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Learning a little about me is easy...

http://www.pianoworld.com/aboutus.htm

Beyond what I've posted on the About Us page, I recently moved from Connecticut (northeast U.S. for those of you not from the area) to South West Florida.

Actually I started on the east coast of Florida (Pompano Beach), but moved to the west coast of FL about 2 years ago.

I now live in a 55+ mobile home park in Largo, FL.
Actually a very nicely appointed park, and thanks to my girlfriend Kathy (you'll meet her on the tour) my home is pretty comfy (after MUCH work).

I am looking forward to the European tour more than you can imagine.
For one thing, I get to pick out my new baby grand piano just before we go to Germany!

But on top of that excitement, I can't wait to see Europe. Never been overseas.
I love architecture, old buildings, history, music, food, and people.
And to make it even better, not only is my girlfriend Kathy joining me, but my sister and my brother-in-law have decided to take the plunge.

They weren't going to do it, finances and the economy being what they are and them being retired. But they love to travel and finally couldn't resist any longer.

I'm probably going to be on overload in Europe and may never want to come back to the States.
Hey, I can run Piano World from anywhere as long as I have a good high speed Internet connection :-)

Enough about me, tell us about you.

I am Kathy McAuliffe, a hospital staff nurse who works evening shift. I have always loved music. My fantasy job is to play in a symphony orchestra(for pay). I play flute in a community band on Saturady mornings and that feels like heaven on Earth. I also play piano, and started with a teacher in January. I love the history of the composers and I have always wanted to visit Germany and Vienna. I would like to see the cemetary in Vienna, and check out the Bach museum in Liepzig. Finally, I love adventure, the unexpected, and I love to laugh and have fun. I can't wait to meet all you other music-lovers.

I guess with the name Lilylady, you have figured out that I am a gardener! I have a collection of 1000 named daylily cultivars and have even introduced a few myself. Just a little obsessed, huh?

Music was my first love. And it may be my last. In the meantime, antiques and gardens became my passions. I figure that on this trip I get to indulge in them all! A couple of years ago I purchased an Mason Hamlin after visiting the factory there. I hope this doesn't mean that I will soon own a Steinway H, a Bluthner, a Bosie and a Steingraeber! As it is, the MH barely fits!

I live on the coast north of Boston (Cape Ann) and am impatiently waiting for spring to come so I can be back outside. It has been a cold raw wet March and April. Got lots to get done before this trip!

This trip is a dream come true and to enjoy it with other music lovers will be wonderful. Looking forward to it and meeting all of you.

I am going a day early to stay in a little town SW of Hamburg and will stay 2 days after to visit gardens and castle east of Vienna, the cemetery; travel west up the Danube to Melk Abby, back to Salzburg and the flight home.

Name is Bobbie or Roberta.

Hi all,

I've been a music lover all my life, and played trumpet through high school. Always wanted to play piano, so I began lessons the first time in my 30's but with a new baby and a time demanding job (lawyer) gave up after a couple years. Tried again in my 40's with same result. Now that I'm in my late 50's with 3 wonderful grown children, I picked it up again a couple years ago and am loving every minute at the keyboard. But I still have that day job which requires lots of travel, so my practicing is erratic. Unlike my prior efforts learning classical, which I love, this time I'm learning jazz, which I also love. I have also always loved musical instruments and the art and science that goes into their creation and that lovely sound that flows from vibrating soundboards, so this tour is perfect for me. I'm also a bit of an audiophile so the purity of sound intrigues me.

My dear wife Ruth enjoys classical, bluegrass, old rock, and blues music, but has little interest in factory tours and less interest in pianos per se than most who would take this tour, so we're hoping there may be others on the tour that will be interested in talking about other topics. She has many interests, including a real love for history and politics and public education. She served on our local public high school district board for years. Looking forward to meeting all of you.

-- Bob & Ruth

Thanks folks, keep them coming.

Guten Tag! (Good Day).

We are an American couple (Jim & Sandy Fariss) living in the beautiful North Yorkshire moors of England. I am a systems engineer with an American contractor and Sandy is a personal Chef. Sandy and I have been very lucky to live in different parts of the world but as we approach “retirement age”, I’m am wanting to start a new career, that of piano tuning & repair. For about the last four years, I’ve been studying and practicing the art & skill of becoming a piano technician. Having a full time paying job though limits the amount of time I can spend on that. I am a member of the Piano Technicians Guild and passed the written test for Registered Piano Technician. Living in England has slowed my progress since I do not have access to fellow technicians like I did whilst living in the States. To help me in my studies, I Skype into the PTG chapter I belong to in Colorado (although that makes it 2am for me due to the time difference), attend conference’s in the States as well as the England version of the PTG, the Pianoforte Tuners’ Association or PTA. In addition, I have an American RPT friend who works for Steinway in London who stays sometimes over the weekend and we do some intensive piano studies. I am also a student in the Randy Potter home study course and took a week-long advanced studies in Bozeman, Montana (in early January no less!) hosted by Randy.

Sandy is a certified Personal Chef who makes customized meals for individuals and families, most go into the freezer and get heated when they are ready. She also gets to cook for small dinner parties and special occasions. One unusual request she got, whilst we were living in Australia, was to make in-flight meals for a group of investors touring vineyards around the country in a private plane. Sandy has gotten to take various cooking classes and schools at the different places we have lived, most recently she completed a month long course at the Gables school of cookery near Bristol. To make up for Sandy joining me on this once in a lifetime European Piano Tour, I will be joining her next year for a week-long organic cooking course in Italy near Certaldo (in the Tuscan hills between Florence and Siena).

Easy to say, Sandy and I are truly excited about going on this tour, look forward to meeting all of you in person and having a great time!

Bis bald! (See you soon)

HI, I'm Kathy Ford. Grew up in New England where I met Frank before we could talk. I moved to Flordia 23 years ago. Have two girls, Kristin and Kerry. Kristin is married to Rob and between them they have 4 teen agers. I don't play piano, but sing and play a little guitar. I also do floral design and remodel mobile homes{once- it was enough} Into crafts and work with Deaf and hard of hearing so I do some American Sign Language. Wonder if it is the same in Germany? (I could just see myself saying I like your hat and say something offensive in German sign.) I am looking forward to this wonderful journey and getting to meet you all. The Pianoworld cruise was wonderful and I can't wait for our European Adventure
(Frank showed me how to get my post in the right place. I am somewhat internet challenged)

Hi, I’m Ann Cooper. I took piano lessons as a child but then got lost away from music when my dad died and my mom couldn’t afford the lessons anymore. Fast forward 40 some years and I was sitting on the piano bench at my daughter’s listening to my granddaughter who had just started lessons and I realized that I could still read the music. That was 5 years ago and now I can’t understand how l lived without piano all those years. I bought a digital piano and tried working on my own but 3 years ago I started lessons (with granddaughter’s teacher) and have made much more progress since. Last summer I purchased an acoustic grand-a Petrof IV. I like all types of music but have played mostly classical at my teacher’s direction. I’m currently working on Gershwin’s First Prelude and Danza de la moza donosa.

I’m a former military wife who’s lived in Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Hawaii and Okinawa, Japan. We been settled in the St. Louis area now for quite awhile and both of our adult children and their families live here also. My husband and I have raised our oldest grandson (a long story that) who is currently a sophomore in college. I’m the registrar for a graduate school and right now stressing over the fact that our office was supposed to be moving across campus in July but construction is ahead of schedule (whoever heard of such a thing?) and now they’re discussing changing our move date to possibly as early as the end of May or the first week of June! I’m responsible for the physical records of several thousand students so I’m uneasy about dumping all the associated problems of the move on my assistant.

In addition to piano, I belong to a writing group, have started flower arranging classes and take both tai chi and zumba classes. I love reading and to cook for a house full of people. I am on Facebook as Ann Beasley Cooper.

I am so looking forward to this trip! I’ll be arriving in Hamburg on Saturday and staying at the Hotel Hafen that night. If anyone else is arriving early and wants to make dinner plans together that evening, please let me know.

I've seen Ann's beautiful piano on facebook! Gorgeous it is.

Hey Ann, I love Danza. Just played through it again last weekend. Do you know the story behind it? Going to play it for us on the trip?

Diane, my wife of 52 years and I both took piano lessons as kids. She continued on and off over the years, depending upon the availability of time while raising our 3 children. But the love of music was an enduring common interest in our relationship. We frequented many of the classical music venues in the Baltimore-Washington area. We are now among the few alive who actually saw Glenn Gould perform live (living long enough gets one that sort of distinction occasionally)!

After 55 years(!) I decided to start lessons again about 3 years ago. Now we are both pretty serious about our committment to the piano. Our 50th wedding anniversary present to each other was a rebuilt 1905 Steinway A. We also have a digital pianio so we can both practice without disturbing each other. Several times a year we play for residents of retirement communities. They seem to enjoy hearing live performances of the masters.

With a daughter living in London, we will be visiting her and her family (3 grandaughters) before and after the tour. While we have been in Germany and Austia several times, we expect to see and hear many different things with this unique tour. The other musically interested people who will be joining it should make this a memorable event!

Wow Bart, great story.

Congratulations on 53 years (and counting) of marriage, and deciding to take piano lessons after 55 years. Wow.

When I spoke with the producer of the documentary "They Came to Play" about amateur pianist competing at essentially a professional level, she told me about her grandmother.
Seems she gave up the piano to raise a family, and went back to it at age 70, playing until she went to the big concert hall in the sky, at age 103.

Which tells me you have many years of piano playing enjoyment ahead of you :-)

Looking forward to meeting you and Diane in Germany.

Best,

Frank B.

Lilylady,

No, I don't know the story behind the Danza. I tried to google it and didn't immediately find it. I'd love to hear the story.

And, it is one of the only things I currently can play from memory so, yes, you'll probably hear it at some point on the trip!

I'm Lawrence Dickenson. I live in Oakville Ontario Canada (25 miles west of Toronto). My wife Sheila and myself cannot wait for this trip we are so excited!

I retired in December 2007 too young (49) to sit back and relax and after about two weeks of enjoying my new found freedom I quickly realized "now what am I going to do". I have two passions in life piano and golf (both secondary of course to my wife Sheila)and you can only play so much golf so it was time to get back into the piano.

When I was twenty I was working in a factory making decent money for the time and still living at home with parents and no real direction of what I wanted to do in life. I went to work one day and the fellow that worked beside me told me he had decided to retire in two weeks and right at that point I had a flash into the future seeing myself in 40 years time being in his shoes and thought this isn't for me. I immediately got up walked into the office and quit on the spot. Remember I was twenty and still living with Mom and Dad.

At the same point in time I inherited a piano from a great Aunt who had recently passed away. Having all the time in world, no job and living at home, I went down to the Royal Conservatory of Music in downtown Toronto walked into registration and said "Hi I just quit my job and I want to learn how to play piano". The people looked at one another and then started laughing after which one of them said "Well you know you didn't have to quit your job to learn to play the piano".

I got bit by the piano bug real bad to the point it was pretty much an OCD situation. I spent the next two years playing about eight hours a day seven days a week, got first class honors in Grade 9 piano, until finally my Dad came to me one day and said "I think it's about time you get a job!"

I spent the next almost thirty years working for a distributor, ending up as operatations manager and hating every minute of it and piano was left aside and rarely every played.

After I retired I thought it was now time to get back into the piano and emerse myself once again in this wonderful instrument. I went to my piano (Boston GP-178 grand)onpened the piano bench and there sitting right on top was a book on piano tuning. I opened the cover and there was an inscription in the front of the book from my sister saying " Merry Christmas Lawrence 1978". My sister had given me this book some thirty years ago when I was OCD over the piano and I had never read it. Instantly the light came on and I am now the happiest I have ever been in my entire life working as a piano technician for the last two years, my only regret being that I didn't start this thirty years ago when Dad said go get a job.

I am an associate member of the Piano Technicians Guild and in the monthly journals isuued they have a listing each month of new members as well as those who have passed away. Recently the longest standing member died at the age of 105. This individual (I wish out of admiration and respect I could remember his name)began his career at age 17 and worked tuning and repairing pianos until he was 104 and had to give it up because he could no longer stand up. His career spanned 87 years. My career in Piano Technology did not even begin until I was 52. I may regret a late start but considering I am only 54 I've got a good 50 years to go get to where this indivual ended up. It's never too late!

When I got the email from Frank about this tour I forwarded it to my wife Sheila, not expecting much of a response from her since she doesn't share the same passion for pianos that I do. But to my amazement she replied "This is fantastic! A trip of a life time!". When I received her reply I think I said to myself "YES!!!" followed by a fist pump and we both signed up that day. We can't wait for this trip. Sheila has been across the pond to Ireland before, but I have never been to Europe and can't wait to meet all of you and begin this journey!

Lawrence, Sheila Dickenson

Lawrence, that's a great life story and a reaffirmation that it's never too late to pursue a passion and the joy that comes with it. Congrats on finding your new career and passion. See you in Hamburg. -- Bob

Just received the identification tags. Nice job!

Bart

I know a little about sign, and can tell you that it isn't. I knew a deaf German man, who had his deaf mother from Germany visiting him here in Chicago. He'd translate my (rather poor) ASL into German sign for her. Checking Wikipedia confirms this, the German deaf* use "Deutsche Gebärdensprache" (DGS).

*I have no idea how the Venetian blind communicate.

I'm a semi-retired pathologist from Chicago, Viet Nam era war veteran, sometime biophysicist and Indonesian translator, who started playing piano at the age of 17, has been away from it for a few decades, but is determined to start again, if I can ever get fully retired. (I was in my boss's office on Monday, and he said to me, "I hope you're not thinking of just walking away on the first of July." Well, I had been, but they still haven't found anybody to replace me, so...) I used to speak German, but that was 50 years ago. We'll see if it still works. I'll bring a Bach WTC Fugue or two, along with a couple of Scarlatti sonatas, and possibly use them as needed. I'll be joining the group slightly late; my 50th high school reunion is on Friday and Saturday 3/4 June, and I really don't want to miss that.

What a fun group!

I'm really looking forward to meeting all of you in Cologne. Have a safe trip, and I'll see you in Deutschland!

Best,

Robin Meloy Goldsby

Wow, you really do get up early don't you? Isn't it like 6:00 a.m. where you are now?

How do you manage to get up this early, and still play so late at night?

Afternoon power nap and lots of green tea, although I suspect all of you will be trying the fabulous (and very strong) German coffee while you're here.

Have a safe trip, Frank. And drink lots of water on that long flight.