Oral History -
Domingos Caeiro has always been interested in the mechanics of brass and woodwind instruments. He received training in Paris and moved to Portugal in the hopes of establishing his career. When he found it difficult to find work in other shops, he decided to open up his own.
Smaragda Chrysostomou is a board member of the International Society for Music Education and serves as an advocate throughout the world in such organizations as the International Coalition during each Anaheim NAMM Show.
Fernando Jimenez partnered with his wife, Andrea Fernandez, to open a music store in Bolivia. The store opened in 2015 with the goal of providing the gear local musicians need, ranging from the latest pro audio gear to traditional stringed instruments.
Andrea Fernandez and her business partner (and husband), Fernando Jimenez, opened a small music store to support local musicians. The company name, DON Bolivia, means a gift from above, which reflects their belief in the power of music. Her main focus is working with manufacturers, understanding their product lines and how they can help fulfill her customers’ needs.
Mark Schulman remembers seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show when he was three. The moment he saw Ringo something resonated within him and he knew what he wanted to do. Mark started playing cello as a kid and slowly started learning how to play drums as well.
Paul Gallo is proud of the contributions his magazines have provided the music industry. His first endeavor in 1975 was publishing Modern Recording, a hobbyist magazine that gained the attention and respect of professional engineers. Just three years later, Paul and his cousin, Vinny Testa, launched Pro Sound News.
Cyril Maillot joined the SAVAREZ String Company in 1994 with a focus on updating the company’s computer system. He has held several positions over the years but now as CEO his main focus is on marketing their brand. Cyril has realized that the history of the company is very important to their customers and so he often recites the company history, which dates back to 1770.
Bernard Maillot’s grandfather was a musician and worked at the SAVAREZ String Company, as did his father after him. Bernard’s father saw the potential of a new market for strings and designed a series of packaging aimed to the jazz musicians of the 1930s and 40s. Bernard studied accounting in college and returned to the string company to work alongside his father in 1974.
Jeri Palumbo grew up in a very musical family. Like many of her relatives she is a multi-instrumentalist. She developed strong orchestration skills and played in a number of bands ranging from classical to rock.
Noel Lee recognized an opportunity to introduce high quality cables that would consistently provide the top-level audio signals to support high-end instruments and amplifiers. He had studied electrical engineering and at the time was working at Lawrence Livermore Labs in Northern California. By night he played drums in a number of local bands, one of which toured Hawaii.