Friday, December 1, 2017

Inventory 50% Clearance Sale On Now!



VANCOUVER, BC - Showcase Pianos has the goal of reducing their inventory by 50% in the next 30 days!   Looking for a piano?   Prepare yourself for the deal of a lifetime when you visit Showcase Pianos!

New Store & Music Academy Now Open on Broadway



VANCOUVER, BC - Ten years after opening their original location on West Broadway, Showcase Pianos opens their biggest location yet!   After the success of their Music Academy in Aberdeen Centre, Showcase Pianos has expanded its education division into Vancouver.

Those that have been in the area for many years will remember the SONY store next to Toys R Us.   Showcase Pianos has taken over this location, and spent the last few months getting it ready.   The original Broadway store was 1,500 sq ft - but this new location is almost 3 times larger.

THIS NEW 4,300 SQ FT LOCATION ON BROADWAY IS THEIR LARGEST STORE TO DATE, AND INCLUDES A 100 SEAT PERFORMANCE HALL WITH A FAZIOLI CONCERT GRAND PIANO 

There are two large group classrooms that combine into 1 performance area, and there are 4 soundproof teaching studios.  There are lessons for ALL ages, and not just piano!  The academy also has the top voice, violin, harp, and guitar teachers in the city. We pride ourselves in having top quality teachers as well as excellent administration staff.   More information can be found here:  http://showcaseacademy.com/

Showcase Pianos + Music Academy continues to operate very successfully in Richmond's beautiful Aberdeen Centre - the home of many unique shops not found anywhere else in the lower mainland, and some of the best food around.

Please visit us!   Showcase Pianos is now the official representative for Fazioli, C. Bechstein, Grotrian, W. Hoffmann, Seiler, Wm.Knabe, Wm.Steinberg, Roland, Casio, and Samick.

Our new Vancouver address is:  1128 West Broadway (Unit #1)
Piano Store: (604) 437-5161
Academy: (604) 683-0300

Our address in Richmond:   Aberdeen Centre, #3480 - 4151 Hazelbridge Way
Piano Store: (604) 270-8883
Academy: (604) 270-8861

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Fantastic Results for Fazioli piano at “Halina-Czerny Stefańska” International Piano Competition



POZNAN, POLAND – On Saturday the 23rd of September the “Halina-Czerny Stefańska” (in memoriam) International Piano Competition entered the final round at the ‘Aula Nova" concert hall in Poznań.  The first and third prizewinners Krzysztof Książek and Michał Dziewior chose to perform on the Fazioli piano.

During the three rounds of the competition, contestants had been asked to select their instrument among four piano brands - Fazioli, Steinway, Yamaha and Bösendorfer.  Eight competitors moved to the final, three of which had chosen to perform on Fazioli since the first round of the competition.

The prizegiving ceremony and the finalists performance took place on Sunday, 24th at the "Aula Nova" concert hall in Poznań.

This excellent result for the FAZIOLI piano comes not long after the success gathered at the Artur Rubinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, where the “Fazioli” finalists were awarded a number of prizes, among which the first two steps of the podium, and at the Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow, where all finalists chose to perform their final piano concerto on Fazioli.

http://europianocomp.pl/en/home/

Monday, September 11, 2017

All Finalists at Scottish Piano Competition Choose Fazioli



GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - On Sunday the 10th of September 2017, the Scottish International Piano Competition went into the final round.  Competitors could choose between Fazioli, Steinway, and Bosendorfer, and we are please to share with you that all 3 finalists chose to perform onthe Fazioli.

Turkish pianist Can Çakmur has been named the 11th winner of the Scottish International Piano Competition (SIPC).

The 20-year-old receives £10,000, the Sir Alexander Stone Memorial Trophy and the Frederic Lamond Gold Medal, and will perform with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in their 2018/19 season.

Born in 1997 in Ankara, Can Çakmur has studied at the Hochschule für Music Franz Liszt Weimar, and with Diane Andersen in Belgium. He had won a number of international competitions and awards, appeared in major festivals throughout his native Turkey, and performed as soloist throughout Europe.

Held as a triennial event, the Scottish International Piano Competition this year welcomed 23 competitors from 15 countries across 3 continents. The panel of 8 jurors included internationally acclaimed pianists Steven Osborne and Olga Kern and was chaired by Head of Keyboard at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Aaron Shorr.

Second Prize of £7,500 and the Lawrence Glover Silver Medal went to Florian Mitrea, 27, from Romania. Florian also won best performance of Gordon McPherson’s The Pounding Room, a new work commissioned as the test piece for this year’s competition. Georgian born Luka Okros, 20, now based in the UK, took home the Third prize of £5000 and The Douglas McKerrell Memorial Prize. Finalists prizes were supported by SIPC Patrons and Friends, Merchants House of Glasgow, the McKerrell family and Arnold Clark.

What is now The Scottish International Piano Competition was originally established in 1986 as a memorial to Frederic Lamond and the First Prize of the Competition carries with it the Frederic Lamond Gold Medal.



Friday, May 12, 2017

Canucks Autism Network Foundation REVEAL Gala



VANCOUVER, BC - On Saturday the 6th of May, 2017, the 'Reveal' Gala was created to make people feel like they had just stepped into Venice, Italy.

The gondola was brought over from the Italian cultural centre, with men singing in Italian beside it.  There was an Alfa Romeo on display, and a Fazioli piano was especially brought in for a performance by Max Zipursky together with the incredibly talented Rosemary Siemens on violin.

The evening was topped off by a surprise performance by 'The Tenors'.


Louis Lortie Performs Solo Recital on Fazioli



VANCOUVER, BC - On Tuesday the 9th of May, one of the greatest concert pianists in the world was invited by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to perform a solo recital at the Orpheum Theatre. 

International concert pianist Louis Lortie chose to perform on a Fazioli Concert Grand piano.   After the concert Lortie signed autographs for members of the audience, including young prodigies Isabelle Xin-Yi Wang and Ray Zhang.


Winners at 2017 Rubinstein Competition Chose FAZIOLI



TEL AVIV - On Thursday the 11th of May, the first prize of the 2017 Rubinstein International Piano Competition was awarded to Szymon Nehring, and the second prize to Daniel Ciobanu.   Both had chosen the Fazioli piano for performance on all stages of the competition.

The final session of the 15th Arthur Runinstein Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, one of the world’s most important piano competitions, took place yesterday, the 11th of May.  An estimated 500,000 people followed the live streaming via YouTube, Facebook, Medici TV and the Israeli channels.  Rich in suspense, the 45-minutes long prize distribution ceremony started after an already considerable hour-long break, during which the jury was able to deliberate.  The competition, taking place every four years, had started on the 25th of April with 30 candidates.

Three were the rounds – qualifying, semi-finals and finals – the latter organised in three important subjects – chamber music, classical concerto and grand concerto. Three were also the pianos on stage, of different brands, among which the Italian concert grand, arrived in Tel Aviv directly from the factory in Sacile (60 Km far from Venice), where it had been expressly selected and prepared for this important event.

Ten out of thirty candidates chose Fazioli when it came to selecting the instrument: Luka Okros (Georgia), Alberto Ferro (Italy), Ilya Maximov (Russia), Tomer Gewirtzman (Israel), Yevgeny Yontov (Istrael), Rafael Skorka (Israel), Szymon Nehring (Poland), Eric Lu (USA), Daniel Petrica Ciobanu (Romania).

Six of the 10 that had chosen the Fazioli went through to the semifinals - Luka Okros, Yevgeny Yontov, Szymon Nehring, Eric Lu and Daniel Petrica Ciobanu, joined by the French Milstein. For the final round, half of the candidates remained in the field.

It was such an honour to see all three “Fazioli” finalists being awarded a number of prizes, among which the first two steps of the podium: the first prize was awarded to the 19-year-old Polish candidate Szymon Nehring, while the second prize went to the Rumanian Daniel Ciobanu.  The 28-year-old Yevgeny Yontov, placed sixth, has nonetheless being awarded the “Best Israeli Pianist” and “Best Performer of Chamber Music” Prizes.

The winner Szymon Nehring received many other acknowledgements from the jury: Best Performer of a Chopin Piece Prize, Advanced Studies Prize and the Junior Jury Prize.  Daniel Petrica Ciobanu, on the other hand, won the “Audience Favourite” Prize.

The satisfaction for the Italian grand and concert grand piano company was tremendous, as echoed by a statement made by Mr. Fazioli himself: “These moments are destined to remain memorable in in the history of the company and represent the highest acknowledgement to the continuous research process that Fazioli carries on in order to improve its product".






Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Fazioli at Opening of North America's first Moissonnier Showroom



VANCOUVER, BC - On Tuesday the 22nd of November, French furniture brand Moissonnier opened its very first location in North America.   Since 1885, the French cabinetmaker has been at the forefront of the traditional style married with an avant-garde aesthetic.  

Owned by fourth-generation scions of founder Emile Moissonnier, the family enterprise and its handmade furnishings have been recognized by the French government as a part of France's "living heritage".

The 3,000 square foot Yaletown boutique is owned by local art collectors Mana and Nader Mobargha and will also feature luxury furnishings by Italian mirror and furniture firm Arte Veneziana.

Also on display, artwork by celebrated Iranian-Canadian artist Mohammad Ehsai, from the hosts' internationally renowned private collection.

At the opening, a Fazioli piano was on loan from Showcase Pianos and guests enjoyed music by the Max Zipursky Trio and joined by local violin sensation Samuel Tsui.

This shop is a gem in the city and definitely worth a visit!  It is located in Yaletown at 1028 Mainland Street.  Visit them in person or on the web at:  http://moissonnier.ca/ 


Showcase Pianos honoured at Fazioli Biennial Dealer Meeting



SACILE, ITALY - The Fazioli Factory had undergone an expansion during recent years, and skipped the Biennial dealer meeting 2 years ago.   In November of 2016, the worldwide dealer network for Fazioli pianos was invited to come to visit the newly expanded factory and hosted a dealer meeting.

Showcase Pianos owner Manuel Bernaschek was invited to speak to his partners about the promotion of Fazioli pianos in Vancouver.

All in the audience were delighted to hear the private performance by talented internationally renowned pianist Rachel Naomi Kudo, who had spent time in Vancouver studying with Professor Lee Kum Sing.



New Art on Display at Showcase Academy



RICHMOND, BC - Showcase Pianos commissioned a work by talented Granville Island artist Natalia Vetrova for the large classroom at Showcase Academy inside the Aberdeen Centre location of Showcase Pianos.  

The beautiful work of art is a fantasy featuring Isabelle, Ray and Aria and a Fazioli piano.   

Natalia Vetrova is a Russian born Canadian artist that lived and worked in Vancouver since 1997.   She has Bachelor of Fine Arts from Technical College of Industrial & Applied Arts, Moscow and has her Master Degree in Design, Visual Arts from  Stroganov Academy of Art, Moscow.

Her works are represented by International Art Project "Inspired by Russia", Gallery 903, Portland, Oregon, Gerry Thomas Gallery, Calgary, Alberta.

To see more of Natalia Vetrova's works, please visit the showrooms:
Moscow: Office 208, 2B / 6, Otradnaya St.
Vancouver: 1490 Johnson St., Atelier of Per Wendel Madsen
or contact the artist: nvetrova@shaw.ca
http://www.vetrovastudio.com/ 


 

Fazioli at Vancouver's Power 50 Event



VANCOUVER, BC - On Monday the 14th of November, the Vancouver Club hosted the annual celebration of the 50 most powerful people in the city.

The reception for the city's most influential people included some beautiful music by talented jazz musician Max Zipursky on a Fazioli piano on loan from Showcase Pianos.

Local sensation Craig Stanghetta was listed among the 50, a designer that is responsible for helping update some of the city's important retail locations and restaurants.

Fazioli Supports Fundraiser, Children's Hospital Raises $2.5m



VANCOUVER, BC - Saturday the 21st of January was truly a memorable night as the city came together to raise money for much needed machines at the BC Children's Hospital.

The audience was moved by experiences shared by local celebrity and Global TV News anchor Aaron McArthur, when he described the complicated surgery that was required for his newborn daughter years ago.  Local business leader and philanthropist Silvia Chen received a standing ovation as she donated $1,000,000 in cash to the Hospital.

The audience enjoyed a live performance by young piano duo Isabelle Xin-Yi Wang and Ray Zhang, who did an incredible performance on a Fazioli piano donated for the evening by Showcase Pianos.




Monday, January 23, 2017

Canada's 1st Stefano Ricci Store Now Open



VANCOUVER, BC - Located across the street from the Shangri-La and next to the new Trump Tower, passers by can see the new 'Stefano Ricci' store at 1139 West Georgia Street.

The store features Stefano Ricci's pricey menswear as well as fragrances, accessories (such as leather goods and cuff links) and home goods such as porcelain and crystal dinner services, silverware and luxury linens.  Every item in the store is made by hand in Italy, using the highest quality of materials.  Stefano Ricci has been described as ‘the Rolls-Royce’ of clothing.

Store co-owner Manuel Bernaschek welcomes everyone to come and see the beautiful items, presented in a store like none other in Canada.  The store is filled with beautiful Walnut burl wood and travertine tiles that were sent from Italy to create one of the most beautiful retail spaces in the country.
(Photos by Scott Adolph of Sculptures of Light Photography)