Want to be pitch perfect?

THE FISHERMAN STAFF

March 20, 2008 at 9:58AM AKST

Brian DeTar, piano technician and tuner, will return to Unalaska April 7-12 and is now taking appointments for spring tunings.

As one Yamaha International’s top piano technicians, DeTar has toured the world for clients such as Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, Itzhak Perlman and Ella Fitzgerald.

Now based in Portland, Ore., Brian remains in high demand. His first trip to tune pianos in Unalaska was in 2005, and he has returned every spring since then.

"We sponsor concert musicians to our community every year, and are very fortunate to have facilities ... that own beautiful grand pianos on which our visiting artists can perform top-level concerts," said Lynda Lybeck-Robinson, Aleutians Arts Council board member.

"We could not do this without instruments that were properly maintained and in tune. The entire community benefits from this service, which many perhaps have taken for granted."

Robinson noted that, in addition to being used by visiting artists, the pianos are played in community recitals, school programs and other musical events.

For more information or to set up an appointment, call Lybeck-Robinson at 581-1542. Those who may need service beyond a regular tuning can email DeTar at brianpositively@yahoo.com, so that he may bring the right parts and tools for specific repairs.

There is an additional $20 fee, which helps to offset the cost of DeTar’s airfare. This year the fee will be included in the tuning charge. The council urges those who did not pay this fee last year to settle their account before setting up their tunings this year.

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