Once a month, PianoWorks will be choosing a piano from the showroom floor or from our very own restoration shop in the basement. We will be sharing information and photos of the piano, as well as answer any questions you may have about the piano.
Hailun Pianos are known among the finest sounding, best engineered and best crafted instruments from the east. Hailun Chen lead the company in China for over 20 years and only accepts the best from his company. PianoWorks carries Hailun Pianos and we’re currently featuring the 218 and the R178B.
The Hailun 218 is a lot of piano for the price. The semi concert grand sells for the mid $20,000′s, while a comparable piano in different brand would sell for thousands more. Recently, PianoWorks sold a Hailun 198 to the Atlanta International School for its value.
This piano, designed by Stephen Paulello, who is a university professor of piano and chamber music. Paulello also completed his education as a piano technician with Bechstein and Steinway & Sons and was in charge of concert service for Bechstein in Paris, then spend time in Germany working on this piano building skills.
The 178B has an uncommon style with the Bird’s Eye Maple accents. It has a great sound and a European Design.
If you would like more information on Hailun Pianos or any other pianos, check out our website.
Everyone needs a little Chopin in their day. Check out the video from Sarzynski’s concert.
Once a month, we will be discussing the Products and Brands that PianoWorks currently carries. We will highlight the pianos we have in the showroom along with a little company information.
This is the slogan Mr. Whilhelm Schimmel built his entire piano business. That little piano business, started in 1885 in Leipzig, Germany, is now four generations strong, and the Schimmel family is building some of the world’s finest pianos.
The second generation in the Schimmel family was Wilhelm Arno who took over management in 1927. He relocated the company to Braunschweig, where Schimmel is now located. Later, Nikolaus Wilhelm took over management and really focused on expanding the Schimmel brand. Over 20 years, Nikolaus developed the Konzert Series, which was the key to their current position in the piano market. In 2003, Hannes Schimmel-Vogel took over management and developed the Konzert Series even more with the Vogel.
The Schimmel Sons aren’t the only generations in the company. Many of the factory workers are sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of factory workers from the early Schimmel years. These workers have been known as fine craftsmen and the “masters of good tone.” Some of these workers are the artists that create the instrumental timbre, that is formed by extensive needling, which is needed several hundred times per hammer. This requires a well-trained ear, and cannot be replaced by machine. In addition, over 10,00 metal, wood and felt elements make up a Schimmel keyboard and action. All elements of each instrument must all be meticulously synchronized with exact precision: from the fitting of the strings, the positioning of the hammer-heads and the regulation of the action to the fine art of tuning and voicing.
In 2010 Schimmel Pianos celebrated their 125th anniversary. Schimmel pianos are well-known for being the largest company in Europe, as well as winning several awards across the country. A few weeks ago, PianoWorks had a visit from Glenn Clutter, Director of Sales and Promotions of Schimmel Pianos.
Recently, PianoWorks had a visit from Glenn Clutter, Director of Sales and Promotions for Schimmel Pianos. His favorite part about working for Schimmel is the people he works with every day.
“My favorite part about working for Schimmel is the people who purchase the pianos and the people who sell the pianos,” said Clutter. “It’s a very loyal business, and they’re proud to sell and proud to own a Schimmel.”
On their newest pianos, Schimmel stamps the brand name and factory location on every piano. Clutter says this is a something Schimmel is proud to do.
“Our pianos are really made in Germany,” said Clutter. “We’re so proud of that we display the city, country and our name on every piano.”
PianoWorks is the Authorized Schimmel Piano dealer for Georgia. For more information on our Schimmel pianos, click here.
Saturday, April 16, at 7:00 pm, PianoWorks will be hosting Whisperings Radio Artists David Nevue, Jeff Smith and Joe Bongiorno in concert.
Tickets will be $20 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets are available at PianoWorks, online or by calling the 24/7 Brown Paper Tickets Hotline at 800.838.3006.
I quit my classical piano training at age eleven, seeking a more glamorous life as a professional athlete. I still hear my father’s words ringing clearly in my head “someday you’ll thank me” referring to the childhood piano training I so gladly abandoned. An eighth grade football knee injury eventually proved detrimental to my childhood dream. Oh well!
High school brought new experiences, forming the band LIXX with a couple buddies with rock star ambitions. I grew my hair, sported parachute pants, bought a synthesizer with my neighborhood lawn mowing cash, & jammed to 80′s tunes on LPs. Spending Friday nights at band practice and Saturdays gigging parties & dances, memories were definitely made!
Graduating high school in ’87 brought an element of retreat from the Chicago “big city” life… venturing out west with my mother & siblings to San Juan Island, Washington. Culture shock took hold, while nature and quiet times prevailed. My composing was born, as was my beautiful daughter Taylor. I endeavored to start my own recording studio & bought all the toys. Mellow Sounds Studio opened on San Juan Island in ’93, a popular haven for the island’s many singer-songwriters and folk music artists. My buddy & talented guitarist/songwriter Tom Henry taught me how to listen and mix and the islanders now had a place to record.
My first release was “Ancient Sky” in ’94, an eclectic electronic blend of New Age piano, Native American influences (always a fav!) and even cutting edge rock instrumentals (starring Tom)… I was still wandering a bit musically, obviously! Engineering & producing other artists was relatively short lived, but a priceless experience. Realizing that a musical career would be forever limited on the island, I moved to Seattle in ’97.
At age 28, a trip back to Chicago to visit Dad lead me to meet my second cousin Joann Bongiorno, a classical piano virtuoso whom I had only heard stories about. I sat down at her Baldwin baby grand & something special happened. No, I didn’t perform magically for her (acoustic piano was a bit foreign to me at that time), but I was enamored by the power, simplicity, and enchanting sound of the instrument as a solo. From that day forward, my synthesizers began to acquire dust as I played my new Yamaha U1 upright acoustic piano. A few months later I focused in on an album project, rented a grand, crammed it into my basement and spent three weeks diligently practicing & recording. “At Peace” ~ solo piano was released in February 2001. The support for this CD was and still is surprising, if not stunning. I give great thanks to all who gave to it!
Life got busier, busier and busier. Taylor blossoming into a young lady, my career developing rapidly… life just seemed to get a bit more complicated each day. Retreats to the piano were much harder to come by. Compositions came together, but sometimes over periods of months. My ability to visualize and memorize carried me through these times, musically. I managed to abstain from reading or writing music with my sole intent being to improvise and create.
In 2002 I bought a baby grand, a Mahogany Kawai KG-2D. My 17 years in the restaurant business had brought me a handsome salary with a great company. The more I played & composed, I longed more & more for a new CD to hand to my family, friends, & handful of fans. My good friend and fellow pianist Joe Yamada put his home and glorious Kawai RX-7 concert grand at my disposal and I dove in head first. My second release “Destined“~ solo piano was released in April ‘04. It continues to receive heavy airplay at www.solopianoradio.com with “Just for You”, “Chasing the Wind” & “To Be Held” all hitting #1 on the listener charts! The success of this CD brought new & wonderful opportunities, including numerous concert performances for Solo Piano Radio as well as putting me in “high demand” status as a Seattle wedding pianist.
In May, 2006 I bought my dream piano, my very own Kawai RX-7 concert grand, fulfilling my dream of recording and producing my music from home. A whole new set of music channeled through my fingertips and evolved into my third CD release, “Somewhere Within” – solo piano in August ’07. It quickly became an iTunes Top 100 New Age album & was nominated for Best Solo Piano CD of 2007 by Whisperings Solo Piano Radio & received a “Reviewer’s Pick” from Kathy Parsons of Mainly Piano. It too continues to receive radio airplay world-wide.
Later that year I made my “personal” studio available to all, opening Piano Haven Recording Studio in suburban Seattle. An opportunity to share my good fortune with other composers… and record they have! David Nevue, Louis Landon, Christine Brown, Greg Maroney & Steven Cravis, just to name a few…
On June 25th 2010, I “retired” from my 25 years in the restaurant biz to focus completely on my music. Some say I’m crazy, some say I’m their hero. All I can tell you is that I feel great & the music is flowing like never before.
“A Candlelight Christmas” is my most recent endeavor & was awarded Christmas & Holiday album of the Year (2010) at SoloPiano.com… what an honor! This was a much more difficult project than I expected. Taking tunes that “aren’t mine” & “making them mine” is something I’m not used to doing. It took alot more time and effort than I had planned, but I am extremely proud of it : )
Currently, I’m working on another original CD release for Spring of 2011. I am currently hosting regular Whisperings concerts at my Piano Haven Studio & broadcasting them on the internet right here at my site. I am also performing in-home concerts around the country. Is your home available? details on that right HERE.
Saturday, April 16, at 7:00 pm, PianoWorks will be hosting Whisperings Radio Artists David Nevue, Jeff Smith and Joe Bongiorno in concert.
Tickets will be $20 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets are available at PianoWorks, online or by calling the 24/7 Brown Paper Tickets Hotline at 800.838.3006.
The album “A Place Called Home” marks the musical return of one of today’s most gifted pianists and composers.
Heralded as a prodigy, Jeff Smith began composing and playing the piano at age two and performing publically at age eight. Jeff has performed on radio and television and throughout the U.S. and Europe. Highlights of his performing career include an orchestral debut in Philadelphia at age 12, performing the Grieg Piano Concerto, and a European tour at age 16 as featured soloist in the Beethoven Chorale Fantasia. His many performances include those at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York City, and the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, Germany. Jeff holds a Masters degree and Doctoral studies from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland where he studied with pianists Walter Hautzig and Ann Schein. Jeff also studied with Leon Fleisher as a student in Fleisher’s weekly masterclass. His early teachers included Paul Hofreiter (a student of Vincent Persichetti and Roger Sessions at the Julliard School) and David Sokoloff (a student of Leo Ornstein and Joseph Hoffman at the Curtis Institute of Music).
In recent years Jeff’s performance style has focused primarily on original Classical/New Age and Contemporary piano music. Active as a composer as well as recitalist, Jeff has composed works for television, radio, and film. Works include instrumental music written and recorded for the Madacy Music Group which has been included on over 25 CDs, including compact discs for Thomas Kinkade and others. Eleven of Jeff’s songs were awarded the honor of being included in Madacy’s “Top 20 – Best of Relaxation” album and numerous pieces have been in the EZ- Tracks.com top 10 Nature Songs for well over 5 years. Jeff has also composed music for the television shows “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light” as part of the Grammy Award winning “Radio Theater Group”.
Jeff’s most recent album, “A Place Called Home” represents a return to his greatest musical love: composing at the piano. Inspired by David Nevue and the “Whisperings” collective of pianists, Jeff set out to compose his first ever solo piano album. Jeff writes: “My desire was to allow God to create through me a collection of pieces that would capture the longing of every heart for a place of peace and rest”. ”A Place Called Home” has been nominated for the 2010 Whisperings “Album of the Year”.
Selections from the album can be heard on the Whisperings broadcast at www.solopianoradio.com . The Whisperings collective includes today’s best pianist/composers and has attracted well over one million monthly listeners worldwide.
Saturday, April 16, at 7:00 pm, PianoWorks will be hosting Whisperings Radio Artists David Nevue, Jeff Smith and Joe Bongiorno in concert.
Tickets will be $20 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets are available at PianoWorks, online or by calling the 24/7 Brown Paper Tickets Hotline at 800.838.3006.
David Nevue (pronounced NEV-Yoo) is a self-taught pianist who resides in Eugene, Oregon. He has been involved in the arts as a writer, actor, musician and performer since his youth. In 1992, David released his first album of piano works called “The Tower,” written as a soundtrack for one of his short stories. In the years since, he has released nine other albums including his most recent, “Adoration,” released in 2007, which rose to #1 on the New Age Reporter radio charts. David’s 2005 CD release, “Overcome”, won the title “Best Instrumental Piano Album of 2005″ at the Lifestyle Music Awards.
David’s neoclassical piano stylings reflect his wide musical influences, which include Clannad, Chopin, Pink Floyd, Rachmaninoff, Renaissance, George Winston and Rush. David’s music also reflects his love of literature, quoting numerous influences from C.S. Lewis to The Bible. David’s artistry is demonstrated not only in his music, but in his thematic approach to each album. Rather than creating collections of unrelated compositions, David treats each individual work as but one chapter in a much bigger story that stirs the imagination and carries the listener to a gratifying conclusion.
Today, David promotes his music almost exclusively via the Internet. He is the author of “How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet,” the founder of The Music Biz Academy, an online resource for musicians, and the program director for the immensely popular Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio. David also tours three or four times a year, and has performed concerts with David Lanz, Wayne Gratz, Peter Kater, Suzanne Ciani and dozens of other pianists.
David’s music can be heard on over 220 radio programs world-wide. To learn more about David, visit his website, Twitter or Facebook.
Last Sunday, March 27th, I attended an extraordinary concert at Spivey Hall. The concert was conceived less than 10 days prior, and so many worked tirelessly to arrange and promote this benefit concert on such short notice. PianoWorks graciously provided the concert instrument, a Bosendorfer model 280, to be used both in support of Hilary’s violin and in Valentina’s solo work. The entire event came together fabulously, and over $17,000 was raised to benefit the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund of Direct Relief International. They were originally supposed to be on tour in Japan when it was canceled due to the tragedy there. A Japanese representative was present to thank the audience and receive personal messages of prayer and hope for the people of Japan.
My first instrument was the violin, and I was looking forward to seeing Hilary Hahn perform again, but for me a first time at Spivey Hall and especially with Valentina. She was outstanding. My favorite was a piece new to me by Fritz Kreisler. Her superior technique coaxes the most from her instrument and Valentina gently supported her on the Bosendorfer. It speaks to the quality of their shared performance that the piano almost disappeared, only refocusing attention to Hilary.
Valentina’s first solo was Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and the familiar piece gave way to my own reverie. I silently cheered for Spivey’s audience to allow this piece to be played so intimately. However, I was beginning to fear if the piano would ever come to life, to be tested for its other qualities. Thankfully, I was next treated to a roaring rendition of Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu. Such a performance; first came the appreciation of a finer aspects and then came the “wow!” The night continued on to much applause.
The pair are next headed to Europe where I recommend any who can to set aside time for this concert. For me, it is a memory that will last. If you would like to continue your support for relief efforts in Japan, go here.
Once a month, PianoWorks will be choosing a piano from the showroom floor or from our very own restoration shop in the basement. We will be sharing information and photos of the piano, as well as answer any questions you may have about the piano.
As a new arrival to PianoWorks, this Estonia Studio Grand has made quite an entrance. Made in 2000, this Model 168 grand made of polished Bubuinga and is 5’6″ long.
This piano has been lightly used over the years and comes with the original cover, key and warranty documents. Though the documents are no longer valid, it shows the piano was well taken care of and is in great shape.
This piano has a Renner action and has a great European sound. It doesn’t sound like most pianos, but has a nice clean sound. It’s a great purchase for anyone looking for a great instrument with a unique great look. In fact, this great look is so unique that there are less than 50 pianos like this one ever made.
But this old style hand built piano comes at a price. You can be the owner of the Bubuinga Estonia Studio Grand for $14,285. For more info and a few more pictures check out our website.
As many organizations are raising money for the victims of the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami, PianoWorks is doing their part. PianoWorks is co-sponsoring, as well as providing the piano for, the Japan Relief Concert on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 3:00 PM at Spivey Hall on Clayton State University in Morrow, GA. The concert will feature violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Valentina Lisitsa. Tickets are $75 with all proceeds benefitting Direct Relief International’s Japan Relief and Recovery Fund. Don Bennett, owner of PianoWorks is happy to provide the piano for the concert.
“Valentina is such a delight, and she is truly spectacular,” says Bennett. “We’re happy to help her out any time she needs our assistance.”
Lisitsa and Hahn’s goal is to bring the music community together to raise funds. Click here for tickets to Spivey Hall.
“Playing fundraising concerts is the very least we could do to help,” says Lisitsa. “We don’t have any particular goal in mind, we are just trying to make it easier for people to come together and help as a community.”
The piano provided for the concert by PianoWorks is a Bosendorfer model 280 Concert Grand.
Hahn and Lisitsa will be performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Spring” Sonata in F major, plus additional works for violin and piano by Fritz Kreisler, Sergei Prokofiev and other composers.
PianoWorks presents Christopher Sarzynski in concert on Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. Sarzynski will be preforming a concert in honor of the recent 200th birthday of Fryderyk Chopin. Sarzynski will also perform works by Claude Debussy and Sergei Rachmaninov.
Sarzynski began his music studies at the age of eight and made his concert debut at 13. At 15 he made his orchestral debut playing Grieg’s Piano Concerto. In the United States, Sarzynski has studied under John Adams, Marti Turner, Jose Ramos Santana, Imogene Cooper and Betty Nolting. In 2008, he was the winner of the Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta Scholarship. The winnings included three weeks at the Sommeracademie Mozarteum, Salzburg studying with Andrzej Jasinski, Robert Levin, Rolf Plagge and Sergej Dorensky. In addition, Sarzynski has performed in collaboration with other musicians, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
The April program will include music by Fryderyk Chopin as well as Clude Debussy and Sergei Rachmaninov. The Sonata by Rachmaninov, orginally written in 1913, caused much angst for the composer, and in 1931, he recompsed the work. Sarzynski will be performing a version that combines both the orgional and the revisded works.
PianoWorks presents Christopher Sarzynski
Sunday, April 10, 2011
3:00 p.m.
This is a FREE concert
Program
Ondine…..Claude Debussy
Etudes…..Fryderyk Chopin
Op. 10, #12
Op. 25, #6
Op. 10, #1
Ballade, Op. 52…..Fryderyk Chopin
Scherzo, Op. 20…..Fryderyk Chopin
Mazurkas…..Fryderyk Chopin
Op. 24, #1, 2, 4
Sonata, Op. 36…..Sergei Rachmaninov
1913/1931
For a map, directions of other information go to www.pianoworks.com or call (770) 623-0683.
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