How old is our current grand piano?
The piano, a Baldwin, was built in 1969? It was purchased by the church in 2010 following a fund-raising musical dinner theatre production “I Love a Piano” organized by Gloria Herauf, the start of the long-running “Have a Heart” productions.
What is wrong with our current piano? It sounds perfectly fine to me.
A well-built grand piano should last for 50 years. At that point, major renovations are typically necessary. After 57 years, our piano no longer holds a tune well due to the tuning pins no longer being well-seated in the pin block. The full extent of renovations would only become apparent once renovations have started.
Why is it important for the church to have a high quality piano?
Music has always been an important part of worship at Comox United Church. We are blessed with a beautiful sanctuary with some of the finest acoustic properties of any venue in the Comox Valley. As part of our commitment to “Care for the Common Good”, we wish our sanctuary to be used for music making for the enjoyment of the entire Comox Valley community.
What will happen to the performers who rent the sanctuary if we do not replace our current piano.
The professional pianists who perform at Comox realize the limitations of the existing piano. One of them, part of a professional classical music group from Europe, recently rented a piano from Victoria and had it shipped to Comox rather than use our piano.
What will happen to the existing piano?
No decision has yet been made. We are currently awaiting a professional valuation and the expectation is that it will be sold to offset some of the new piano purchase cost.
Should we be considering the purchase of a new piano given the fact that we have other critical purchases on our wish list?
The purchase of the piano will NOT be funded out of the church’s regular operating budget. This legacy purchase will be funded through a special appeal to both our church members and the music community in the Comox Valley.
It is expected that on-going building maintenance and improvement projects of the church will continue to be funded through our regular budgeting process. Examples this year include re-roofing of the office wing and a complete re-build of the fire escape.
How important are concerts to the church’s financial well-being?
In recent years, a concerted effort has been made to attract performers to our sanctuary and, to this end, improvements continue to be made to this space. The results of this effort are apparent in the church’s financial statements.