A Special Announcement

Family Piano Co invites all of you to a series of rare concert opportunities coming up in our cafe. Our Sunday Sauter Series Concerts (and many of our Friday evening shows) feature the magnificent 9-foot Sauter grand. The next two Sundays showcase two important LIVING composers! Both have very impressive resumes, and I encourage you to see their websites and join us if you possibly can.   Sun January 24th at 4 pm, we're proud to present Sebastian Huydts, Director of Keyboard Studies and Composition at Columbia College in Chicago. We first heard him last summer at the Piano Technicians' Guild national conference, where he was the entire show at the big Saturday night banquet and reception. He received several standing ovations from an extremely discerning crowd! This man is absolutely brilliant, and a truly wonderful human being. I found his compositions so captivating, I think I stopped breathing! His website is www.huydts.com.   Sunday, January 31 at 4 pm, you can enjoy Dr. Zvonimir Nagy, professor of Music Theory and Composition at St. Xavier University. He has studied all over the world, receiving his music doctorate from Northwestern University. One of the original pieces he'll be sharing with us is based on a series of paintings done by his wife Haley. I would describe his style as more mystical/modern, and his interpretation of Debussy moved me to tears. Dr. Nagy looks forward to sharing the inspirations behind both his original works and interpretations of repertoir. He's an enjoyably profound, articulate and clear thinker. His website is www.nagymusic.com.   Tickets are only $10 (with 100% going to the musicians, as is our custom), and we have a big free parking lot on County Street by the door. Call us for reservations or other info, and be sure to check our website for the full calendar of concerts by exceptional musicians from throughout the region! Let us know if you'd like to get our email newsletter (we even lease special software every month to ensure your privacy and that you can not be hacked or spammed). If you wish to be considered to perform for an upcoming concert, let us know that too.   We look forward to seeing you soon!   Most sincerely yours, Alice & Mark

 

New!

Show your tickets at Green Town Tavern on Genesee St. Plato's Corner Restaurant or Fong's Kitchen on Genesee St. for specials you can enjoy before and after the concert!

We're just the MIDDLE of a fantastic evening!!

People have been saying nice things, and we want to share some of them with you. We recently got the following nice email:

"One never knows what one will encounter when you play at a new location, especially out in the boonies compared to Chicago, my home town. Last night my piano trio (The Pressenda Trio) played in Waukegan, Illinois at a small but charming cafe/performing venue called Joplin's Java in the downtown area. The room has hardwood floors and high ceilings and is large enough to host a comfortable crowd of enthusiastic music lovers. It was furnished with a fine grand piano. . . . there's a fine piano store right next door. . . .and it was a wonderful place to play. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. The coffee and snacks were first class too. And, most importantly, the hosting crew were wonderful friendly people. It made me want to come back soon, even as a non-participant. Highly recommended!"   David Taylor, Assist. Concertmaster, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Another comment we recently received we'd like to share with you:
 

"Let me tell you, last night was something to remember. I believe that Laury and Tom were one of the best acts you and Mark have booked. I was so incredibly impressed with the level of musicianship. Laury is a fantastic entertainer.   In my opinion, you 2 and your store are the greatest thing going in Waukegan! I plan to get up during the open mic on Sunday the 27th, with a little nudge from you! I have some songs worked up that I've been saving since the beginnig of summer, when all of a sudden the open mic ended!   Thanks for all the support and encouragement. You guys are the best."   Scott, from Waukegan

We've added a page of comments from our friends - the link is in the menu on the left side of the page. The News-Sun wrote a nice piece about us - a copy of it is on our comment page.

Joplin's Java and Ragtime Cafe is the newest part of the Family Piano Company, dedicated to providing the finest coffee to go with the finest pianos. More than just a place to pick up a quick cup of something black, it's part of our committment to music and the community. We offer the finest coffee roasted fresh for us by a little-known treasure in North Chicago. We offer the finest pastries brought to us daily by a local pastry treasure in Zion.

Music is more than just a part of our name, it's part of us. We're offering open mike nights and a 7' concert grand piano for you to perform on! There will be professional musicians performing some evenings. The jazz improvisation workshop, open to the public, will be taking the summer off, but will return in the near future.

We can't have musicians to perform for us and drink our coffee without music education. We're encouraging schools and teachers in the area to work with us. Two teaching studios for private lessons - equipped with top-quality pianos from our inventory - are part of our new space. Music lessons for the very young are available.

By the way, did we mention we're serving excellent coffee and food to go with all this excellent music?

New! We've added a page where everybody can enjoy some of the photos and videos we've collected! Check it out every so often - you never know when there will be new stuff...

The Latest & Greatest Videos

Sauter Concert Series: Frank Winkler/Frank Portolese/Nick Tauntuas (December 20, 2009)  Sauter Concert Series: Erwin Helfer and "Skinny" Williams (November 29, 2009)  Sauter Concert Series: Dr. James and Susan McKeever (November 22, 2009)  The Handbells of First Presbyterian Church (December 5, 2009)  Old Time Radio Shows (October 23th, 2009)  Sauter Concert Series: Susan Merdinger (October 25th, 2009)  Erwin Helfer & Skinny Williams (Sept 11, 2009)  Ten Carrot Ragtime Orchestra (June 26th, 2009)  A Lot to Appreaciate (July 10-11, 2009)

New! There was a very nice article about us in the March/April issue of Chicago Jazz Magazine, one of the premiere jazz magazines in the country. You can read it on the Family Piano website here...