The World's Finest Artists Deserve the World's Finest Service

NEW YORK, NY (May 19, 2004) — With a dramatic new location that Yamaha describes as a new era in the instrument maker's support of the performing arts community, Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. successfully launched a unique, state-of-the art facility on May 18 in the Elizabeth Arden Building (formerly the historic Aeolian Building), 689 Fifth Avenue at 54th Street.

A stirring performance from the renowned quintet, Canadian Brass Photo credit: RJ Capak / WireImage.com

The opening festivities included an invitation-only VIP concert featuring recent International Tchaikovsky Competition first-prize winner pianist Denis Matsuev and the premier brass quintet, Canadian Brass, along with tours of the Piano Salon, the Band & Orchestral Atelier and other special areas in the new structure designed principally to serve Yamaha classical artists and Broadway productions. Corporate Artist Affairs based in Nashville, Tennessee will also utilize the facility and continue to provide pianos to Yamaha pop, rock, jazz and other contemporary piano artists and groups through YASI.

In addition to Matsuev and Canadian Brass, the grand opening event was graced by a host of Yamaha artists. Pianists Frederic Chiu, Mei-Ting Sun, Naida Cole, Joshua Pierce, Natasha Paremski and Oxana Yablonskaya were on hand to celebrate, as were band and orchestral artists Dave Samuels, Steve Turre, Martha Mooke, Jim Petercsak and Brian Lynch.

Located in a building with historical ties to the piano industry dating back to its construction in 1926, Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. bridges the past, present and future of global support of the performing arts. The center's third floor piano rooms boast a Piano Salon with a collection of meticulously maintained concert-ready CFIIIS nine-foot concert grand pianos. In addition to these instruments, Disklavier reproducing pianos are available for a variety of innovative applications, and the proprietary Active Field Control (AFC) system is capable of actually "tuning" the Salon's acoustics to sound like any number of concert halls, convincingly transforming it into a virtual stage. In the new Band & Orchestral Atelier, Yamaha has established a custom wind shop where top orchestral players can get expert, personalized service for their instruments, special customizations, experiment with prototype horns and even work with Yamaha to design future models.

The fine pianos kept on hand for artists' use reflect Yamaha's century of piano craftsmanship. Yamaha Pianos are the official pianos of the Metropolitan Opera, Symphony Space, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and other significant venues. In addition to Matsuev, Chiu and Cole, prominent artists who perform using Yamaha pianos include Abbey Simon, Maria Joao Pires, Elton John and Norah Jones, to name a few.

The 14-story French Renaissance building was originally occupied by the Aeolian Piano Company, which made several legendary piano names from 1887 until 1985. The building also formerly housed Gucci, and remains the location of the flagship Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. The site itself is the former location of William Rockefeller's mansion.

To learn more about Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. and Yamaha Corporation of America, write to P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.