| |
Steinway & Sons | Summer 2006
Personal Treasures
Longtime Steinway fan adds a sixth to her repertoire
Karen Davis has been delighting in playing piano before her feet could reach the pedals. She started learning piano before kindergarten. "My mother taught me to play," she says. Davis has taken the seed her mother planted and allowed it to blossom into a lifelong relationship with music. "I was a piano teacher for 38 years up north," she says, reminiscing of her days in Bethesda, Maryland. In her adult life, she's purchased four Steinways, inherited one, and purchased a Boston for her daughter. "She's a piano teacher too," Davis says proudly. "She's following in my footsteps." Davis' daughter grew up studying on a Steinway.
Based in Maryland, Davis and her husband, Jim, purchased a winter home in Florida about five years ago. At this time, they met Steinway dealer Greg Billings of the Steinway Piano Gallery of Bonita Springs, Florida. A lasting friendship formed, and Davis has been entertaining both gentlemen with her piano skills ever since. "My husband is my biggest fan," says Davis. "He loves to listen to me play."
Davis' love of music extends to all who know her. When she purchased her new Model A, it was the 100th anniversary of its creation. So she threw her piano a 100th birthday party and played a recital for the guests. Billings says that this particular piano was one that he'd originally purchased from his future wife. In fact, he'd met Sara by coming to her home to take a look at the piano she had for sale-a Model A that she'd purchased in Cape Cod for a mere $900. "Karen takes great joy in owning the thing that brought my wife and I together," says Billings.
"They joined the Steinway Piano Society and have been active supporters," says Billings. "Karen has performed twice for the Steinway Piano Society, most recently last May in our All Stars recital. She has also served as a judge in our Steinway Piano Competition. Karen is a remarkable pianist adept at finding and performing obscure yet enjoyable classical pieces. She also has a commanding knowledge of classical piano repertoire. She digs deep to find music that not everyone plays. I am grateful for her friendship and support of the Steinway Piano Society."
Having retired from a successful teaching career, Davis' piano-playing days are still thriving. "I've been doing some chamber music in Bonita Springs and Naples," she reports. She also plays concerts in Washington, D.C. and Naples. She's performed at both the Italian and French Embassies. Last spring she played for the Naples Music Club and three years ago she performed for the Steinway Piano Society of Southwest Florida. The society was founded in 1997, and it's purpose is to "stimulate and nourish the musical talent of young people and to enhance the arts in [its] community."
Davis strongly believes in fostering the growth of piano playing. Of the six pianos, one is with her daughter, and Davis sent her Steinway Model O to her son in Chicago for his children to enjoy. Davis possesses strong affections for the incomparable sound of the Steinway. "I love the tone and the sound. I've always preferred playing on a Steinway because of its big, beautiful resonate base and beautiful treble."
A collector's item in Davis' repertoire is the fine 1893 upright she keeps at their house on the Jersey shore. Davis' prized above all the rest in her collection is her Model B. Standing seven feet tall, her favorite instrument resides in her music room in Bethesda, Maryland. "The B's action is totally even from the bottom all the way to the top," she says. Davis recently upgraded to a new Model A reaching six feet, two inches. It's got a "very nice sound," she says.
With grandchildren from ages 9 to 17 all now playing on Steinways thanks to their grandmother, Davis looks to their future for continuity in appreciation for the massive musical organ that's brought so much joy to her life. "You hope they stay with it," she says. Davis stresses that music is so important in the education of youth. "It increases their sensitivity. Every human being needs an aesthetic influence in his or her life. It it's in the home—even better."
|
<< 
