I have been asked, by PM, whether the party will be taking place.

The answer is, yes, it will happen.

It is not, yet, fully booked. So if you are interested please get in touch.

The following instruments are available:

Pianos (of course) 4 of them.
Drums
Double Bass
Guitar
Violin
Clarinet
Recorder.

Hi Philip -- which dates are you talking about? Traditionally the EPP is the first weekend in July , but you mentioned a festival that might be on a different weekend.


Plus, I think it could help people if you give more details about exactly where in Bulgaria and transport options.

Your every wish is my command:

5910 Gradishte
Levski Municipality
Pleven District
Bulgaria
N. 43.32666 E. 25.19616

Nearest main line station is Levski which is just a few miles away. Trains are available either from the Black Sea airports or from Sofia. I am about equidistant from them. There are connecting trains to the village or a taxi is good. My house is immediately opposite the village church.

The music festival is supposed to be the weekend of 8 & 9 July. Until you have heard massed Bulgarian bagpipes played by amateurs, you don't know the meaning of the word music. So let's go firm on that weekend. It really doesn't matter what day anybody wants to arrive, or leave. The ballroom will be fully in commission long before then and the music room is also available. Anybody attending can use this place as a touring base. I shall be here.

Once we have a firm list of guests, and know what people want or expect specific arrangements can be made for concurrent activities. I can get a professional pianist here fairly easily. If people want a moonlight ball that isn't a problem. Anyway this can all be discussed amongst those wanting to attend.

Unfortunately, this will be the first European Piano Party without me.

Both my sister Isabel and me are huge Harry Potter fans, and we managed to secure tickets for the theatre show "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" in London. But the only dates available for 2017 were this second July weekend.

To those who will attend: I am sure you will have a great time, and I wish you the best. And maybe we'll see each other in 2018.

Hi Philip, I'm sorry but going to Bulgaria next year is, unfortunately, out of my plans.
But I believe it will be a fantastic party as usual. Have fun everybody, and maybe I'll attend the 2018 party.

Hello Phillip, I am sorry, but we will not be able to attend in 2017 either. It is just too far for us. I will miss everyone, and I am sure it will be a fantastic party!

Seems to be me and my puppy then.

Don't give up Philip, I'll mention it in the next newsletter.

Been super busy redesigning and building the primary Piano World site (have 150+ pages built so far) so a little behind. The new site (not the forums, they are licensed) will be neater, cleaner, faster, and device responsive with more up to date content and interaction. Can't wait to launch it (hoping before the end of the year, we'll see).

And if it doesn't work out for 2017, plan another party for the future.

I don't know how many more I'll be around for, after all I officially qualified for Medicare in November (meaning I turned 65). Then again, there was The Lady in No. 6 who was still playing piano at 109, so there is always hope :-)

Kathy and I would love to see Bulgaria but I'm afraid unless our finances change it won't be in 2017.
However if you are able to put it together we will most certainly send hats and pins :-)

All the Best,
Frank B. & Kathy F.
Piano World

Not off to the happy start hoped for.
Let's see how things stand at the end of January
As it stands though, I can't see that we''ll be going.

Sorry Philip, I know you are very keen to host a party.

The party will happen.

Hi Philip, Cheryl & crew,
I'm keen on Bulgaria but won't know if I can make it till closer to the date. My circumstances have changed considerably in the past few months, some significant challenges.... but I hope to be there. Keep me posted.
CHeers and Happy New Year!
Cathryn.

Hi Philip

I might come, boyfriend and all, but it mostly depends on matters that are a little bit unclear at this point. Not to jinx it, but if everything goes as smoothly as we hope it will, I might be five or six months pregnant by July. That's a big if, but still. If that happens, possibly I'll opt not to travel abroad this summer. I'll keep an eye on this thread, though. I do not have a crystal ball, but like I said: we might be there.

That said: if my big if becomes reality, anyone here interested in coming back to Brussels this year? If so, please PM me. I don't want to hijack Philip's thread.

PM sent

Saranoya! I don't want to hijack this thread either but !!!! That is fantastic news! (Even if you're not, that you're thinking of it as "going as smoothly as you hope" brought a great big smile to my face!

I'm hoping to make it to Bulgaria, and if I do I can pop over to Brussels after :-)

big hugs,
Cathryn

I might actually consider this one. I would love to meet your Bluthner

But there are quite a few logistic issues to be solved first before I can confirm...

I would like to participate to this event but it's difficult; I could go to Lisbon in 2014 only because I combined the party with the family summer holiday (Lisbon and Algarve), and I went to Milan last year because I live at one hour train distance.
We have not yet planned family vacations this year, but we know for sure that it will be the first half of July.
It's a pity because EPP is a great event, but it's not enough to drive our family holiday.

I promise not to go to Peru this year (or ever again, until I take complete leave of my senses) so it is possible.

I will not be present. The flight's not expensive (it really isn't) but joining the party, although piano related, is not something I need to do. The EPP in Milan was an exception due to my location.

I won't play on those pianos, I won't meet the dog and the possible new people and I'll miss the music festival (that I would really love to see) but...
Books and lessons are my priority.

I wouldn't have anything new to play anyway. You won't miss much.

Furiously scouring airfares.

Well, we are now within 20 weeks of the party, so I am trying to get a few things organised.

Just as further encouragement I, today, acquired this:

SWEET!!

All the cool kids are heading to this party!!


Всички готини децата ще се България.

(Still working on AMS-SOF and alas the most difficult piece of logistics: Cat Sitter.)

My piano teacher, whom I hope you will meet in July, came from a very ordinary family. When she was a girl there was no question of her family buying a piano, but they did have a piano accordion. Apparently her father would lay on his back and hold the accordion, her mother would work the bellows and Genka, now my teacher, would practice on the keyboard.

I have booked a soloist for one evening of the party.

Brewer is presently booking the last of our travel logistics which I will PM when complete.

Finding a suitable sitter for the cats will present a significant challenge.

As per usual, I REALLY wish I could make it, but it's not going to happen this year either! I'm so sorry to be missing these parties (plus one of my favourite teachers and awesome person overall is Borislava Taneva (Bulgarian herself))...

Oh well... there's always next year...

PM sent, Nikolas.

Perhaps we could just have him kidnapped.

I have been working on the acoustics and appearance of the ballroom. It is improving every day as I get more ceiling in.

I am working on the duet I will play with Cathryn999. Right now, it could be called the "Slow Motion Polka of Death."

I know it well. I shall dance to it. It is the one that goes 10 bars and then stops dead?

As I type this the tuner is working on the last of the pianos. They will all be tuned a day or two before the actual party.

@malkin, on the slow motion polka of death are you doing the left hand or the right hand? I have been doing the right but the left looks a tad easier and I would be happy to take this option if you haven't already nabbed it for yourself :-)

I'm Segundo all the way.
Oom pah Oom pah Oom pah pah...

Sounds more like a brass band.

Trying desperately to get the ceiling fan in the ballroom fixed before the party....

Fancy bringing along a few capacitors anybody?

Little ones?
I guess a better question might be "How much mass?"

Send the specs.

I will get the fan fixed long before you come, I hope.

We routinely bring turmeric to my step-mum as she can't seem to find it in her little village. We were ready to bring buffered aspirin to my dad 5 years ago, but we forgot to pack it. He passed away, but we are still working through the aspirin.

I don't guess you'd like any out of date aspirin?

I take enteric coated aspirin as a prophylactic almost every day. (I don't take it if I am going to do anything that might cause me to bruise or cut myself that day).

I have, now, heard from Veneta regarding the recital. The easiest thing is simply to paste her message to me:

Dear Philip,

I can now confirm the programme for the recital in your house. It will be the same as my new CD's:

Johann Sebastian Bach – Prelude and Fugue in f-sharp minor, WTK II, BWV 883
Felix Mendelssohn – Song without Words, op. 30, No. 6
Franz Schubert – Impromptus op. 142, No. 1 and op. 90, No. 3
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Preludes op. 33, Nos. 4, 5, Musical Moment No. 4
Rachmaninoff-Tchaikovsky – Nursery Song
Schubert-Liszt – Ständchen and Gretchen am Spinnrade
Ferenz Liszt – Concert Etude “La Campanella”
Sergei Prokofiev – Sonata No. 3

These are twelve pieces, approximately 60 minutes in length. If you have some other ideas or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

Here you can follow the progress of the CD's making: http://neynska.com/new-cd

I think we have squeezed all the juice out of this one. So I am just posting to say we are, now, full up, if you expect accomodation.

Checked the weather:

7/4 Mostly sunny
7/5 Sunshine
7/6 Abundant Sunshine
7/7 Brilliant Sunshine
7/8 Sunny and very hot

Looking forward to hot times in Bulgaria!

Despite a run of bad luck which I had the party passed off without incident.

Glad it went well, but very sorry to hear you had bad luck.