Ever wondered what goes on inside a concert grand piano before a master pianist takes the stage? Or how a master tuner coaxes the perfect sound out of thousands of moving parts?

Join us for All About the Piano, a fun, casual, 90-minute workshop that takes you behind the scenes of one of the world’s most versatile instruments. Whether you are a lifelong classical music fan or just curious about how it all works, this session will deepen your appreciation for your next UMS performance.

This workshop will feature Robert Grijalva, retired assistant professor and executive director of piano technology at U-M, and Kathryn Goodson, collaborative pianist at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, as panelists. Together, they will guide us through:

The Mechanics
How a piano actually works from the inside out.

The Art of Tuning
The meticulous process of tuning and choosing the perfect instrument for a live performance.

Live Demonstrations
Real-time examples and participatory activities that bring the music and mechanics to life.

Come with your curiosity and your questions — and leave with a whole new perspective on every note you hear!

Related Performance

Take your new knowledge of the with you to hear Bruce Liu in his Ann Arbor debut on Wed Oct 28, in a program of greatest hits from the piano repertoire.