Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Piano Performance Museum in Hunter, New York, right in the heart of the beautiful Catskill Mountains. This incredible place is filled with historic keyboard instruments, from harpsichords and clavichords to early pianos that composers like Mozart, Clementi, and Chopin would have known. In this video, I take you on a tour through music history, playing many of these remarkable instruments. Some even have a personal connection to my own family, which made the experience all the more special. It’s an unforgettable journey through the evolution of the piano, and I’m excited to share it with you!
The Piano Performance Museum is nestled in this small mountain village, and provides a walk through piano history featuring instruments from the harpsichord through to the modern piano. There were some remarkable surprises in store for me and you can get a glimpse of this fascinating place by watching the accompanying video.
The first that hit me were the very first two instruments you see upon entering: a 2-manual Taskin French model harpsichord and a Stein fortepiano. These instruments are incredibly familiar to me since they are the same instruments I toured with in my Living Piano: Journey Through Time: Historic Concert Experience! These are the only replicas on the floor. The dozens of other early pianos (going back centuries) are all original instruments. What makes this museum so special is that almost all of the pianos are in good playing condition, and if you are a pianist, you are welcome to play them! This really aligns with my Living Piano show where I always invited the audience up to the stage to play the instruments after the performances.
What was an incredible shock was that on the adjacent wall at the entrance was a huge showcase with hundreds of intricate miniature pianos with a sign, The Diane Estrin Miniature Piano Collection”. I had no idea that my aunt had this incredible collection and bequeathed them to the museum. My Aunt Diane studied piano at Juilliard as well as with my father.
Aside from a collection of dozens of pianos going through piano history from square grands, to straight strung pianos, magnificent art-case uprights and grands, through to modern concert grands; the museum also houses a performance hall and a movie theater with regular live events featuring period piano performances. They also host piano concerts at other venues throughout the region.
So, if you are ever going to be in the area, call ahead and make a reservation to visit the Piano Performance Museum. It is a unique experience that will heighten your appreciation of the development of the instrument we know and love, the piano.