Yamaha Artist Services: One Amazing Year and Counting
 The home of Yamaha Artist Services at 689 Fifth Avenue in New York. |
NEW YORK (May 20, 2005) — On May 18, 2004, Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. (YASI) opened the doors of its lavish new headquarters on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. In the year that has followed, the third-floor Piano Salon and 11th-floor Band & Orchestral Atelier have lived up to the facility’s founding mission: to serve as the crossroads where the best of the arts community and Yamaha’s high-end U.S. artist services come together.
“The launch of Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. just one year ago has already fulfilled its promise of becoming an important global center for professional wind and piano artists,” says Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. President Terry Lewis. “This elegant location in the heart of Fifth Avenue has exceeded our most optimistic expectations. Although we have provided artist services in New York City for the past eighteen years, this new facility has dramatically demonstrated to us the soundness of investing in quality and location. Our commitment to professional artists is for the long term and the existence of YASI underscores this commitment.”
The highlights of the 2004-05 season have included a Yamaha Piano Master Class series conducted by 10 internationally renowned piano professors; a nine-concert/31-pianist Beethoven Piano Sonata concert/lecture series hosted by Lisa Yui; a five-concert Brahms/Schumann concert series presented by Klara Min; and a special concert, “Homage a Cziffra,” produced by Francis Romano and hosted by classical music radio personality David Dubal.
Other special concerts from Dong-Hyek Lim, Jie Chen, Alexander Moutouzkine, Mei-Ting Sun, and other young virtuosi have rung out in the Piano Salon’s performance space over the last twelve months. Master classes have brought local students into contact with the talent and wisdom of pianists like Mr. Abbey Simon, John Perry, Andrzej Jasinski, John O’Connor, Oxana Yablonskaya, and vocalists such as Canadian tenor Ben Heppner and Metropolitan Opera Mezzo Soprano Jane Bunnell.
“The launch of Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. just one year ago has already fulfilled its promise of becoming an important global center for professional wind and piano artists,” says Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. President Terry Lewis. “This elegant location in the heart of Fifth Avenue has exceeded our most optimistic expectations. Although we have provided artist services in New York City for the past eighteen years, this new facility has dramatically demonstrated to us the soundness of investing in quality and location. Our commitment to professional artists is for the long term and the existence of YASI underscores this commitment.”
The highlights of the 2004-05 season have included a Yamaha Piano Master Class series conducted by 10 internationally renowned piano professors; a nine-concert/31-pianist Beethoven Piano Sonata concert/lecture series hosted by Lisa Yui; a five-concert Brahms/Schumann concert series presented by Klara Min; and a special concert, “Homage a Cziffra,” produced by Francis Romano and hosted by classical music radio personality David Dubal.
Other special concerts from Dong-Hyek Lim, Jie Chen, Alexander Moutouzkine, Mei-Ting Sun, and other young virtuosi have rung out in the Piano Salon’s performance space over the last twelve months. Master classes have brought local students into contact with the talent and wisdom of pianists like Mr. Abbey Simon, John Perry, Andrzej Jasinski, John O’Connor, Oxana Yablonskaya, and vocalists such as Canadian tenor Ben Heppner and Metropolitan Opera Mezzo Soprano Jane Bunnell.
 Classical artist Oxana Yablonskaya, who serves as Artistic Advisor to Yamaha Artist Services, during a master class at the facility. She reports the new center has rapidly gained popularity in the New York artistic community. |
Juilliard School of Music professor, renowned piano soloist and Yamaha artist Oxana Yablonskaya, who serves as Artistic Advisor to the facility, hails its progress. “This move to Fifth Avenue was a great idea,” she says. “It’s the artistic center of New York – you can walk from Juilliard; you can walk from [the] Mannes [College of Music]. It’s very comfortable for students and the artistic community.
“The place became popular amazingly fast,” Yablonskaya notes. “People ask, ‘When will the next concert be?’ ‘When will the next master class be?’ Normally it takes years for a place to become so popular. We had a lot of people last year, and in the future I think even more people will be involved.”
The Band & Orchestral Atelier has welcomed artists like designer Keisuke Tanaka, the Metropolitan Opera’s Trudy Kane and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Principal Flutist Susan Palma to work with Yamaha experts on the development of new instruments. Performers such as Colorado Symphony Principal Clarinetist Bil Jackson and Metropolitan Opera Principal Trumpet David Krauss have presented master classes in the facility.
“The place became popular amazingly fast,” Yablonskaya notes. “People ask, ‘When will the next concert be?’ ‘When will the next master class be?’ Normally it takes years for a place to become so popular. We had a lot of people last year, and in the future I think even more people will be involved.”
The Band & Orchestral Atelier has welcomed artists like designer Keisuke Tanaka, the Metropolitan Opera’s Trudy Kane and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Principal Flutist Susan Palma to work with Yamaha experts on the development of new instruments. Performers such as Colorado Symphony Principal Clarinetist Bil Jackson and Metropolitan Opera Principal Trumpet David Krauss have presented master classes in the facility.
 Specialized equipment like this precision lathe enables the Band & Orchestral Atelier to serve the exacting needs of top artists – many of whom work directly with Yamaha here to develop the next generation of instruments. |
Yamaha Artist Services' Band and Orchestral Atelier hosts the world’s leading artists on a daily basis, including such players as New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinet Stanley Drucker, Count Basie Orchestra alto saxophonist Frank Wes, Boston Symphony bass trombonist Doug Yeo, and many more. As a result of their recent visits, Yamaha has been pleased to welcome New York Philharmonic Second Clarinet Pascaul Martinez Forteza, internationally up-and-coming jazz soloist Sean Jones and Metropolitan Opera Principal Trumpet David Krauss as newly signed Yamaha Performing Artists. Special days devoted to the art and science of trumpets, clarinets and trombones have also highlighted the Atelier’s work.
Bob Malone, who directs Band & Orchestral operations at YASI, greets the anniversary with a sense of accomplishment. “YASI’s Band & Orchestral Atelier has established new relationships with musicians who perform in many of the tri-state area ensembles, especially with the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera orchestras,” he notes. “Both the opportunity to try Yamaha’s entire line of high-end instruments in our specially designed showroom and to have their own instruments professionally adjusted by our top technicians have made YASI a must-stop destination for professional musicians the world over.”
“The combination of a hard-working, dedicated professional staff, top quality concert pianos, and a prime New York location of our Piano Salon made an excellent opportunity to create a desired musical institution. We’re on our way to becoming a major artist activity point in New York City,” says Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. Director Stan Zielinski. “We’ve been noticed by young, older and established artists, and by major institutions such as the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, whose students and faculty perform regularly at YASI.”
Located in a building with historical ties to the piano industry dating back to its construction in 1926, Yamaha Artist Services bridges the past, present and future of global support of the performing arts. The service center’s first New York location opened in 1987. The 14-story French Renaissance Elizabeth Arden Building at 689 Fifth Avenue was originally occupied by the Aeolian Piano Company, which made several legendary piano names from 1887 until 1985.
The third floor Piano Salon boasts a collection of meticulously maintained concert-ready CFIIIS nine-foot concert grand pianos, and Disklavier reproducing pianos are available for a variety of innovative applications. It was also the site of the July, 2004 U.S. debut of Active Field Control (AFC), Yamaha’s proprietary acoustic enhancement system for performance venues. AFC is capable of actually “tuning” the Salon’s acoustics to sound like any number of concert halls, convincingly transforming it into a virtual hall.
In the Band & Orchestral Atelier, Yamaha’s custom wind shop is where top orchestral players can get expert, personalized service for their instruments, receive special customizations, experiment with prototype horns and even work with Yamaha to design future models.
In addition to the many events that take place within its walls, YASI retains its longstanding role as a provider of instruments to top performers and venues around the country. 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's Leonard Nimoy Thalia, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and other significant venues. In addition to Mr. Simon, prominent artists who perform on Yamaha pianos include Denis Matsuev, Frederick Chiu, Maria Joao Pires, Naida Cole, Elton John and Norah Jones, to name a few.
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 visit www.yamaha.com/yasi.
Bob Malone, who directs Band & Orchestral operations at YASI, greets the anniversary with a sense of accomplishment. “YASI’s Band & Orchestral Atelier has established new relationships with musicians who perform in many of the tri-state area ensembles, especially with the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera orchestras,” he notes. “Both the opportunity to try Yamaha’s entire line of high-end instruments in our specially designed showroom and to have their own instruments professionally adjusted by our top technicians have made YASI a must-stop destination for professional musicians the world over.”
“The combination of a hard-working, dedicated professional staff, top quality concert pianos, and a prime New York location of our Piano Salon made an excellent opportunity to create a desired musical institution. We’re on our way to becoming a major artist activity point in New York City,” says Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. Director Stan Zielinski. “We’ve been noticed by young, older and established artists, and by major institutions such as the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, whose students and faculty perform regularly at YASI.”
Located in a building with historical ties to the piano industry dating back to its construction in 1926, Yamaha Artist Services bridges the past, present and future of global support of the performing arts. The service center’s first New York location opened in 1987. The 14-story French Renaissance Elizabeth Arden Building at 689 Fifth Avenue was originally occupied by the Aeolian Piano Company, which made several legendary piano names from 1887 until 1985.
The third floor Piano Salon boasts a collection of meticulously maintained concert-ready CFIIIS nine-foot concert grand pianos, and Disklavier reproducing pianos are available for a variety of innovative applications. It was also the site of the July, 2004 U.S. debut of Active Field Control (AFC), Yamaha’s proprietary acoustic enhancement system for performance venues. AFC is capable of actually “tuning” the Salon’s acoustics to sound like any number of concert halls, convincingly transforming it into a virtual hall.
In the Band & Orchestral Atelier, Yamaha’s custom wind shop is where top orchestral players can get expert, personalized service for their instruments, receive special customizations, experiment with prototype horns and even work with Yamaha to design future models.
In addition to the many events that take place within its walls, YASI retains its longstanding role as a provider of instruments to top performers and venues around the country. 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's Leonard Nimoy Thalia, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and other significant venues. In addition to Mr. Simon, prominent artists who perform on Yamaha pianos include Denis Matsuev, Frederick Chiu, Maria Joao Pires, Naida Cole, Elton John and Norah Jones, to name a few.
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 visit www.yamaha.com/yasi.
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