Concert work...

[ATodd@UH.EDU]

Richard,

   Although I am single, and don't have the family thing to really consider,
I agree with your comments. We have a fairly heavy recital schedule here and
if I attended everything that used the piano I wouldn't have much of an
outside life.
   I guess I'm lucky here. I've never been specifically asked to stay for a
recital but I usually do for faculty and guest artist piano recitals. Just in
case.
   When I first arrived on this job (in the middle of the semester) there was
no reserved tuning time before any concert and the recital hall was so
heavily booked that the only time to tune was early morning, around 7 AM.
Then the piano was used a good portion of the day, so you can imagine what
some of the recitals were like. I would try to get in right before they
opened the hall to do a little touch-up but there was never enough time.
   I got that changed the next semester to a reserved 5:30 tuning time for
a 7:30 recital time. I have to share 10-15 min. with the custodians sometime,
but overall that has worked out very well. At least it's a fresh tuning.
   I did have to do a few intermission touch-ups when I first arrived until I
finally discovered why a few strings kept going out. The strings (which were
not original) were gradually slipping out the tuning pin. After I replaced
those I rarely have had any more trouble.

Avery Todd
University of Houston
atodd@uh.edu