Yamaha Provides C7 Grand Piano To Gijon International Piano Festival

Danielle Agress (Washington, D.C.) on stage at Centro Cultural Pumarín

BUENA PARK, Calif.—Yamaha Corporation of America recently coordinated the placement of a C7 concert grand piano at the Gijon International Piano Festival. Set on the spectacular north coast of Spain, the festival offers advanced pianists the opportunity for thirteen days of intensive master classes, recitals, orchestra concerts and private instruction with internationally known pianists.

August 2009 marked the 10th anniversary of the festival, which enjoyed the participation of almost 60 gifted pianists from Spain, The U.S., Canada, Chile, Columbia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Israel, Korea, Norway, Malaysia, Romania, Russia and Taiwan.

"The appearance of such a fine quality Yamaha made a significant contribution to the success of our festival," said Julian Martin, Artistic Director, Gijon International Piano Festival. "The piano behaved beautifully; it filled the 350-seat auditorium with a wide range of nuance, power and transparency. It was beautifully prepped by Yamaha's technician. Over several evenings, as it was played by more than 30 young pianists, it held its tuning beautifully," added Martin, who is a member of the piano faculty at The Juilliard School.

The 10th year celebration included the inauguration of a new series of recitals. The C7 was housed at the festival's newest venue, the Centro Municipal Integrado de Pumarin. There were four public recitals featuring more than 30 of the festival participants. The instrument was used once again in the festival's closing recital. That program, presented by the wonderful Japanese pianist Akiko Shirogane, took place at the Teator Riera in the town of Villaviciosa. "In both cases, the fine acoustics of the halls were matched by the amplitude, clarity and radiance of the wonderful instrument," noted Martin.

The festival chose Yamaha because, according to Martin, "we wanted to establish an ongoing relationship with a major company, one with worldwide visibility, and we wanted one that would be user-friendly to a wide range of students and young professionals."

"Yamaha was thrilled to provide our C7 to such a distinctive and well-regarded music venue," says Yamaha's David Pocock. "We look forward to collaborating with the Gijon Festival for many years to come."

For more information about Yamaha products, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; call (714) 522-9011; email infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com.