PTM 2019 Episode 6
Mario Igrec - CAUT class
Surviving and thriving as a CAUT
What's in the episode ?
This two hour masterclass from Mario's Desk at his Hudson Valley Home just North of NYC explores the four "hats" that a piano technician must wear as a College, University and Institutional technician.
Understand these hats and access the valuable resources, guidelines, tactics and strategies that Mario will share and you'll be leagues ahead when applying for, negotiating, and stepping into institutional work.
If you are an experienced CAUT, Mario will share resources that can boost your productivity, increase your influence, and earn you more in dollars, as well as help you take advantage of perks, bonuses and intangible assets that accompany the position of institutional technician.
If you're not a CAUT already or becoming one soon, you'll also absorb valuable insight about how to manage pianos long-term and how to gain the interpersonal and political skill that will help you develop great relationships with institutions, industry partners and repeat clients.
This lecture covers the "Four Hats" of Institutional Work
1. PIANO TECHNICIAN
Tuning, service, concert work, rebuilding, moving...
2. ADMINISTRATOR
Scheduling, ordering, paying bills, selling, buying vs. leasing, outside movers, recruitment, hiring/firing, shop, facilities, benches, signs…
3. BEAN COUNTER
Inventory, expenses, budget, parts, shop supplies...
4. STRATEGIST, EDUCATOR, MENTOR, ORGANIZER...
Educating, teaching, extended techniques, conferences, community outreach, private tech work, adding value...
BIOGRAPHY
Mario Igrec
Mario Igrec, RPT, M. Mus., bridges piano technology and pianism, and provides a unique perspective as a master craftsman and award-winning pianist. Mario is the author of Pianos Inside Out, “the most ambitious book on piano technology ever written” (Piano Technicians Journal), and has created Practical Touch™, a system for advanced action performance analysis and adjustment. He is a frequent instructor at piano technicians’ meetings and conferences.
Mario was born in Zagreb, Croatia. He studied composition with Stanko Horvat and piano performance with Pavica Gvozdic at the University of Zagreb Academy of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and pedagogy in 1984. He continued his studies with Martin Canin at the Stony Brook University, and received his Masters Degree in piano performance in 1986. He received a special prize from Gioventù Musicale d'Italia at the 1982 International Piano Competition “Rina Sala Gallo” in Monza, Italy, and he won the Sunwood Piano Competition in Old Field, New York, in 1985.
Mario’s understanding of piano making and servicing was deepened by his visits to and informal training at the Bösendorfer factories in Vienna and Wiener Neustadt. This is where he experienced the standards of workmanship that he has strived to reach ever since.
As a graduate assistant at Stony Brook University, Mario tuned and regulated the school's pianos, apprenticing with the head piano technician Joe Vitti. In 1987 he became a full-time piano technician at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he taught a course in piano design, construction, and the theory of tuning and temperament, and maintained over 120 of the school’s pianos, harpsichords, and celestas. As a concert technician for the LSU Union Theater, First Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, and the Baton Rouge Riverside Centroplex Theater, he worked for many renowned artists, including Philippe Bianconi, Constance Carroll, Richard Goode, Gilbert Kalish, Jon Kimura Parker, Garrick Ohlsson, and Santiago Rodriguez. He rebuilt numerous pianos during this period, including those used in the aforementioned concert venues.
In the 1990s, Mario’s career took a turn toward information technology. He became a Certified Expert for Adobe FrameMaker and a Microsoft Most Valued Professional, and has written on technology, managed long document projects, designed books, and built database applications. In 2000 he co-founded Selltis LLC, a cloud-based, customer-relationship management (CRM) software company, where he was head of development as CTO and software architect until 2014. Mario is the creator of Hyper-relational™ technology for data contextualization.
Today, Mario refines expression in fine pianos, focusing on tone and touch, and studies piano's social history and performance practices. He is Chief Concert Technician at Faust Harrison Pianos in New York.
A Stellar reputation in the Piano Industry
"Pianos Inside Out, in its scope, breadth, and depth, is truly astonishing. I know of no other single book in our field that covers so much of piano technology in such detail. If I could have only one book in my piano-technology library, this would have to be it. I know firsthand how much time and work go into the writing and production of a book, and it's hard for me to imagine how many hours you must have invested in this book-really more like an encyclopedia-thus far,"
Stephen Brady, RPT
Author, Under the Lid
"[Pianos Inside Out] collects and explains in great detail the knowledge and experience gained by the best piano technicians over the past 40 years, after a thorough survey of the instrument's history, construction, and maintenance. Exhaustively covers all aspects of this complex field. Written so clearly that a novice will have no trouble understanding. Excellent photos, diagrams charts to illustrate all points covered. An awesome achievement! Thank you Mario!"
Larry Lobel
RPT
Feedback from 2018's lecture participants.
"Mario is a great teacher and very knowledgable in his field, thanks for sharing Mario!"
Nathaniel Everett, RPT:
Osborne & Everett Antique Keyboard Restoration
Boise, ID
"This lecture is simply great! It clarified concepts and theory that I could not have assessed before. It shows practicality on the hammer selection and the key depth which is very important for my career development."
Nelson Yum
Piano Technician
Hong Kong
"Excellent and very well done.
Susan Brown, RPT
Caledonia, NY
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