It's always a relief to find a compatible partner in the universe of piano tuning and repair. From my perspective, finding Paul Larudee, (RPT) Registered Piano Technician, meant that my Steinway M, 1917, rebuilt three times between NYC and California's Central Valley, would obtain a spot on Concert A, 440 tuning without any qualifications about… Continue reading A Piano Technician to Treasure!
Decades ago when I resided in Fresno, California, agriculture's heartland, I visited a local assisted living facility to serenade seniors. With a portable Casio digital keyboard snuggly packed into my Malibu's trunk, I headed to a rewarding lunch hour of music-making. Meticulously, I'd practiced a medley of "oldies" to please aging residents: Songs by Hoagy… Continue reading My Edvard Grieg Memoir with an unlikely framing
It took me only moments to turn back the clock to the 18th International Chopin Competition (2021) to pinpoint why I was compelled to speak up after being disappointed by the latest Third Round picks in this year's Chopin 2025 EXPO. The jury selections followed a grueling launch of 85 pianists in the First Round--whittled… Continue reading What is not right about the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland!
In 2012, when I moved from the Central Valley to California's East Bay, I knew that my transition to apartment living might need to include headphones and a partnered digital instrument. Otherwise, my neighbors might pound on thin walls when bright, resounding fortissimo's (FFs) emanated from my Steinway grand at inopportune hours. Many decades before,… Continue reading When buying a digital piano is a necessity: My memoir, and video comparison of Kawai and Roland brands.
On a weekday evening, near midnight, an e-mail from Scotland arrived that bristled with excitement. It was from a piano student who'd watched a Netflix documentary about Orin O'Brien, the first female double bassist to be hired by the New York Philharmonic. Enraptured by the story and its heartfelt message that embraced music-making in a… Continue reading The Only Girl in the Orchestra lands a deserving Oscar!
At first, I was a bit wary of an AI invasion of my remote, transmitted piano lessons. Would the Deep State snatch every last crumb of data attached to me and my adult brood? Was it the final nail in the coffin of free, unchained, libertarian, creative expression? Would teacher and pupil be subjected to… Continue reading AI-Companion comes to Zoom with a Lesson Summary
On a recent trip to Fresno, California, poignant memories of my piano-finding adventures bubbled to the surface when I met a Steinway grand sitting elegantly in my dear friend, Emily's living room. The journey was made possible by Amtrak Train 710 that shuttled me from my perch in the East Bay that had become my… Continue reading A Steinway piano mystery solved
It's been two years since I last heard Mitsuko Uchida dish up a serving of mellifluous Mozart that she tenders phrase by phrase, with nuances of pure poetry. https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2022/03/28/mitsuko-uchida-and-mozart/ 3/24/2024 Performance at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California The pianist's runs, so well-shaped, curvaceous, and keenly melodic, afford a model for students of the piano, teachers,… Continue reading Mitsuko Uchida returns to Zellerbach Hall with a feast of Mozart Piano Concerti
Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) 