Accordion
Gigi “Gee” Rabe, aka “LA’s Accordion Diva,” is of German/Chinese/Filipino descent. She holds an MA degree in Ethnomusicology from UCLA and a BM degree in Performance with an emphasis in Commercial Music from California State University, Long Beach. An accordionist since 1975, Gee has won major awards for her performance including the Accordion Federation of North America’s Virtuoso (Western classical) and Virtuoso Jazz competitions in 1984 and 1985 respectively. As a steel pannist, Gee has performed professionally since 1986 and has worked and studied with Trinidad’s famous Len “Boogsie” Sharpe and Robert Greenidge. She has also recorded for television, radio, and film. Most recently her steel drum playing can be heard on the FX mini-series “Fargo,” and can also on soundtracks to the movie “Forever Plaid,” and the cartoon series “Klutter,” along with the famous television sitcom episode of “Friends” in which Phoebe gets married. Gee has been a lecturer at California State University, Northridge since 1995, starting their steel band program, which is one of the largest steel band programs on the west coast. In addition, she taught the first online music course at CSUN. She has also taught music classes at Santa Monica College and UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology.