This photo shows the piano painted at Larch, with three staff members of Big Al’s moving company. Big Al’s has donated the moving of many pianos.
Area pianists are slated to perform Aug. 5-14 at Mill Creek Pub in Battle Ground in a fundraising event to benefit the School of Piano Technology for the Blind in Vancouver.
Pianists will also perform on Thursdays in August at Tommy O's Pacific Rim Bistro in Vancouver.
In the annual event called Keys to the City, the School of Piano Technology for the Blind places pianos at various locations throughout Clark County and Portland and invites pianists, from beginners to virtuosos, to play. Only at Mill Creek Pub and Tommy O's are performers scheduled. At other locations pianists are welcome to perform when they wish to do so.
All tip revenue at Mill Creek Pub will be matched both by Mill Creek Pub and by DeWil’s Industries and then donated to the School of Piano Technology for the Blind.
Pianists scheduled to perform during the Tips for Tunes program at Mill Creek Pub are:
Maria Klyutkina-Harmon on Friday, Aug. 5, 6-8 p.m. Harmon was born and raised in Uzbekistan and earned a master's degree in piano performance at Boise State University. She teaches piano at her Brush Prairie studio and performs in Portland and Vancouver.
Colleen Adent on Sunday, Aug. 7, 6-8 p.m. Adent, a resident of Vancouver, teaches piano and performs light jazz. She appears annually as part of the Ten Grands program featuring Michael Allen Harrison.
Nick Superchi on Monday, Aug. 8, 6-8 p.m. He plays his own compositions which are in classical baroque style. Now 31 years of age, he has played the piano for over 20 years. He has lived in Battle Ground since 1992.
Chris Bidleman on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 6-8 p.m. He has played the piano for 35 years, focusing on jazz and music of the 1920s and 1930s. He works for a cloud computing company and lives in Ridgefield. Along with a saxophone player, Bidleman plays the third weekend of each month at Mill Creek Pub.
Marvin Case on Friday, Aug. 12, 6-8 p.m. He is the former publisher of The Reflector. He plays regularly at the Portland airport and at hospitals, performing both classical and popular music
Park Llafet on Saturday, Aug. 13, 6-8 p.m. He was an assistant music director on a cruise ship and music director at Battle Ground Baptist Church 1999-2002. He teaches piano and sells pianos in Portland. He will perform music from Bach to contemporary composers in this, his third year with the Keys to the City fundraiser.
Dianna Kretzschmar on Sunday, Aug. 14, 6-8 p.m. She works with senior citizens and is a seniors advocate. She plays the piano at nursing homes and assisted living centers. She will bring surprise singers for the second hour of her performance at Mill Creek. A resident of Camas, she has played the piano for 45 of her 50 years.
Pianists will perform Thursdays in August at Tommy O's Pacific Rim Bistro following the Six at Sunset concert series each week in nearby Esther Short Park, Vancouver. Slated pianists include:
Mac Potts on Thursday, Aug. 4 and Thursday, Aug. 25, 8-10 p.m. He is a graduate of the School of Piano Technology in Vancouver and tunes and repairs pianos. At age 25, he plays jazz, blues and rock and roll music, performing at Warehouse 23 (the former Red Lion at the Quay) in Vancouver, and at other events.
Park Llafet on Thursday, Aug. 11, 8-10 p.m.
Cheri Martin, executive director of the School of Piano Technology for the Blind in Vancouver, seeks to schedule other performers at both locations. Interested pianists are invited to contact Martin at 693-1511, and 798-4350. All performers volunteer their time.
At other locations throughout the county, pianos are painted a variety of colors and placed in public places. Pianists of all skill levels are welcome to play without scheduled times.
In addition to Mill Creek Pub and Tommy O's, pianos will be located in Vancouver on the waterfront near Beaches Restaurant, on the waterfront near McMenamins, at New Seasons Market on 164th Avenue, Vancouver Community Library, Esther Short Park (two locations), Homewood Suites, Marshall Park at 1015 E McLoughlin, and at Felida Village. Pianos will also be located at the Clark County Fair in Ridgefield, the Portland airport, and the Oregon Zoo.
Members of the Larch Art Club at the Larch Corrections facility in Yacolt painted a piano which will be located at Tommy O's in Vancouver. The inmates painted a Polynesian theme with a Big Al's logo.
Julia Liudahl of the School of Piano Technology for the Blind said that Big Al's moving company donates about $2,000 in moving expenses annually to the Keys to the City program.
Martin said the school is the only vocational school in the world dedicated to training blind and visually impaired students for careers as piano tuners and technicians.
“Among the most critical issues facing people who are blind or visually impaired are educational achievement, independent living and rewarding employment,” said Martin. “In short, we help blind individuals gain confidence, find inspiration and provide them the skills to compete in the real world.”
“Graduates of our programs are exceptions in the blind and visually impaired community whose unemployment or under-employment rate exceeds 70 percent,” added Martin. “Finding financially and emotionally rewarding work continues to be a challenge for blind adults.”
Training at the school is individualized, often one-on-one, said Martin. Because educational costs exceed tuition, the school conducts fundraising events such as Keys to the City.
Area businesses sponsor pianos at $1,500 per location. Martin said the Keys to the City event raised over $12,300 in 2015, all through sponsorships except for Mill Creek Pub in Battle Ground where tips and matched tip revenue brought in $3,451.
Sponsors this year are Beaches Restaurant and Bar, Columbia Bank, Riverview Community Bank, Mill Creek Pub, Tidewater Barge Lines Inc., Waste Connections, First Pacific Associates, Homewood Suites, Community Foundation, Barbara Roberts Studio, Oregon Zoo, and DeWil’s Fine Cabinetry.
Mill Creek Pub is located at 1710 SW 9th Ave., Battle Ground, near the Battle Ground Cinemas. Reservations and other information are available by calling 723-5223.
Tommy O's Pacific Rim Bistro is located at 801 Washington Street, Vancouver.
Cheri Martin may be reached at 693-1511, ext. 12, and 798-4350.
