In Memoriam

Aart in America Piano Services aartinamerica at optonline.net
Sun Jun 15 13:07:26 MDT 2008


I have just learned this very sad news of Kalman Detrich's untimely 
passing.
Kalman was my outstanding teacher and mentor.
I will always be grateful to Kalman, for sharing his world of knowledge 
and passion for the piano with me,
and for the career I now have in piano technology.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for his loving family.  He will be 
greatly missed.

Sincerely,
Aart Markenstein

Aart in America Piano Services
Hoboken, N.J.  07030
201 406 2594
aartinamerica at optonline.net


On Jun 12, 2008, at 12:14 PM, Gerald Cousins wrote:

>>
>> New York City Piano Technicians Guild, Chapter 101 suffered a heavy 
>> and sad loss with the unexpected and sudden passing of long time 
>> member Kalman Detrich on June 8, 2008.  Kalman was an icon and 
>> national treasure of the piano business community, not only an 
>> important and active member of our chapter but a man whom our members 
>> and the community admired and respected.
>> Elegant, affable, sophisticated and gracious, Kalman was a man of 
>> prodigious talents.  He loved teaching and bringing knowledge to 
>> students of piano technology. Dedicated to the preservation and 
>> knowledge of American piano making history, he founded the Museum of 
>> the American Piano.
>> Kalman's piano store, rebuilding service, and museum was a fixture on 
>> piano row for many years in the heart of midtown Manhattan.  Known 
>> for his eclectic collection of rare and unusual pianos, he would go 
>> into great detail explaining their history and design.  His employees 
>> were all loyal to him and he acquired staff that had worked for other 
>> dealers and manufacturers who stayed with him for years until his 
>> eventual retirement.  These observations demonstrate the kind of man 
>> Kalman Detrich was.
>> Kalman was a musician, yoga practitioner, educator, art collector, 
>> and purveyor for antique and early American pianos who dedicated most 
>> of his  teaching the craft of piano technology and preserving the 
>> history of pianos with his Museum of the American Piano.  His museum 
>> would later move to a downtown location, however , after the World 
>> Trade Center tragedy on 9/11, Kalman was forced to move.  He closed 
>> the museum and continued his school for piano technology, offering 
>> high level training to technicians and refinishers.  One of my 
>> assistants I had the privilege of working with and training attended 
>> Kalman's school and came into the company with a high level of 
>> understanding and skill.
>> Kalman was my friend and mentor since my arrival to New York City in 
>> 1982.   I have always admired and respected his philosophy in life, 
>> business, human relations, work ethic, and pianos.  He was an avid 
>> pilot and traveled with his wife all over the world, constantly 
>> deciding what unknown corner of the world he would go to next.  You 
>> could find him observing a tennis match in Forest Hills or a car race 
>> at the track in Pennsylvania. Kalman was a true Renaissance man. He 
>> will be missed, but will be remembered and cherished in the memories 
>> of all who knew him.  In addition to his wife, Letty, he is survived 
>> by his children, Dora Detrich, and Tamas Detrich, both of Stuttgart, 
>> Germany; a brother Ernie Detrich of Budapest, Hungary; a sister, 
>> Kaiti Tako of Arizona, and two grandchildren Sandor and Roman 
>> Detrich.
>>  
>> Please visit WWW.KalmanDetrich.com for more information.
>>  
>> Arlan Harris, RPT
>> President-Chapter 101-NYC
>>
>> Forwarded by: Gerry Cousins,RPT
>> cousins_gerry at msn.com
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