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The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

MonsterPianos! returns to UA Sunday

” MonsterPianos! will return once again to E.J. Thomas Hall on Sunday April 5 at 3:00 p.m. Cyndee Ramsthaler, assistant to the dean of fine and applied arts, describes MonsterPianos! as wall to wall pianos and pianists that has something for everyone.”

MonsterPianos! will return once again to E.J. Thomas Hall on Sunday April 5 at 3:00 p.m.

Cyndee Ramsthaler, assistant to the dean of fine and applied arts, describes MonsterPianos! as wall to wall pianos and pianists that has something for everyone. It has music that the kids will like as well as adults. It’s got fun music, classical music, goofy music and serious music.

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Ramsthaler explains that one of the pieces that will be done this year is Kazoo the Roo. This is the first year at MonsterPianos! that Kazoo the Roo will be performed.
When people come in, everyone will get their own kazoo, Ramsthaler said. Zippy is going to come out and lead everyone in the audience and all the pianists in the world premier of the song ‘Kazoo the Roo.’

MonsterPianos! started out a few years ago in Guzetta Recital Hall but was so popular that hundreds of people were turned away.

The next year MonsterPianos! was performed in E.J. Thomas Hall in which she believes they are capable of filling.

Besides the 26 pianists filling the stage at E.J., another very cool piece of the show is the piano cam.

The piano cam is a huge screen set up over the stage in which videographers go around filming everything, says Ramsthaler.

Many people said that although they could see the pianos and pianists, they wished they could see what their hands looked like and the inside of the pianos.

You really get a cool up close and personal view of what is happening on stage, adds Ramsthaler.

One additional piece that makes this performance so interesting is that the only instruments used are pianos and some percussion.

According to the press release, MonsterPianos! is presented by the University of Akron’s School of Music and E.J. Thomas Hall, the Gilbert W. and Marguerite H. Dilley Performing Artist Series, Steinway Hall-Akron and the Kulas Foundation. Galen Karriker, who is the director of The University of Akron Marching Band, will continue the tradition of being the conductor of MonsterPianos!

Ramsthaler thinks that people will want to attend this performance because there is really something for everybody.

It’s just such a fun afternoon. This is something that you don’t get to see anywhere else. Just think of it, a stage full of pianos and 26 pianists. It’s really an experience like nothing else you’re going to see. It’s also music that is lots of fun and some serious, classical music also, she said.

Ramsthaler explains how MonsterPianos! got started. Phillip Thompson, the head of the piano program in the school of music had seen a similar program in New York City years ago.

He thought it would be fun to do it here because we have a great stage at E.J. Thomas Hall, great pianists at the University and in the community and he thought people would really enjoy it.

Members from the campus including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members and community members will all be participating in this great show.

Children under 12 years old are admitted for free and ticket prices are very reasonable, which is good in today’s economy.

Tickets can be purchased in advance through E.J. Thomas Hall or at the door on the day of the show.


” #1.1360442:3047280743.jpg:MonsterPianosbw.jpg:Musical group MonsterPianos! at one of their incredibly popular performances. :Photo courtesy of Cyndee Ramsthaler”

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