LARCH CORRECTIONS inmate Antonio Ruiz is shown here with his painting of Stevie Wonder. Members of the Larch Art Club at the Larch Corrections facility in Yacolt painted a piano with images of famous musicians including Wonder, Ray Charles and Beethoven.
LARCH INMATE Melville Tangen is shown here with his painting of Ray Charles.
Area pianists are slated to perform Aug. 7-16 at Mill Creek Pub in Battle Ground in a fundraising event to benefit the School of Piano Technology for the Blind 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 invites pianists, from beginners to virtuosos, to play.
Russell Brent, owner of Mill Creek Pub, has pledged to match every dollar of tip revenue up to $1,000, all to benefit the school.
Pianists scheduled to perform are:
• Chris Bidleman on Fri., Aug. 7, 6-8 p.m. He has played the piano for 35 years, focusing on jazz and music of the 1920s and 30s. He works for a cloud computing company. He is also a photographer.
• Dianna Kretzschmer on Sun., Aug. 9, 6-9 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 latter part of her performance at Mill Creek. She lives in Camas.
• Donny Roads on Mon., Aug. 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. He has played the piano for 13 years and will perform contemporary and popular music from the last few decades. He is a sophomore at Seattle University, majoring in business.
• Matt Elerding on Tues., Aug. 11, 6-8 p.m. From Alaska, he works in the mortgage business and lives in Battle Ground. He is self-taught at the piano. He can't read music but memorizes songs by putting stickers on keys.
• Nick Superchi on Thurs,. Aug. 13, and Fri., Aug. 14, 6-8 p.m. both days. He plays his own compositions which are in classical baroque style. Now 30 years of age, he has played the piano for 20 years. He has lived in Battle Ground since 1992 and works at Fred Meyer.
• Marvin Case on Sat., Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m. He is the former publisher of The Reflector. He plays the piano regularly at the Portland airport and hospitals, performing classical and modern music.
• Park Llafet on Sun, Aug. 16, 6-9 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 performs music from Bach to contemporary composers.
Russell Brent said he is working to schedule other pianists, especially during the lunch hours. All performers will be listed on the Mill Creek Pub website, www.millcreekpub.com. Pianists interested in performing are invited to visit the Mill Creek website and to submit a sample of their musical skills to the Mill Creek Facebook page.
Information about performing is available by calling Lori Lindberg, marketing manager for Mill Creek Pub, (360) 600-1438. All performing pianists are volunteering 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 at times of their own choosing but are not scheduled.
In addition to Mill Creek Pub in Battle Ground, pianos will be located at Beaches Restaurant, New Seasons Market, Vancouver Community Library, McMenamins on the Columbia, Esther Short Park and Homewood Suites, all in Vancouver, the Clark County Fair in Ridgefield, downtown Camas, and the Portland airport.
Members of the Larch Art Club at the Larch Corrections facility in Yacolt painted a piano with images of famous musicians including Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Beethoven. That piano will be placed at New Seasons Market at NE 164th Ave. and Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver.
À piano painted with the image of airport carpet will be available for musicians at the Portland airport.
Cheri Martin, executive director of The School of Piano Technology for the Blind, 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 $16,000 in 2014, all through sponsorships except for Mill Creek Pub in Battle Ground where tips and matched tip revenue brought in $2,004.
Sponsors this year are Al Angelo Co., Beaches Restaurant, Coldwell Banker Commercial, Columbia Bank, Downtown Camas Association, LIS Investors LLC, Riverview Community Bank, Mill Creek Pub, Tidewater Barge Lines Inc., Vesta Hospitality, Waste Connections and Wells Fargo. Donald and Barbra Roberts will also sponsor a piano location this year.
Cheri Martin may be reached at 693-1511, ext. 12, and (360) 798-4350.
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 (360) 723-5223.
