Beautiful White Fazioli Delivered to West Vancouver

WEST VANCOUVER, BC - After having waited 4 months for their piano to be custom made in Italy, a family in West Vancouver was delighted to receive delivery of their beautiful Fazioli baby grand piano in polished white finish.

The piano was delivered by Salmons Transfer, the finest movers in the Greater Vancouver area.

Fazioli pianos normally come with an elegant 'gold box' made out of cardboard that holds the warranty card, the beautiful red cloth for the keys, and a micro-fiber cloth to clean the piano with.

This Fazioli F156 in white was the first Fazioli piano received by Showcase Pianos that has now a beautiful wooden box with gold 'Fazioli' lettering.   The box comes with it's own pouch, and the pianos now come with a new 'updated' piano cover that has more padding and doesn't leave red 'dust' on the piano.

Showcase Pianos is a store with 2 locations that deals primarily with European brands of pianos, and is the official dealer for the highly acclaimed Fazioli piano in BC.   Visit Showcase Pianos on the web at: http://showcasepianos.com 

New Piano at Wedgewood Hotel's 'Bacchus' Restaurant

VANCOUVER, BC - Bryant Olender - one of the favourite pianists at the Bacchus Restaurant- enjoyed his first evening at the keys of the new W. Hoffmann grand piano on Friday the 16th of December, 2011!  The W. Hoffmann piano was a welcome sight for the pianist as the previous piano had been in the restaurant for more than 20 years!  

The Bacchus Restaurant is often rated the 'most romantic restaurant in the city' and is one of only 5 establishments in BC to receive the coveted 'Relais & Chateaux' recognition!

The W. Hoffmann grand piano is a brand that is owned and produced in Europe by the famous German C. Bechstein.   Larry Fine, author of the book "Piano Buyer Guide" writes that the brand is "Great Value for the Money", and yet others hail it as being "the most outstanding value for the money in the piano world".

W. Hoffmann pianos have quickly become bestsellers around the world and is recognized as being the best European alternative to instruments from Asian manufacturers.

Showcase Pianos is a store with 2 locations that deals primarily with European brands of pianos, and is the official dealer for the highly acclaimed Fazioli piano from Italy.   Visit Showcase Pianos on the web at: http://showcasepianos.com 

Paolo Fazioli Visits First Fazioli Piano to Arrive in Victoria

Flown directly to Victoria, Italian ‘Fazioli’ piano is hailed as ‘World’s Finest’

VICTORIA, BC – Before heading over to Vancouver to do some piano shopping, a Victoria-based physician and his wife consulted ‘The Piano Book’ – an in-depth guide to purchasing pianos by piano-guru Larry Fine.   In it they came across an Italian brand of pianos called ‘Fazioli’ that the book describes as being “impeccably prepared”  and “combining both great power and great warmth in a way that few other pianos can”.  The book rates the Fazioli in class ‘1 A’, which is the highest possible rating for any piano.   The factory was founded 30 years ago by Paolo Fazioli – a pianist and an engineer that set out to make the finest piano in the world.

Needless to say, their curiosity was piqued.  Knowing that even the smallest Faziolis are just under $100,000 meant that they had only planned to just see one to satisfy their curiosity and then they were going to continue their shopping.  But things didn’t exactly turn out that way.

Amazed by the beauty of what they saw and heard, the Victoria couple ordered a 6 foot long Fazioli that was priced at $110,000.  All Fazioli pianos are made to order and are tested by the company’s founder Paolo Fazioli before they leave the factory.   Each one takes more than 1000 hours of highly specialized hand work to make, which means that if a buyer is not taking one of the pianos the store has in stock, then their piano will come 3 or 4 months after the order has been placed.

Factory founder Paolo Fazioli himself took at detour on his way to Calgary to stop in Victoria, and was interviewed by both the Times Colonist and Oak Bay News, two local newspapers that we excited to meet the famed piano maker at a media event where pianist Daniel Chow performed.   Having only a few hours in BC, Fazioli flew back to Vancouver by helicopter.

Read TIMES COLONIST article here

Read OAK BAY NEWS article here

Today, a growing number of professional pianists are convinced that Fazioli makes the finest pianos available in the world – including jazz legend Herbie Hancock, and the world's leading interpreter of Bach music Angela Hewitt.  Only around 100 pianos are made each year in this small factory just north of Venice.  Fazioli pianos feature many innovations – the sum of which has caused the pianos to be hailed as the absolute 'pinnacle' of the piano world.  They have many parts plated in 18K gold to prevent corrosion, and at the heart of each Fazioli lies a soundboard that is taken from the same trees in northern Italy where Antonio Stradivari once carved his wood for his famous violins.  Their ‘F308’ model is the world's largest piano in production at staggering length of 10 feet and 2 inches. 

 

Grand Opening of All New Aberdeen Centre Location!

Richmond, BC - On the 25th of November, Showcase Pianos hosted a short visit by Italian piano maker Paolo Fazioli as they celebrated the opening of their new store and academy in Richmond's beautiful Aberdeen Centre.

Dr. Robert Silverman to conduct Masterclass at new Showcase Academy

RICHMOND, BC - Recognized as one of Canada's premiere pianists, Robert Silverman has reached a level of musical and technical authority that can only be accomplished after years of deep commitment to the instrument and its vast literature. Many aspects of Silverman’s playing are frequently noted: a polished technique, an extraordinary range of tonal palette, an uncanny ability to sing his way into the heart of a phrase, and probing interpretations of the most complex works in the repertoire.

Robert Silverman resides in Vancouver where he was a faculty member at the UBC for thirty years, served a 5-year term as Director of the School of Music in the 1990s, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters in 2004.  He now devotes himself full-time to concertizing and recording.  He is frequently heard on the CBC English and French radio network; and he has recorded for EMI, Stereophile, Marquis Classics, OrpheumMasters and CBC Records.

On Sunday the 13th of November he will conduct two masterclasses at the all new Showcase Academy on the 3rd floor of Richmond's Aberdeen Centre.   Masterclasses are 2 hours long and open to the public, but seating is limited.  Only 4 students are allowed per masterclass and for a cost of $100 each student is given 30 minutes.  To enroll please call Rachel or Julie at (604) 270-8861 or contact them by email: info@showcaseacademy.com 

Tribute Dinner to Dr. Thomas Fung at Pan Pacific Hotel

VANCOUVER, BC - Enjoy a great night for a great cause in honour of a great man.  Join the LIVERight Gala in paying tribute to philanthropist and entrepreneur Dr. Thomas Fung at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Friday November 18!  Click HERE for the details, or email info@showcasepianos.com 

New Academy and Piano Showroom Opens in Richmond

Highly sought after pianist will teach at new Academy in Aberdeen Centre

RICHMOND, BC - Much like celebrity chefs that come to Vancouver open fine dining restaurants, Seattle resident Dr. Sasha Starcevich is the Artist Director of a new piano school opening in Richmond's Aberdeen Centre: Showcase Piano Academy.

Concert pianist Sasha Starcevich received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Yale University in 2003 and continues to thrill audiences around the world with his performances in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Windsor Castle, Tchaikovsky Hall, and Wigmore Hall in London.

Perhaps you remember reading about some young performers from the local area - Tristan Teo, Evgenia Rabinovich, and Tim Zhang.  They all had one thing in common: their teacher was Dr. Starcevich.

Dr. Starcevich is in frequent demand as a performer, adjudicator and presenter of Master Classes throughout North America, Russia and China. He will come to Vancouver once a month to teach master classes at the new Academy, and coach other teachers.   Master classes are open for public viewing, and aspiring pianists of any age can pay $100 to be one of four students in a two hour long master class.

"At $200 an hour his rate is one of the highest in the city - or maybe even the highest," says Academy Manager Rachel Lam, "so I wasn't sure how long it would take to fill up his schedule, but I'm happy to say that the response has been excellent - probably due to his fantastic reputation in Vancouver.  We've had a number of students that have asked to be booked for every single upcoming master class with Dr. Starcevich."

The new school accepts students of all ages and also has some other well known teachers such as Bogdan Dulu, Lay Tuan Tan, Clare Yuan, Ross Salvosa, as well as the current president of the Richmond Association of Registered Music Teachers: Mimi Ho.  Children as young as three and a half years of age can learn music together with one parent in the very successful 'Music for Young Children' program that is endorsed by famed Canadian concert pianist Angela Hewitt.

Call to arrange a lesson at 604-270-8861 or email info@showcaseacademy.com