Welcome to KeyAction Winter 2001: Page 15

Don Johnson of Music World greets Orbry Wright, recipient of a Clavinova, as the piano is unloaded

The Wright family—Kathie and Orbry along with their daughters Sarah, 11; Elizabeth, 9; Rebecca, 8; Abigail, 5 and Margaret, 4, lost everything earlier this year. The Cerro Grande wildfire, which swept through Los Alamos, NM, this past May and June, devastated more than 250 homes and destroyed 47,650 acres of forest. While no government agency or insurance company can replace heirloom furniture, family photos, or other treasured personal possessions, Yamaha stepped in to bring music back into the lives of the Wrights and 17 other families.

“We had just given a used electronic keyboard to the girls and talked to them about taking music lessons,” Kathie Wright recalls. “We thought Yamaha would give us a little keyboard, so we were completely shocked when they came in with a digital piano. It’s awesome!” The Clavinova CLP840 was provided by Music World in Sante Fe. “Those cute little red-haired girls were so excited when we delivered it, you’d have thought it was a Christmas tree with toys underneath,” says Music World owner Don Johnson.

“The three oldest girls love it,” says Kathie. “When their new piano teacher, Terry Fogel, played ‘Fur Elise’ on his grand piano for us,” she laughs, “the girls said, ‘Mom! That’s the same song as on our piano!’ And, Margaret, our youngest, loves the jazzy blues tune. She plays it over and over and dances to it. She dresses up, turns it on, and rocks out!”

The Wright family girls enjoying their Yamaha Clavinova

Kathie says her daughters love all the demos, and especially enjoy experimenting with the Clavinova digital piano’s voices. “They’ll play a page from their lesson, then play it again with harpsichord, then again with grand piano. It helps them practice more," says Kathie. “Sometimes they use the metronome, too, and though we haven’t tried to record yet, that’s next.”

When they fled their home, the Wrights grabbed a couple of suitcases with clothes, a box of pictures, and some financial records. “If I knew for sure that a fire was going to happen,” muses Wright, “I would have taken a few more things. But none of that stuff really matters. We’re all okay, and the way people have come through for us really makes you believe in the goodness of the human race. We certainly have appreciated this Clavinova. It’s been really fun for the girls.”