Yamaha Disklavier Soothes Patients And Families at USC/ Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
BUENA PARK, Calif. This fall, family and friends gathered in the lobby of USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles, Calif. for a dedication ceremony where a Yamaha Disklavier was donated in memory of Victoria Ventura, a music lover and breast cancer patient at the facility.
Music was always a part of Mrs. Ventura's life and she treasured memories of her father playing piano, as well as family guitar playing, singing and dancing. Throughout various times in her life, Mrs. Ventura took piano lessons. Even while she recovered from breast cancer, she found the time to learn to play the instrument she had always adored.
For many years it was Mrs. Ventura's dream to have a player piano in her living room so she could hear the music everyday, and it was the sound of the Yamaha piano that she loved the most. When her advancing illness made playing too difficult, Mrs. Ventura told her husband Randy that one of her final wishes was to donate a player piano so that other patients at USC/Norris could be comforted as they visited the hospital for their treatments.
At the dedication ceremony, Mr. Ventura asked Michelle Richardson, manager of Piano Music Center in Temecula, Calif., where he purchased the piano, to speak about the therapeutic benefits of music. Mrs. Ventura's physician and a coordinator from the USC/Norris development center also spoke about the stress relief and wellness benefits associated with music therapy.
"When Randy contacted me more than a year ago about purchasing a Yamaha player piano, we discussed Yamaha's wellness program, the Clavinova Connection, and the inspirational effects it has on people who experience trauma and stress," said Ms. Richardson. "Mr. Ventura told me about his wife's love of piano music and the soothing effect it had on her. She always expressed the desire that the USC/Norris have its own piano so that the patients and family members could enjoy the music and find a pleasant distraction from their worries. We are truly honored to help bring the gift of music to the center."
Shortly after the dedication ceremony, a USC/Norris nurse expressed to Mr. Ventura how pleasant it was to walk into work greeted by the Disklavier's soothing, beautiful music and how several hospital workers, patients and families immediately felt the calming benefits associated with the player piano.
"The very same day of the ceremony, several people stopped by to comment on how the music from the player piano was helping them already," said Mr. Ventura. "My goal is to have one player piano like the Disklavier in every comprehensive cancer center throughout the U.S."
Ventura added that he is currently in the planning stages of establishing the Victoria Ventura Piano Foundation, which is dedicated to arranging these piano donations from multiple sources.
The Yamaha Disklavier is an award-winning line of performance reproducing pianos that can play themselves or perform in sync with many favorite CDs.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
 The USC-Norris Disklavier dedication ceremony (Left to Right): Randy Ventura; Michelle Richardson, Manager, Piano Music Center; Steven Richeimer, M.D., USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Hospital; Carmy Peters, Director of Development, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Hospital. |
For many years it was Mrs. Ventura's dream to have a player piano in her living room so she could hear the music everyday, and it was the sound of the Yamaha piano that she loved the most. When her advancing illness made playing too difficult, Mrs. Ventura told her husband Randy that one of her final wishes was to donate a player piano so that other patients at USC/Norris could be comforted as they visited the hospital for their treatments.
At the dedication ceremony, Mr. Ventura asked Michelle Richardson, manager of Piano Music Center in Temecula, Calif., where he purchased the piano, to speak about the therapeutic benefits of music. Mrs. Ventura's physician and a coordinator from the USC/Norris development center also spoke about the stress relief and wellness benefits associated with music therapy.
"When Randy contacted me more than a year ago about purchasing a Yamaha player piano, we discussed Yamaha's wellness program, the Clavinova Connection, and the inspirational effects it has on people who experience trauma and stress," said Ms. Richardson. "Mr. Ventura told me about his wife's love of piano music and the soothing effect it had on her. She always expressed the desire that the USC/Norris have its own piano so that the patients and family members could enjoy the music and find a pleasant distraction from their worries. We are truly honored to help bring the gift of music to the center."
 As a lifelong music lover, one of Victoria Ventura's final wishes was to donate a player piano to be enjoyed by patients at the USC/Norris Center. |
"The very same day of the ceremony, several people stopped by to comment on how the music from the player piano was helping them already," said Mr. Ventura. "My goal is to have one player piano like the Disklavier in every comprehensive cancer center throughout the U.S."
Ventura added that he is currently in the planning stages of establishing the Victoria Ventura Piano Foundation, which is dedicated to arranging these piano donations from multiple sources.
The Yamaha Disklavier is an award-winning line of performance reproducing pianos that can play themselves or perform in sync with many favorite CDs.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.