Yamaha Pianist Amy Gustafson Debuts First Yamaha Artist Services NY Produced CD at French Institute Alliance Française

Performing on a Yamaha CFX concert grand piano, Yamaha Artist Amy Gustafson will present a concert in celebration of her debut CD release, Rêverie, the first-ever full-length recording project produced by Yamaha Artist Services in New York.

The performance will take place on Friday, June 9, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. at the French Institute Alliance Française's Florence Gould Hall, located at 55 East 59th Street in Manhattan. Ms. Gustafson will play selections from Debussy's Preludes Book Two, Suite Bergamasque and L'isle joyeuse.

An all-Debussy work, the CD was produced and recorded at Yamaha Artist Services in New York by Audio and Visual Specialist Aaron Ross, using a state-of-the-art application of Disklavier performance reproducing technology that, for the first time ever, enables recordings to be edited in pre-production. This innovative protocol represents a revolution in the creation of solo piano recordings, allowing the pianist to have full creative control throughout every step of the recording process-from performance to editing to re-recording.

The process began with Ms. Gustafson performing on the Disklavier CFX concert grand piano (DCFX) at Yamaha Artist Services, a state-of-the-art facility that features a 128 channel Dante-equipped Nuage recording and mixing console for professional audio recording and post production. The instrument captured her performance with impeccable accuracy and finesse, storing it as MIDI data. This performance data was then edited in MIDI format, enabling precise splicing of takes, and refinement of articulations, such as fermatas, staccatos, tenuto, and accents, subtle shadings of dynamics and shaping of phrasing, and duration of pedaling. Once the editing process was complete, Rêverie was then replayed on the same DCFX piano, relocated to the stage of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a recording space on the upper west side of Manhattan highly coveted by musicians and engineers for its warm acoustic environment. There, the final master recording took place.

This groundbreaking production method, available exclusively on the Yamaha Disklavier reproducing piano, provides an extraordinarily high level of artistic control, enabling recording artists to fully direct their own unique interpretation of the music, both from the keyboard and throughout the editing process. Additionally, the ability to edit in the pre-recording stage provides a more efficient and economical approach to recording, accelerating the editing process and reducing the amount of time and rental expenses required to record in top venues.

"The immediacy of hearing the Disklavier reproduce exactly what I had just played was invaluable," said Ms. Gustafson. "Since I could literally see the key speeds and pedal movements and their direct relationship to the sound. The process allows the performer, the piano, the recording, and the listener to merge seamlessly into one entity."

In her Fanfare magazine review of Rêverie, Jacqueline Kharouf wrote: "With her elegant and skilled performance, Gustafson approaches Debussy's second book of Preludes with creativity, imagination, and playfulness."

Ms. Gustafson has performed across the United States and throughout Western and Eastern Europe. Recent engagements have included replacing legendary pianist Abbey Simon in Los Angeles at LACMA's series, Sundays Live, an appearance with the Sofia Sinfonietta in Sofia, Bulgaria, and a concert tour in Dallas, Texas with her piano duo, Duo Azul. Other recent engagements have taken her to Spain, China, and Canada, and she has also performed at New York City venues, such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Trinity Church Wall Street, the Tenri Cultural Institute, CAMI Hall and the Kosciuszko Foundation.

"When Amy first approached Yamaha Artist Services about recording her Debussy disc, knowing her openness to exploration and innate musical sensitivity, we suggested she consider using the Disklavier recording technology," noted Bonnie Barrett, director, Yamaha Artist Services New York. "She was immediately receptive, and from the beginning of the recording to the end she was fully immersed in the process, effectively using this amazing protocol to realize the full potential of her artistic vision. I am so proud of the result, a stunning testament to the perfect marriage of art and technology."

Tickets for the June 9 performance at French Institute Alliance Française's Florence Gould Hall are available at http://4wrd.it/AMYGUSTAFSONRECITAL. For more information about Amy Gustafson, please visit http://www.amygustafson.com. For more information about Yamaha Artist Services New York, please visit http://www.yamaha.com/yasi

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About Yamaha Artist Services New York, Inc.
Established in 1987 in New York City, Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. (YASI) provides a wide range of professional services exclusively for performing artists, concert venues, performing arts organizations and educational institutions, representing an unparalleled commitment to the music industry and an invaluable resource for musicians, presenters and educators worldwide.

Since 2005, Yamaha Artist Services New York has been in the heart of midtown Manhattan on Fifth Avenue and 54th Street, in an historical landmarked 1925 building which originally served as Aeolian Hall, the headquarters of the Aeolian Piano Company. Designed by Warren & Wetmore, the architects of other notable buildings in New York City (Grand Central Terminal, the former Steinway Hall on 57th St.,) the building later became the headquarters for Elizabeth Arden. Occupying over 4,000 square feet, the Yamaha Artist Services Piano Salon features an elegant performance venue seating up to 90 and houses a large selection of concert-ready Premium Pianos of various sizes, including the acclaimed Yamaha CF series (CFX, CF6, CF4,), Bösendorfer, and Disklavier instruments, as well as the innovative AvantGrand hybrid and TransAcoustic pianos. Led by Yamaha's Chief Concert Technician, Yamaha Artist Services also provides outstanding technical support for concert venues and artists throughout the United States.

The Piano Salon is a state-of-the art, acoustically and technically adaptable environment. It features a wide-screen projection system with custom NEXO stereo sound, remote control cameras and a Newtek Tricaster system for video capture and live broadcast, and a 128 channel Dante-equipped Nuage recording and mixing console for professional audio recording and post production. The Piano Salon also features Yamaha's Active Field Control system (AFC), which uses sound processing technology to optimize room acoustics to suit the desired size of a performance, and can recreate authentic acoustic simulations of other performing arts venues.

It is a versatile space hosting instrument selections for artists, concert venues and educational institutions; rehearsals, recitals, auditions, masterclasses, press receptions, lectures and film screenings. The Piano Salon has been at the forefront of showcasing Yamaha's groundbreaking RemoteLive and Remote Lesson technologies, a groundbreaking and innovative way of delivering a live performance or pedagogical experience by linking two or more Disklavier pianos together, anywhere in the world, in perfect synchronization with video streaming.

Yamaha Artist Services New York works in close collaboration with other Yamaha Artist Service centers throughout the world, including those located in Japan, China, Russia and Europe, ensuring the seamless and unwavering support of Yamaha Artists internationally, wherever they are performing.

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