Note By Note: The Making of Steinway L-1037

In 2008, the Tallahassee Film Society (TFS) presented two showings of “Note by Note: the Making of Steinway L1037” at All Saints Cinema.  Presented in partnership with the FSU College of Music, the film was shown accompanied by a live performance from the relatively new (then) FSU Assistant Professor Heidi Louise Williams of the College of Music on a Steinway brought into All Saints Cinema for the event.  In addition, Ms. Anne Garee Director of the College’s Piano Technology program and two graduate students gave a talk about the College’s new master’s program.

Well . . . it is 10 years later and TFS and the College of Music are pairing up again to show “Note by Note: the Making of Steinway L1037” along with the regional higher-education Steinway dealer.  Associate Professor Heidi Louise Williams will return for an encore on the piano joined by graduate student Brazilian pianist André Golbert.  Professor Williams and Mr. Golbert will take turns on the Steinway, each performing a piece.  In addition, the new program Director, Dr. Li Yeoh will be present to talk about the Piano Technology program at the College of Music.

“Note by Note: the Making of Steinway L1037” is a feature-length independent documentary film that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand, #L1037, from the forest floor to the concert hall.   It explores the relationship between musician and instrument, chronicles the manufacturing process, and illustrates what makes each Steinway unique in this age of mass production.

“Note by Note: the Making of Steinway L1037” is a loving celebration of not just craftsmanship, but of a dying breed of person who is deeply connected to working by hand.  In the end, this film is an ode to the most unexpected, and perhaps ironic, of unsung heroes.  It reminds us how extraordinary the dialogue can be between an artist and an instrument – crafted out of human hands but borne of the materials of nature.