Quick -- name a famous American accordionist. You might have a little trouble. The accordion has a bit of an image problem here in the U.S. But next month, it gets star billing at an International Accordion Festival in San Antonio, Texas. The festival is promoting a broad array of international performers. Recently, the festival director took a trip through the Balkans to scout for talent. Reporter Matthew Brunwasser caught up with her in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Pat Jasper has traveled a long way to hear some accordion music. As director of San Antonio's International Accordion Festival - she's passionate about the instrument.

JASPER: The accordion has been very central to keeping alive the musical traditions of many communities world wide. The accordion is key to local sounds, but also global rhythms. It's a versatile instrument. The accordion can really hold its own.

She's come to Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria to find three Roma accordionists to play at the festival. Today, she's in her hotel room in Sofia, waiting for Angela Rodel, a UCLA-trained ethnomusicologist based here.

Rodel is an expert on Bulgarian folk music. Jasper is also relying on experts in Serbia and Romania to introduce her to local accordion players.

JASPER: It's wild how fast these guys play. When Florin sent me a sample, I wrote him back and said I think your MP3 has been corrupted. It's impossibly too fast. We met finally and he just laughed at me.

Jasper has come to meet with Nasho Neshev, a Bulgarian Roma who played at last years accordion festival.

She took an 11-hour train from the Romanian capital Bucharest to see Neshev. But, due to miscommunication, she's had to wait two days to catch up with him. By the time he arrives in Sophia and she arrives at his hotel, it's midnight. And she has to head back to back to Bucharest in the morning.

JASPER: Neshko good to see you. Do you remember me?

Jasper says another reason she's made the trip is simply to speak with artists in person. She's been communicating long-distance through third parties and translators and she's not sure if Neshev's been getting her messages.

JASPER: Has Yuri or Shani talked to you specifically about what I'm trying to do this year at the festival?

Neshev says that all he knows is that there is going to be an accordion festival again.

JASPER: That's what I figured.

Jasper tells him she wants him to lead a workshop of Roma music.

JASPER: You're going to be the master of ceremonies, or the elder statesman of Roma accordion music, even though you'll be working with other Roma artists. In a sense you are going to have more responsibility for figuring out how to work with these guys.

Neshev says he is completely comfortable with the idea, as he's often led other musicians, orchestras, choirs, and dancers. And he says he's never had a disaster yet.

Not exactly a disaster, but Neshev later hits a snag that's become increasingly common for international artists seeking to perform in the US. He's denied a visa. So was the Romanian accordionist whom Jasper invited. The festival will go on in October, but Jasper's Roma accordion convergence will have to wait until next year.

For the World, I'm Matthew Brunwasser, in Sofia, Bulgaria.