Here’s some information from the UVAA website:

“”Welcome to the Utah Valley Arts Association (UVAA).  Our goal is to enhance communication, encourage collaboration, and stimulate networking between local arts organizations. The UVAA serves as a voice for the arts in our community. Our motto is “Together we can” because we believe in strength in numbers.

The three main areas of focus of the UVAA are; Networking, Education, and Marketing. Our members benefit from the various workshops, networking meetings, and exposure from our many media partners. The UVAA also publishes its own monthly publication and membership calendar that is distributed throughout the valley. For more information on the UVAA publication CLICK HERE

Membership in the UVAA is open to any individual, non-profit, or organization whose products or services fall directly under the arts umbrella. If you are interested in learning more about the UVAA you can contact us if you CLICK HERE“”

Click on the links below to see some recent media coverage of the UVAA

…who won our impromptu drawing for a free tuning.  She was one of many who contributed a comment to the recent article in the paper on Brigham Larson Pianos.  Here’s what Laurie had to say,

What a great article! And it is so nice to have a piano store in Pleasant Grove. I also really applaud your decision to give pianos away. I am a piano teacher and have had Brigham tune my piano several times. He also did a complete regulation of my piano. The difference was astounding! I have a Young Chang grand piano and it sounds and feels perfect after Brigham worked on it. I have referred several of my students to him and will continue to do so.  I would recommend him to anyone! Thanks, Brigham.

Thank you Laurie!  We appreciate our loyal customers and the on-going support.  Enjoy the free tuning…

Click the image above to get the story from the Daily Herald.  We are interested to hear your comments, stories, memories of our business, experiences having Brigham in your homes, hearing him play, attending our concert series, etc.  We’ll do a drawing from all of the comments made on the article at noon tomorrow to give away a free tuning.   We are so grateful to all of the clients and friends who have been so loyal and supportive, helping our business to grow with referrals, free business advice and encouragement over the years.   We’d love to hear from you.  Hope you are enjoying the holiday break with your families and finding those meaningful moments gathered around the piano.

Article

Comment

Brigham had a reporter accompany him on a tuning yesterday and then back to the piano shop to photograph some action voicing and shop work.  Brigham, our business story and concert series are going to be the Monday front page feature story on the 26th!  So watch for us…  we’d love to hear your comments, support and feedback on the article.  If you don’t get the paper, you can view it on-line at www.heraldextra.com.

(Ben and Abby Larson with classical pianist, Josh Wright)

Nearly twelve years ago, my husband and I had our first date in February of the year 2000.  I would later learn that the girl he took out the night before our first date, and for many months prior to that night, had just sealed her fate and closed the door to any future relationship, by making this well-intentioned, yet horribly stated pronouncement of her affection to my future husband, “I like you soooo much… that I would marry you “EVEN THOUGH” you are a piano technician!”  Ouch!

How mistaken, misguided, misled and misinformed this Miss-foot-in-her-mouth was.  I was of the opposite camp and was instantly intrigued, inspired and interested in discovering the world of a piano technician, even attempting to contribute where I was able to help.  Who knew where we were headed or if the bills would ever get paid.  Yet I did know that to be a piano technician took artistic skill, passion, drive, discipline, vision, mastery, talent, initiative and dedication.  I knew I couldn’t go wrong with a man exhibiting those traits, matched with the confidence to be his own boss and to start his own business.

Our first date was at a piano and fittingly, our Friday night dates now are also gathered around a piano as we host our community for our weekly concert series at our piano store.  We launched our concert series last year with guest artist, Josh Wright, a classical pianist who debuted at #1 on the classical billboard charts.  It was a surreal moment, an unforgettable life milestone as he began to play that night to a packed venue of friends, family and strangers, all gathered around the piano to celebrate the beauty and soul inspiring depth of rich music.

His first song was How Great Thou Art.  As I swayed to the music in the back corner, rocking my baby, I thanked God, “Indeed, How Great Though Art and how blessed we have been!  Thank You-Thank You for all of this!”  I looked over the crowd and saw my other children in the front row absorbing the inspiration just feet in front of them.  Then I closed my eyes and let the moment soak in.  I basked in gratitude as the instrumental piano played, the words of that great hymn ran through my mind as a background to the mental slide show of heaven sent blessings running across the panorama of my mind, reviewing the journey of the past decade.  These passing images were a quick review of the blessings of being married to a piano technician; our beautiful self-employed life, working together as a team to achieve the American dream and build something from scratch, our recently expanded business and new piano store, our children immersed in music, the satisfaction of promoting the arts in the community, involving our children in our piano charity to gift free pianos to struggling families, customers thanking my husband for making music come alive in their homes again, and the joy of raising our children in concert, gathered around pianos!

All of this, “even though” I married a “piano technician”.

“The highest form of marriage

is when husband and wife

engage in a mission higher than themselves

and invite children to join them.”

Well… I think it’s working and we’re having so much fun doing it together as a family!!  So we started the concert series to “Promote the arts in Utah”, however, it’s also to promote the arts to our children.

Ben, our 9 year old, has always refused to prepare for a solo recital (memorizing 10 songs to perform himself as a solo concert),  We haven’t made him or forced him in this direction as his siblings have done their solo recitals and received their trophies from Mrs. Norman.  He just always sits in the back like he’s bored out of his mind and not interested… BUT THEN…. after attending the Josh Wright Soiree at our store and meeting Josh afterward… Ben says this, “I want to do a concert like Josh.  You know, where I play on the big piano and I get to stand up and talk in between each song to tell about why I chose it or why I like it, or listen to this one part because…”   He has since typed up his own list of 8 songs to perform plus 2 of his own compositions and is excited to perform at “Daddy’s Store“.  It worked!!  A little inspiration goes a long way!  Bring your kids to an event and share the joy of music with them.  We have some really inspiring artists lined up.  If you haven’t been to one of our concerts yet, request by e-mail a set of free tickets and we’ll hook you up as a VIP guest for your first outing to Brigham’s Concert Series!  While you’re at it, you can enter to win a free piano!

-Karmel

Here’s a slide show of all of our guests who came to our grand opening!  It was truly a delight to be in the company of so many of our close family, friends and loyal clients.  We were especially thrilled to be surprised by Basillios Strmec, President of Hailun USA who flew in for the occasion.  Thanks everyone for making it such a grand success!