California PTGC--thoughts and feelings

[David Andersen]

My brothers and sisters----

Was it only last weekend? Wow. The incredible feelings & insights the  
San Francisco convention catalyzed are still really strong and  
present. There was amazing learning, and teaching, and fellowship,  
and laughter---the entire panorama of experiences. The piano I  
brought, to exhibit and teach around, was a 1942 Hamburg "B":   
original "Mediterranean" board, new everything else except keyframe;  
its place in the exhibit hall was on the back wall, between Dale  
Erwin's globally beautiful mahogany long "A" and a powerful,  
mysterious, massive Steingraeber concert grand, which I was given the  
honor of tuning and preparing---thank you, Greg Schultz, Michael  
Campi, and Brian Gatchell; you are good men and fine representatives  
of an amazing piano and its amazing maker, Udo Steingraeber, a true  
piano freak (in the best possible sense.)

The men and women that put on this beautiful convention need to be  
honored again and again---the people I dealt with directly, and who  
were just stellar:  Roland Kaplan, Fenton & Rhonda Murray, Lowell and  
Andy from Green Mountain
Moving, Dave Stahl, Bob Brown, Tom Cole, Jim Ogden, Neil the AV guru,  
Peter Acronico...on and on.

Roland and Fenton, you guys treated me with such respect and  
appreciation---you were fantastic leaders, and you got the best from  
me as an exhibitor and a teacher. That you honored Dale and I by  
fighting for and winning the opportunity to use our pianos for the  
Saturday night concert, with such amazing results, is something I'll  
never be able to express my gratitude for. It was beyond, and I'll  
never forget it. Kenric Tam, the 16-year-old MONSTER who blew my mind  
out of my head both as a performer and a human, was literally beyond  
my dreams.  Two of the pieces he played are in my top five classical  
pieces of all time, and I was mesmerized and transported. Both pianos  
sounded so clear, limpid, bell-like, powerful---in a hotel ballroom.   
Go figure.  Roland, Bob Shea the sound guy was another miracle, and a  
team player to boot.

To top it all off, I believe the Hamburg "B" will be sold to a man  
who played it on a fluke, really, on Saturday, and fell in love--- 
he'd been looking for half a year, and had played a couple dozen  
"B's" with the intention to buy.  He and his wife are flying down to  
L.A. in a week or two to "hopefully seal the deal," in his words.  
Ooohhh.

With all the external recognition and success, this last weekend was  
most precious to me because of the love I felt for my colleagues and  
their loved ones, and MY loved ones.  That may sound squishy, but  
it's true. Jenika, Satpal, Dale, Trix, Nick and Peg, Jurgen, C.  
Faulk, Mad Peter, Mike Bingham and his rockin' girlfriend, Mark  
Schecter, Dave Stahl, Ed Whitting, Don Mannino, Chris and Karen  
R. ....thanks.

On Tuesday of this week, I found out from my hand surgeon that the  
operations I have to have to repair the tendons damaged by rheumatoid  
arthritis over the past four years won't be as involved as he  
thought---that my hands are actually better and stronger than they  
were 6 months ago. On Friday, I found out, after extensive testing,  
that I had
no sign of cardiovascular disease and no arterial occlusions, which  
is a big surprise given the massive risk factor of RA coupled with my  
own mild but present hereditary risk factors. Amazing: I'm actually  
kind of healthy, despite having had virulently high levels of  
inflammation in my body for a while. So I'll probably be around to  
bother you and piss you off for a while longer. :--)  Gratitude is  
now, has been, and will be my attitude.

BTW: when is this list going to get the recognition and props it  
deserves for the powerful, positive phenomenon it is?

Night-night; I've finally gotten some sleep the past 3 days---been  
doin' NOTHIN'. Just cold chillin'.

Best to all,

David Andersen
Maliboo, Californ-aye-ay