Samford University Hosts Alabama’s First-Ever Master Class Featuring Yamaha Disklavier Remote Lesson Technology
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (PRWEB) June 08, 2016 -- As part of its annual summer Piano and Chamber Music Institute (PACMI), Samford University’s School of the Arts will host Alabama’s premiere piano master classes featuring Yamaha Disklavier Remote Lesson technology.
The high-tech master classes will serve as the capstone of the Institute, which will take place June 5-11 at Samford’s impressive Brock Recital Hall. Pre-college participants, ages 12-18, will participate on Thursday, June 9, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., while college-level students will take part on Friday, June 10, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The classes will be conducted by Julian Martin, an Alabama native and piano faculty member of The Juilliard School of Music since 1999. Featuring approximately three to four students each, these master class events are open to the public and admission is free.
The event will showcase students performing on a Yamaha DCFX Disklavier reproducing piano at Samford, while their performance is perfectly reproduced live and in real time, on an Internet-connected Disklavier at Yamaha Artist Services in New York City. There, Martin will coach the students on pacing, dynamics, color control and other sophisticated nuances. Martin and the students will also be able to speak and interact via video conference throughout the course of the lessons.
“It’s kind of a mind-boggling technology,” says Piano Professor and Director of PACMI, Dr. Ronald Shinn. “We’ve put together an outstanding festival, but this technology adds an element that will be truly remarkable. We are excited and appreciative of Yamaha for all they have done. The Yamaha DCFX – one of the best pianos in the world – will be made available for our students’ use. It’s very exciting.”
Remote Lesson technology, developed by Yamaha, makes it possible to connect two, three, or even four Disklavier reproducing pianos via the Internet. When a teacher, performer, or student plays a Disklavier using this technology at one of the locations, each remotely connected Disklavier reproduces precisely the same key and pedal movements in real time.
The Yamaha Disklavier is a special acoustic piano built from the ground up with a sophisticated system of sensors that record every aspect of a performance, including pitch, dynamics, phrasing and pedaling. The performance information can be stored and recalled for later playback.
The Yamaha DCFX is particularly special because it combines the leading-edge technology of Disklavier with the acclaimed Yamaha CFX concert grand piano. The CFX has already made its mark on concert stages around the world, and a growing number of top music programs, colleges, universities and performance venues have selected the CFX because of its quality sound, superior craftsmanship, outstanding expressiveness and power.
Now in its 16th year, PACMI is a one-week program offering approximately 25 students an opportunity to fine tune their performance skills, as well as study music history, theory, ear training and keyboard literature. Recitals are free of charge and open to the public.
The PACMI staff will feature members of the Samford piano faculty, including Dr. Ronald Shinn and his wife, Barbara Shinn, Dr. Kathryn Fouse, Dr. Donald Sanders, as well as the director’s son, Dr. Michael Shinn and daughter-in-law, Jessica Shinn, who are both Juilliard faculty members and co-founders of the pianoSonoma festival in Sonoma, California. Learn more at http://www.pacmi.net.
To learn more about Yamaha Disklavier Remote Lesson technology, visit http://4wrd.it/YAMAHAREMOTELESSON
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About Samford University
Samford University is Alabama’s top-ranked private university and one of the nation’s top Christian universities. U.S. News & World Report ranks Samford 4th among regional universities in the South, and the university is widely acknowledged as a leader in liberal arts and professional school education. Located in suburban Birmingham, Samford was founded in 1841 and is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls more than 5,200 students from 46 states and 32 countries in its 10 academic units: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy, and public health. Samford also fields 17 NCAA Division I teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference. For more information, visit http://www.samford.edu
About Yamaha
Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) is one of the largest subsidiaries of Yamaha Corporation, Japan and offers a full line of award-winning musical instruments, sound reinforcement, commercial installation and home entertainment products to the U.S. market. Products include: Yamaha acoustic, digital and hybrid pianos, portable keyboards, guitars, acoustic and electronic drums, band and orchestral instruments, marching percussion products, synthesizers, professional digital and analog audio equipment, Steinberg recording products and NEXO commercial audio products, as well as AV receivers, amplifiers, MusicCast wireless multiroom audio systems, Blu-ray/CD players, earphones, headphones, home-theater-in-a-box systems, sound bars and its exclusive line of Digital Sound Projectors. YCA markets innovative, finely crafted technology and entertainment products and musical instruments targeted to the hobbyist, education, worship, music, professional audio installation and consumer markets.
Peter Giles, Giles Communications, +1 (914) 798-7120, [email protected]
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