Dear Avery & Others, I thoroughly agree with your frustrations with ensembles that contractually require tuning the piano to pitch levels other than A=440; however, that being said, many of the finest ensembles in the world do tune to a higher level. Some European orchestras routinely tune to A=443 or 444. This is so routine, that I have a hunch that you are going to find little collaborative evidence that it is fundamentally harmful to the piano. If you dig in your heels, get angry, and refuse to comply, you will only make yourself more unhappy. The truth is that if you really want to do high level concert work, this goes with the territory. The most rational strategy is one that finds a way to meet the contractual requirements with the least resistance and effort, and also finds ways to compensate you or your employer for the extra effort and the wear and tear on the pianos. These ensembles are not going to change because we disapprove; and if you become stubborn and force them to use another instrument, a rental for instance, you may lose the opportunity to do concert prep for top ensembles and the artists who perform with them. Two points to ponder: All professionals have to do routine tasks that are not really fun or satisfying, and, I believe, many of the most successful professionals are those who give a high priority to "customer service" (even when, or perhaps especially when, we think the customer is unreasonable or a jerk). Regards, Charles Charles Ball, RPT School of Music University of Texas at Austin ckball@mail.utexas.edu
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