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Topic: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?  (Read 3073 times)

Offline gosch

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Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
on: January 04, 2004, 05:05:19 PM
Hi,

I am looking for some place to stay in my holidays, where I can practice on good instruments whenever I want, with or without lessons.
Is there such a "piano-hotel" or vacation-package ?

My guess is, that many musicians would like to spend their vacations with music-making.
If anyone knows of travelagents or hotels that specialize in this, please let me know.

Gosch

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #1 on: January 04, 2004, 09:05:39 PM
Boy!  I am with you!  I assume you an adult - I am 47 - and I have looked around for the same thing - maybe a piano *camp* with teachers and recitals and all.  (You *kids* in music school laugh if you want, but not everybody gets to major in music in school.  Some of us end up as *regular* people and spend our spare time either playing the piano or wishing we could do it more).  I have found several chamber music *camps* - not sure what quality of play or genre of music you are into, but Interlochen has a summer adult camp, and there are others in New Hampshire and Idaho.  I'll dig around for some info.......
So much music, so little time........

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #2 on: January 04, 2004, 09:09:11 PM
Oh and silly me, I forgot to mention that Portland State University puts on a Piano Festival for four days in July.  You don't play, though, but it's a convention of sorts of recitals and master classes.  It's fun.  they haven't posted the 2004 schedule yet, but it's under www.pdx.edu
and Harold Gray is the chairperson to contact.
So much music, so little time........

Offline gosch

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #3 on: January 04, 2004, 10:13:48 PM
Quote
...but not everybody gets to major in music in school.  Some of us end up as *regular* people and spend our spare time either playing the piano or wishing we could do it more


Thanks for your infos!
And yes, I'm also one of the 'regular' people, enjoying the piano as much as I can in my sparetime.

Honestly, it's very odd that there aren't too many (if any) music-vacations to be found. I imagine there must be a lot of people who'd like to travel someplace nice and have a piano/music-room and other musicians ready for some very nice weeks!

Most workshops or festivals I've come across don't really offer 'any-time-practice' or a nice place to stay for several weeks.

Picture this:
A lush caribbean island.. you sit at your very own Steinway and look out across white beaches and blue ocean... he he
This has got to be true somewhere, but where ??

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #4 on: January 04, 2004, 11:16:28 PM
Well, it's true. The only music vacations I have located fall into two categories.  *Nice* ones where you visit Vienna and see a lot of concerts and famous old stuff.  - no playing that I can tell.  OR  camp-style ones with some mixture of other musicians - usually chamber music focused on strings -piano players are a dime a dozen from what I can tell, and my teacher doesn't seem to think I'd really get much music out of it for all the fuss.  

maybe we should start our own........


I go to a hockey camp in the summer for adults (sort of an old-fart camp now) where the same group gets together every year with NHL coaches and has a jolly good time playing hockey.  It took years to gather enough folks for it to take off.  now it's a staple.  Wonder if there would be enough pianists to pull something like that together. After a while, the social aspect is as much of a draw as the music itself.  

This could be one of tjhose piano *fantasies* we've mused about on this board.  Where's RachFan when you need him?
So much music, so little time........

Offline Plaz

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #5 on: January 05, 2004, 02:21:17 AM
If you're travelling anywhere that has a university with a decent music program, you can often grab a practice room without much trouble.  I've had good luck with simply asking a student where the music building is and poking around until I found an unoccupied room.  Sometimes you can find a full concert grand in an empty auditorium.  If you play halfway decently, nobody will bother you about it (unless a class is about to start).

Of course, if you get arrested for trespassing, you're on your own...

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #6 on: January 05, 2004, 03:20:46 AM
You are right - if travelling on BUSINESS - which should never be confused with a VACATION (my mother still doesn't track with the difference. "Oh, you are going to Chicago!  You should go see this and go see that!"  Oh never mind).  Hotels also usually have several pianos dotted around in ballrooms that may not be in use.  I have asked to practice before, and they don't care unless there's something going on in an adjacent room.  

But this is taking us away from our little *fantasy vacation* idea, where there's a 7-foot grand in every hotel room!
So much music, so little time........

Offline gosch

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #7 on: January 05, 2004, 12:32:16 PM
Quote

But this is taking us away from our little *fantasy vacation* idea, where there's a 7-foot grand in every hotel room!


That's exactly what I mean !
Actually just a few rooms would suffice, and the hotel (place, whatever..) need not be on an exclusive island too, somewhere 'nice and rural' would be great too.

I think trying to organize a few people is the lesser problem. The really hard part is just to find _that place_

There is a market-niche for this..do I really have to start my own hotel now so this dream can come true ?

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #8 on: January 06, 2004, 05:54:33 AM
Looks like you've got one taker!
So much music, so little time........

Offline Plaz

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #9 on: January 08, 2004, 07:45:30 PM
Please start something like this.  Put the first one near Prague or Vienna or Paris.  I'll take the Bosendorfer Suite for three weeks in the spring of '05.

Seriously, there's probably a niche market here waiting to be exploited, but it would take a lot of capital and the right locations to make it work.  Then again, would you really let just anybody rent out a room with your $60k Steinway model B.  Just imagine the parties...

Offline Rach3

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #10 on: January 11, 2004, 01:15:37 AM
Maybe somewhere Mediterranean... but of course in the summer they would all go out of tune.
"Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them."
--Richard Wagner

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #11 on: January 11, 2004, 03:00:07 AM
Maybe the Tuscany area.  That would be charming, and there would be wine for your practice breaks!  

I suspect we could get humidity controls in the rooms with the pianos in them.  - and have a technician on staff, like the sports trainer is always available!

Would we have chamber music coaching, too, or just top-notch pianists/teachers to be available for questions?

What about scheduled master classes and recitals as alternate entertainment?  

So much music, so little time........

Offline gosch

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #12 on: January 11, 2004, 04:00:49 PM
Toscany, Tessin... yep something like that!

Of course: These grands get tuned every week, international renouned teachers available all the time,
exquisite dinners, recitals, massages, music library, ...




Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #13 on: January 11, 2004, 08:07:25 PM
ew!  massages and music library!  NOW you're talking!
So much music, so little time........

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #14 on: January 12, 2004, 07:49:18 AM
omigosh!  Look!

https://www.oxfordphil.com/piano_festival/pianofest_start.html

I am still checking it out.  Haven't found any mention of massages yet........
So much music, so little time........

Offline bernhard

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #15 on: January 14, 2004, 01:43:21 AM
The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. (Hunter Thompson)

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #16 on: January 17, 2004, 09:19:56 AM
So much music, so little time........

Shagdac

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #17 on: February 29, 2004, 12:55:22 PM
This may not be exactly what you are looking for, however last year I went to "Lake Austin Spa Resort" in Austin, Texas. It was beautiful, very secluded and everything there that you saw, heard, smelled, tasted was designed with total relaxation in mind. In one of the buildings across from our cottage they had a music conservatory/reading library....I went every day and played for literally hours on end...never being disturbed. They had a grand piano, right by a wall that was totally glass, sitting practically on top of the water, with ducks, trees, etc. A beautiful setting. I never had to ask to use this area as it was always open, and no one else was ever in there. I'm sure if you did ask, they would allow someone to use on a reserve basis as they go out of their way to do anything to "pamper" their guests. Slightly expensive, but worth every penny! :D

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #18 on: February 29, 2004, 07:59:22 PM
I will definitely check this out!  For the real fantasy, the same place only with a private Steinway on the shores of Lake Maggiore or Como in Italy?  Perhaps with a small cafe across the streeet for breaks, and one of the famous gardens nearby to walk around in.  
So much music, so little time........

Offline gosch

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Re: Piano-vacations, piano-hotel...?
Reply #19 on: February 29, 2004, 08:18:58 PM
"Lake Austin Spa Resort"
Yep, that'd be it !
Very PRICEY though
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