German Honorary Consul to Barbados, Andreas Kusay, presenting the cheque in the sum of $3 000 to Barbados Community College’s Head of the Performing Arts Department, Roger Gittens and Managing Director of Pianoman Caribbean, Michael Gibbons.
The Performing Arts Department of the Barbados Community College (BCC) is steps closer to having a much needed new piano.
This is thanks to Pianoman Caribbean which is in charge of the restoration work of a Steinway & Sons grand piano. The company acquired the musical instrument from Grenada and following refurbishments will present it to the tertiary institution in coming weeks.
On Monday, the German Embassy donated funds to assist with repairs to the piano. German Honorary Consul to Barbados, Andreas Kusay, presented a cheque in the sum of $3 000 to BCC’s Head of the Performing Arts Department, Roger Gittens and Managing Director of Pianoman Caribbean, Michael Gibbons. It was done at the Pianoman Caribbean’s, Green Hill, St. Michael establishment – where the restoration is being done.
Gibbons explained that his company has been working for the College “for over 20 years”. During this period, he observed that the current piano which is used by music students is in a “less than ideal” condition. He therefore decided to do this project to ensure students had a better instrument to use.
The total cost of the project is “over $58 000”, this includes purchasing and shipping the instrument to Barbados. The piano was originally built in 1966 in Germany and shipped to Grenada in 1967. It was from the Spice Isle that it was recently obtained by Pianoman Caribbean.
“We have had donations from several good parties, very excellent donations which we appreciate and now the German Consulate is here.”
Gibbons added, “there is a bit more to go. We are still short of about $9 000, but the project is on its way and we hope to complete by the end July. We expect to have a presentation of a concert at the Community College in August. We have done most of the structural work and now it is mainly just coming back up, putting in new parts.”
Gittens, who expressed appreciation to Pianoman Caribbean and the German Embassy, said a new piano was needed by the Department since “possibly from maybe the second or the third year that the programme existed, which is maybe 2000 or 2001.”
“The instrument that we currently have is a grand piano but it not structurally sound as the parts tend to break down fairly easily. It is built primarily for house use, not for students playing on it four, five, six or seven hours a day. We have been working on it and it has been falling apart. Michael comes in and he fixes it and it falls apart again, and he fixes, and we have been doing that for the last 18 years or so.”
He further stated that music programme has “been growing every year” and the new piano “is going to be a great edition to the programme because now we can possibly do concerts. The instrument we had before is not up to scratch where that is concerned, so now we can do concerts that will feature an instrument that is concert-worthy. The students now have an opportunity to practice on an instrument that isn’t failing or falling apart as the current one is.”