t h w e r econscientious teachers andmany of their students wonmajor competitions, includingtheir two sons, Kevin andJohn. AAA Governing Boardmember, Dr. Robert YoungMcMahan, was not only oneof Lou’s best students, he wasalso his first student in theWashington, DC area.

In 1960, Lou, Rose-Marieand Carmelo Pino foundedthe Accordion Association ofMetropolitan Washington. The group, whose memberswere mostly Washington andBaltimore area accordionteachers, held monthlymeetings and hosted a largeannual competition. Theybrought in accordioncelebrities to perform andjudge - including AAAfounders, Charles Magnante

and Joe Biviano, as well as Maddalena Belfiore, JulieKasprzyk Cardona, Addie Cere and others.

Lou and Rose-Marie alsofounded Strolling StringsAssociates, Washington,DC’s premier string bookingagency. They employedhundreds of musicians formany years, performing awide variety of engagementsfor top corporations. Louwent on to found “StereoStrings”, which he continuesto operate today. StereoStrings opened the Ronald

CMSgt Lou Coppola

During the Kennedy administration, this photo was featured on thecover of Life magazine

Lou & Rose-Marie Coppolawith sons, John (l) & Kevin (r)

Lou with Austria’s Maria vonTrapp

Reagan Airport with 28 violins, playing for Senators,Congressmen and numerous business leaders at a seateddinner. It was an historic event! The Stereo Stringsplayed weekly at the Fort Myer Officers’ Club inVirginia for 44 years as well as the Bolling Officers’Club in Washington, DC for 28 years.

What is Lou doing these days?

In the spring of 2012, much to Lou’s surprise, he wasinvited by George Mason University’s musicdepartment chairman to teach a course in strolling stringmusic at the college. Lou happily accepted thechallenge. By the fall semester, he had structured andwas teaching, in a formal course setting, a collegecourse for strolling strings. It was a new world for theseyoung music majors. They had to learn chartmemorization, choreography strategy, execute ensembleelements and the importance of a wide smile! Theuniversity was thrilled with their inaugural performanceat the “Opera Night” dinner.

Lou accepted anotherchallenge this pastspring. At the urging ofhis friend Joan, heplayed his first soloconcert in 56 years forthe very fortunatem e m b e r s o f t h eW a s h i n g t o nMetropolitan AccordionSociety (WMAS). Theexcitement in the roomwas like nothing we hadever seen. Lou’s entire concert was pure magic! Youcan hear his solos and his lovely medleys with theStereo Strings from this event by going to YouTube andtyping “Lou Coppola” in the Search box.

If you are visiting the Washington, DC area, you shoulddefinitely plan aSunday brunch att h e b e a u t i f u lGaylord ConferenceCenter at NationalH a r b o r n e a rA l e x a n d r i a ,Virginia, where Louperforms and strollsweekly with aviolinist and a bassplayer.

Lou and the AAA

The AAA has been a partof Lou’s life since he firstpicked up the accordion. He participated in theirannual competitions and,as previously mentioned,was the first accordionistto win four nationalchampionships. Lou hasbeen an adjudicator and hehas been the unofficial“AAA staff photographer”for decades. Through hisspecial association withthe AAA, he has also made many lifelong friendships. In Lou’s own words:

“I credit the AAA for enabling me to reach and surpassmany of my goals. The solid support and continualinterest in my progress as a youth has contributedsubstantially to who I am today. I look back and realizethat, through the years, the resources of this greatorganization have been a tremendous asset to mydevelopment as a music professional. Theadministrators, adjudicators, colleagues and friends ofthis group were, and are, very important to me! I wouldnot be the same player or person without all of you. You have a special place in my heart. Thank you,AAA!”

A special thank you to Lou from the author

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Lou for the hours andhours he put in helping me gather photographs andhistorical information on the AAA when I took the jobas the Archivist. I cannot imagine how I would havedealt with this enormous undertaking if I didn’t havehim helping me every step of the way. Aside from myhusband, no onesupports me andmy musical effortsfor the AAA andWMAS more thanLou. I appreciateh i s s u p p o r t ,encouragemen tand friendshipmore than he willever know.

Lou and son, John, perform atWMAS in May 2013

Lou and the Stereo Strings at the GaylordConference Center

Maddalena Belfiore and Lou playan impromptu duet following acompetition in New Jersey, 1955

Mary Tokarski, Lou and Joan Grauman atGaylord Conference Center, 2011