amaha artist Kevin Asbjörnson often composes his contemporary and New Age piano music with an admirable person or cause in mind. "When I read about the work of Linda and Millard Fuller, founders of Habitat for Humanity International, a constant theme of focusing on others appeared," Asbjörnson explains. "One word, grace, best described the feeling I had."

Last June a dedication ceremony was held at Colorado Middle School in Woodland Park, to honor the work of the Colorado Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The Fullers presented $10,000 to the affiliate to construct low-income homes in Teller County. And, Asbjörnson performed his solo piano homage, "Grace," on a Yamaha C3 conservatory grand piano, provided by Wally Mark, President of Colorado Springs Music Company.

"I always request a Yamaha C3 or C5 because my music is acoustically bright," explains Asbjörnson. "The piano's acoustic tones are powerfully carried to the back of an auditorium. Listeners often tell me they can't believe how clear it sounds."

Kevin Asbjörnson, PianoOne® Recording Artist

Another hallmark of Asbjörnson's music is utilizing all four octaves. "It requires that the sound, from the high- to low-end of the register, be robust all the way through," he continues. "This consistency is unique to Yamaha pianos."

Asbjörnson recorded his three CDs on a Yamaha C7 conservatory grand piano at Mastertouch Studio in Evergreen, CO. "You just can't find a more perfect replication of sound quality than with the C7." In his home studio, he uses his Yamaha Disklavier® DC3 for composing, creating multi-track scores, even determining the order of tunes on his CDs. "I transpose, mix and mingle, and completely format on my Disklavier," he says. "Its greatest asset is ease of use; I can listen as my own audience."

Asbjörnson's third CD, Collage, includes "Grace" and "Heart of a Hero," penned for The Colorado Boys Ranch in La Junta, a residential psychiatric treatment/education center for adolescent boys. He performed it on a Yamaha C3, provided by Bob Baker, director of sales and marketing at Wells Music in Denver, at the Ranch's 40th anniversary celebration, sharing the stage with Roger O'Neil of NBC Nightly News. Asbjörnson works with the boys and staff as a Performing Artist-in-Residence at the Ranch, playing both a Yamaha C5 and C3.

Kevin Asbjörnson's CDs are available at www.PianoOne.com.

California Summer School Relies on Yamaha Pianos

amaha pianos continued their starring role this year as the official piano of California Summer Music, the renowned annual festival and school held at the Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, CA.

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