The beginning of Mirko Pressler’s life is reminiscent of The Sound of Music.  Mirko started to play accordion at age two but his family had to sell his little accordion to get money to flee their beloved country of Slovenia which had become part of Yugoslavia and came under communist control. The family set out climbing over the Karavank Alps ending up in Southern Austria then making their way from Austria to the United States, eventually settling in Southern California.

   Soon Mirko “Mike” had another accordion and he continued his musical studies with some of the top accordion instructors in America and the world. Mirko studied continental music under the instruction of Leo Kostka, progressing to study Classical and Jazz idioms under world-renowned instructors Tito Guidotti and Tommy Gumina. Mirko’s first television performance came in 1957 on a show called Rocket to the Stars, an early version of today’s talent shows.

   In 1964 Mirko turned professional and started to tour worldwide from Los Angeles to Sun Valley, Canada to the Grand Canyon and beyond. Mirko has been a featured soloist and has led his own orchestra. He has played restaurants, nightclubs, ski resorts and has been the featured performer at many an Octoberfest, with a musical repertoire that includes American Standards, Musicals, Light Rock and European Folk, making Mirko a favorite of all age groups.

   Mirko continues to give back to the music he loves by tutoring, teaching and conducting studios as well as master classes.