List, Well, we started using our new music building July 5th and everything is now pretty well all finished and running. It's WONDERFUL, especially compared to what we were in before. It's great to have a shop I can actually put a couple of pianos in to work on. Everything isn't like I want it yet, but eventually...... I got all 136 pianos tuned before the Fall semester started, with a lot of help from a couple of "associates" (thanks Danny & Les). Actually I still have a few of our "lease" pianos not tuned yet, but soon. Our new S & S 'D' and 5 B's are also here. The B's need a lot of prep yet, which the dealer is providing and I've just been putting out "brush fires" as they've come up. Once they're done and all the problems are corrected, I think they're going to be very good instruments. The 'D' sounds great in the new hall and the acoustics in the hall are wonderful and it's georgeous to look at. The shell around the stage is two-toned wood and the panels above the stage are adjustable. There's a large orchestra pit where the floor can be raised/lowered. All in all, I think it's going to be a great year. This is our grand opening week with concerts beginning Tuesday and running through next Monday (this Thursday is dark). For those interested, here is the list of concerts: Marilyn Horne, Mezzo-Soprano & the UH Orchestra John Bayless, Pianist (Rhapsody in Blue) with the UH Wind Ensemble Academy of Ancient Music - London (Vivaldi's The Four Seasons) Verdi Requiem, Robert Shaw, Conductor - with a 250 voice choir and UH Orchestra Larry Gatlin - A Salute to His Alma Mater UH Jazz Orchestra with The Three Tenors (Joe Henderson, George Coleman and Joe Lovano, Tenor Saxophone's) How's that for a variety!!!! :-) The concerts are being used for fund raising, with the cheapest ticket available to any concert being $75.00. Marilyn Horne's cheapest ticket is $500.00!! Other categories range on up to as much as $25,000.00. We can get comp tickets, of course! Sorry about being a little off-topic, but I just had to talk about it a "little". Avery ___________________________ Avery Todd, RPT Moores School of Music University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4893 713-743-3226 atodd@uh.edu http://www.uh.edu/music/
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC