About this episode

This episode features a discussion on the significance of accordions in New Mexico's culture with master Tony Tomei and apprentice Antonio Maestas.

Accordions are woven into New Mexico's soundscape—at fiestas, on plazas, and in the musical storytelling traditions that travel across generations. In this episode of Encounter Culture , host Emily Withnall talks with Tony Tomei and Antonio Maestas, a master-and-apprentice duo who completed the New Mexico Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program in 2024, focusing on accordion restoration and traditional New Mexico tunings. Tony and Antonio fell in love with the accordion in different decades and play different styles. Tony first encountered the accordion as a child in the 1950s, growing up in an ethnically diverse community where the instrument was central to social life. "And that was before the Beatles came in the sixties and basically wreaked havoc with the accordion and everybody switched over to the guitars," Tony laughs. Discover more: New Mexico Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs on YouTube Hear more on Encounter Culture: The American Mystique of the Cowboy Boot with Deana McGuffin and Jes Márquez Learn more: Hohner Albuquerque Accordion Club We'd love to hear from you! Let us know what you loved about the episode, share a personal…

People in this episode

Host: Emily Withnall

Guests: Tony Tomei, Antonio Maestas

Topics covered

• accordion restoration
• New Mexico culture
• musical traditions
• folk arts
• master-apprentice relationship

Keywords

• accordion
• New Mexico
• folk arts
• musical storytelling
• restoration
• cultural heritage
• apprenticeship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Mexico Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, Hohner, Albuquerque Accordion Club

Books & works: Encounter Culture, The American Mystique of the Cowboy Boot

Places: New Mexico

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• Excavating New Mexico's Land Grant Legacy at Cañón de Carnué with Archaeologist Kelly Jenks · January 14, 2026 · 48 min
• BONUS: Come Together Over New Mexico Culture This Winter · December 19, 2025 · 14 min
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• Everyone Wants to be Included in the Story of New Mexico: The Wonders on Wheels Mobile Museum · November 19, 2025 · 34 min

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