the story of my FAZIOLI

Shortly after returning from serving a mission, my parents asked me to start looking for a grand piano to complete their house in the mountains. There was also talk that this might be 'my' piano some day.

I slowly started contacting all piano dealers in the area and playing many different makes in my ideal size: 7 feet. It wasn't very long before I played on a Fazioli. I had first become acquainted with them when I was at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Las Vegas but I hadn't had a chance to get to know them. I sensed, heard, saw, and felt such a difference immediately. The keys knew what I was thinking. The softs were more delicate than any piano I'd tried and yet the power in the fortes was still strong. The keys were completely even all the way up and down the keyboard. I was in love.

After a few months of figuring out my top picks at each price level, I asked for a price range. Well, perhaps I could find a used steinway, or perhaps something smaller. But it was a reasonable price range. My parents came up for a weekend, and I showed them several different pianos in our price range. And then I had to play the Fazioli for them--just for fun. Yes, they were impressed.

I started looking outside of Utah as I was not falling in love with anything at that price level. I kept on running into Fazioli pianos among the used pianos of every other make. Each time, I would play and be in heaven for a moment. The piano dealer in Oakland showed me the wood on the inside--from the same forest in Italy as the wood that Stradivarius used. He had no idea how many books I've read on the Strad's. But the Faziolis in California were even further out of my price range.

Truthfully, I would be happy with any grand piano. I would be so grateful in any case. But I needed to research fully, make a smart decision, and find something I loved. I had found two pianos that I would be very happy with in our price rangem but did not want to make a decision quite yet. I asked every piano dealer if they'd heard of any used Fazioli pianos. They never had. Faziolis are new in America, and the factory in Italy only puts out a hundred per year or so. Mr. Fazioli likes to play each one until he knows he cannot improve it any more.

My mother says the Faziolis' sound is like thick cream. Each piano dealer that heard me play a Fazioli, and saw how much I loved it wanted me to get one. There is simply nothing like it. Then Baldassin Pianos called from Salt Lake City saying that he had a used Fazioli for me. But I would need to be interested in buying it without having played on it, because it was owned by a family in Idaho that might trade in the piano for another Fazioli. What a gamble--I thought. The other concern was that even if the price were substantially lowered for a used instrument, it would still be out of our price range.

While in Chicago, we passed a piano store several times per day with Fazioli waving to me from the window. I took the dealer there through the whole story, and he had a few things to say. Regarding the condition of the piano there, he suggested I talk with a known technician in Utah--Rick Baldassin. He's the one trying to sell it to me! The only other advice he had for me was upstairs in his studio. He has several pianos there that were of comprable caliber ten years ago. Today, he can tell which is the better make--the Fazioli in its sturdy frame needs tuning half as much as the others.

My mother called with a brilliant idea. There was an education fund for me (I only found out about it recently) started when I was a little girl, and only usable for post-undergraduate education. Apparently, they would let me use the money for my Masters and PHD programs towards a piano... making the difference from our budget to the used Fazioli. But was it foolishness and impulsiveness that wanted me to give up education money? Even if i were to spend the money, at that budget, I could almost get a new Steinway--would that be smarter?

This piano would not devalue upon purchase as it was used. I would perform on it countless times. I could teach with this piano. and I felt good agoit it. I gave them the 'ok.' The Fazioli was sent from Idaho; Mr. Baldassin even put on special wheels for me. He had me try it out after he had tuned it up... I went up to Salt Lake and was once again in heaven.

He gave me the gold and green key to the piano. a Fazioli key. I didn't think that it was quite real. but a few weeks later, it was wrapped up, and in place for Graduation. It is beautiful. All the piano faculty at BYU reassured me, 'This is your education,' 'it will always be part of your family,' 'you will be happy with it your whole life,' 'you made the wiser choice,' ... and I carried the key in my purse for a month.

It will be years and years before I have a home for this Fazioli, but it looks so beautiful here with the mountains in the background. My first concert with the Fazioli is in two short weeks. And I can't wait.