THE PERIOD PIANO COLLECTION

 Performing - Studying - Exhibiting - Conserving

A 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation    email contact

        Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.  Founder and President

       610 Amigos Dr C,  Redlands, CA  92373  909 796-4226     PERIOD PIANO CENTER SINCE 2006                       

We seek to rediscover the art of the piano as the composer heard it on the instruments of the time;  to collect and study the instruments themselves, conserving many for history, and performing on many, so we might rediscover history’s magic.  We exhibit and curate instruments, tell the great stories of piano and society, and study the history of the piano, its technology and its builders.

HERE WE RECOGNIZE PIANO TECHNICIANS AND CONSERVATORS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED;  click on their name or business for their contact link:

While many donations come from a donor’s contact with our website, many others were originally recommended to Period Piano Center by a musical instrument service professional, often a piano technician, sometimes a conservator or curator.   The supportive piano tuner or technician is one reason Period Piano Center considers its relationship to the piano technician community so important, exhibits at their conferences, and participates in their professional activities.  Here we honor some of those technicians who have facilitated donations or loans:

John Callahan, of Callahan Piano  in Alameda, CA.:  an Erard 7’ grand donated by the late Steven Banks (2006)

Randi Chastain, of Concert Pitch Tuning in San Leandro, CA., who donated 19th century pianos (Chickering and Steinway) (2006)

Frank Strnad, who recommend the donation of Heintzmann Transposing Vertical (2015)

Tom Schultz, who recommended to Doreen Awabdy to provide the long-term loan of her early Steinway square, the smallest Steinway square built.(2008)  This object is now back in the home of the Awabdys  (2019).

Larry Lobel,  who arranged the donations of an 8’ Erard grand by Bernadette McMorrow of Sebastopol,, and an 8’2” Chickering Concert grand by Spring Lake Village Retirement Community in Santa Rosa, CA.  (2011)

David Vanderlip, who recommended that the Claremont University Consortium donate the Lighte square piano which had resided for many decades in the Seaver House in Claremont, CA. (2015)

Larry Buck, who recommended that Linda Scherer donate her 1858 Steinway 8’ grand (2015) and worked with Felice Bezri to donated his beautiful 7’4” Hallet Davis grand (2012);

Peter Clark and Ted Kidwell;  Peter, for sharing with Bill Shull his enthusiasm for the Sacramento State University early pianos (2005-2007) and Ted Kidwell, his successor, for facilitating the donation, at different times, of four Viennese grand pianos, including two Bosendorfers and one privately owned gift from Lorna Peters, Sac State music professor. (2012-2014)

Michael Reiter, who first loaned to Period Piano Center  (2015). his 1847 Chickering square, then donated it.  Along the way he has facilitated other donations, including a remarkable Clementi 1829 square with James Stewart patents

Jeff Hickey, who directed Marcia Jensen to us for her donation of an 1871 Steinway 7’2” grand (2013);

Del Fandrich, who gave to Bill Shull his 1869 double-iron Steinway upright which Bill has loaned to Period Piano (2008)

Cy Shuster, who encouraged colleague Lorenzo Lacovera to donate his own Steinway Square piano, a very early example from 1858 (2012);

Randy Woltz, who encouraged the Beals to donate their large Steinway square with sostenuto (2010);

Peter Sumner, who sent Amando Lemco our direction to donate her remarkable Promberger 6’6” grand (2012), and later helped facilitate Stanford University’s donation of an 1811 Broadwood grand,  an 1813  Broadwood square, while donating his own Collard and Collard square, as well as his Goulding, Phipps and D’Almaine square.  (2017) 

Richard Blais and Craig Hair of Hampshire Piano, MA.,  who donated their early American Dubois and Stodart square piano (2012);

Rob McCall, who faciliated the donation of the very early Baldwin vertical #76 from 1890 (2013).

Jim Boydston, who donated his lovely bichord Fischer vertical (2015);

Greg Granoff of Humboldt State University, who donated a beautiful Collard and Collard vertical piano (2012);

Robert Portillo, conservator of musical instruments at UCLA, who encouraged the donation of a T. Gilbert square   (2016)

Jude Reveley (Monitor grand artifacts), Dale Fox (early Steinway “D” bridge caps), Mark Phillips (early Steinway soundboard), Larry Buck, Richard Blais and Craig Hair (early Steinway “D” artifacts, Chickering Vertical Iron Action parts), Mark Adams (set of “old” new Steinway hammers, print items):  They have all contributed artifacts of historical significance to Period Piano Center.