YuJa Wang Performs on Fazioli

SACILE, ITALY - On Friday the 3rd of May, 2013 international concert pianist YuJa Wang performed at the Fazioli Concert Hall in Sacile, Italy.

Wang comes from a musical family. She entered Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music at age seven and studied there for three years. At age 11, Wang was accepted as the youngest student in the Morningside Music Bridge International Music Festival at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada.  After several summers of participating in the program, Wang moved to Canada at age 14 to continue her studies at the Mount Royal University Conservatory.

In 1998, Wang won 3rd prize in the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists, in Ettlingen, Germany. In 2001, she won Third Prize and Special Jury Prize (awarded to an especially superior finalist of less than 20 years in age, prize money of 500,000 Japanese Yen) in the Piano Section at the First Sendai International Music Competition in Sendai, Japan.

In 2003, Wang made her European debut with the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, Switzerland, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 under the baton of David Zinman. She made her North American debut in Ottawa in the 2005/06 season, replacing Radu Lupu performing the Beethoven concerto with Pinchas Zukerman conducting.

On September 11, 2005, Wang was named a 2006 biennial Gilmore Young Artist award winner, given to the most promising pianists age 21 and younger. As part of the award, she received $15,000, appeared at Gilmore Festival concerts, and had a new piano work commissioned for her.

Starting at age 15, she studied for five years with Gary Graffman, who was also Lang Lang's teacher, at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated in May 2008. She is increasing the number of concerts she is playing, and has "developed a novel reputation" of replacing sick pianists, yet going on "to deliver a knockout performance."

In 2006/2007, she performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony, the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Japan, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in the Netherlands, the China Philharmonic in Beijing and the Guangzhou Symphony and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Did pop superstar Wanting Qu 曲婉婷 blow up a $280,000 Fazioli in her new MV?

VANCOUVER, BC - A new video by Chinese-Canadian pop superstar Wanting Qu features a $280,000 Fazioli concert grand piano that appears to spontaneously catch on fire and explode.  The video was filmed in Vancouver and premiered on MuchMore.ca on Thursday the 2nd of May, 2013.

Wanting Qu (曲婉婷) is a Chinese-Canadian pianist, singer and songwriter based in Vancouver and born in Harbin, China.   In 2009 she became the first Chinese artist to be signed to the Nettwerk label and is managed by Terry McBride.  Her first album, “Everything In The World” went platinum in China within its first week on sale, and her singles "You Exist in My Song" and "Drenched" were used in the soundtrack for the Hong Kong film “Love in the Buff”.   Earlier this year she became the first ever tourism ambassador for Vancouver, with the intention of raising Canada's profile among destinations for Chinese visitors.

The Fazioli piano she used in the video was the F278 Fazioli which is 9'2" in length and made by hand in Italy.  Fazioli pianos have recently received much attention among top level pianists in the world and is hailed among them as being the finest piano currently in production in the world.   The factory - just north of Venice - produces only 10 pianos a month, and each one is hand-crafted over a period of 3,000 man hours.

View the video here.  More stills below.

Local Mini-Celebrities Ryan Wang & Ray Zhang to Perform at Kay Meek Centre

WEST VANCOUVER, BC - At 5 years old, pianist Ryan Wang has received more publicity than many pianists receive in their whole life.  In the last two months, not only has Wang been interviewed by CBC's "The National", Global TV, the Vancouver Sun, and SingTao Daily - but he has also had the great privilege of performing at the illustrious Carnegie Hall together with 6-year-old Ray Zhang, after winning the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition.

On Sunday the 9th of June, Ryan and Ray are teaming up again to hold a benefit concert at the Kay Meek Theatre in West Vancouver.

All proceeds from this performance will go to the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, a non-profit school that provides free music education to underserved and at-risk youth. This concert is only part of their short world tour, which also includes a performance at the Fazioli Hall in Italy and another concert together with a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China.

Click HERE to buy tickets through KayMeekCentre.com

Learn more about Ryan Wang by clicking HERE

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FAMED ITALIAN PIANO MAKER DEDICATES UNIQUE $300k FAZIOLI PIANO IN TORONTO

TORONTO, ON – On Friday the 5th of April, world renowned Italian piano maker Paolo Fazioli made a pit-stop in Toronto to dedicate a one-of-a-kind Fazioli piano custom made for the Shangri-La Hotel.   Professional pianists consider this brand to be the “crème-de-la-crème” of the piano world, and only a handful of Faziolis have made it to the greater Toronto area.

If you've never seen or heard one, you can see this special piano at the newly opened Shangri-La Hotel on University Ave in Toronto where it sits as the centerpiece of their lobby.  The hotel has arranged for talented pianists from across the country to come and perform in the Lobby Lounge, and the hotel staff welcomes all to sit and order a drink while listening to the beautiful singing tone of the $300,000 piano.   

This Fazioli is completely finished in light Oak and highlights the culture of great Canadian artists, which could not be represented more purely than Joni Mitchell.   Her album Blue released in 1971 is regarded as one of the most iconic albums of that era and the song “My Old Man” in particular, showcases her compositional talents on the piano.  Joni Mitchell was gracious enough to allow the hotel’s developer to engrave the opening stanza of “My Old Man” on the piano lid, with the sheet music embroidered on the piano cover.

At a media event on Friday the 5th of April, Vancouver based 5-year-old Isabelle XinYi Wang performed on the piano.  Wang is a piano prodigy that will also perform at Carnegie Hall later in the same month.   

About FAZIOLI pianos:

Fazioli pianos are made by hand in Italy and are considered to be the finest piano available in the world.  The company was founded by Paolo Fazioli in 1979, a pianist and engineer that wanted to combine those two worlds of knowledge to make the best pianos known to man.  Today some of the world’s top pianists play on Fazioli, from Angela Hewitt – the world’s leading interpreter of Bach – to jazz legend Herbie Hancock.  In 2011 one of the world’s leading schools of music – Juilliard – that famously only bought one brand of pianos for the previous 80 years, broke from tradition to purchase a Fazioli piano.   In an interview with the NY Times, Steinway VP Peter Goodrich admitted: “[Fazioli] keep us on our toes.”

Each Fazioli takes approximately 3,000 man-hours to make.  At the heart of each Fazioli piano lies the soundboard, which is carved from the Val-Di-Fiemme forest in Northern Italy – the same trees harvested by Antonio Stradivari for his famous violins.  Many of the hinges are plated in 18k gold to prevent corrosion.  

Fazioli Article in Vancouver Magazine

VANCOUVER, BC - Be sure to pick up the April 2013 issue of Vancouver Magazine where legendary writer Malcolm Parry was invited to pick up his pen once again for the iconic publication.  It has been 2 years since Mac has written a word for the magazine, so his return was made more special when he was asked to interview Italian pianomaker Paolo Fazioli.

Part of the article focuses on the 50th Fazioli to sell at Showcase Pianos - a special half-million dollar concert grand with a case designed by Vancouver architect Ernest Collins.

Showcase Pianos Expands Again!

VANCOUVER, BC - After 9 months of cooking, a baby girl was born to Showcase Pianos owners Judy and Manuel Bernaschek.  The baby, named 'Aria', weighed 8.73 pounds.

The Bernascheks opted to have the birth at home, employing the services of Pacific Midwifery.  Labour started at around 11pm, and two midwives were present along with a student and an 'Acumama' that provided relief from pain through massages throughout the process.  Baby Aria was born at 3:37am on Friday in the middle of March.

More baby pictures can be seen by adding Manuel Bernaschek on Facebook!

    

Local talent featured in new Fazioli ad campaign

VANCOUVER, BC – Almost everyone has heard of a Fazioli.   For those that haven’t, it’s the handmade Italian piano that is shaking up the age old piano-making industry.   In Vancouver, more than a few people have traded in their old Steinways to get a new Fazioli.

Many pianists were at first reluctant to try the Fazioli, which is considered by some to be ‘the new kid on the block’ in the piano world.  A history of 35 years might be a long time in some businesses, but not in this industry: Fazioli’s main competitors have been making pianos for more than 150 years.   Today a growing number of professionals are getting behind Fazioli, and believe that the factory’s founder Paolo Fazioli has been successful in creating the finest piano in the world.

Local retailer Showcase Pianos has sold more than 50 in Vancouver since opening their doors in 2007, and is now ‘showcasing’ local talent in its new ‘Fazioli’ ad campaign.  Keep your eye out for ads featuring Austin Nash Park, a Vancouver based pianist whose new CD is being looked at by major labels.  Clare Yuan is finishing her doctoral academic degree in piano performance at UBC.  Jazz pianist Max Zipursky is often seen playing on the amazing custom made Fazioli in the lobby lounge at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.   Daniel Chow is a local accountant that has received great attention for his success at amateur piano competitions around the world.  Maggie Chang is only 14 years old, and has already performed at Carnegie Hall.

Work behind the camera was done by very talented local photographers Florence Leung and Scott Adolph.