Fritz Tasch was born in Kecskemét, Hungary and apprenticed in a violin making school in Mittenwald, Germany. He learned the trade of first building violins, violas, cellos and other histo...

Viola Schimmel proudly recalls the mantra of her great grandfather, the founder of Schimmel Pianos, “Quality will prevail.” These words provide motivation, understanding, and guidance for...

Bill Jones is the founder of Bill Jones Music in Knoxville Tennessee.  The retailer started in 1973 with a focus on piano and organs, which was during the height of the organ boom. Over t...

Bernie Capicchiano was coached from the Accounting world to manage a new music retail store for the Brash Group in Australia in 1973.His long career in the industry includes a strong rela...

Chip Wise served in the piano business for over fifty years and enjoyed the customers he met and the people of the music industry. During the early days of the NAMM Oral History program m...

Hannes Schimmel-Vogel is the president of the German based Schimmel Piano Company. He took over the role when his father-in-law, Nikolaus Schimmel, retired. At the time of his first NAMM ...

Nikolaus Schimmel served as president for his family’s piano company for several decades. The German based Schimmel Piano Company has been building fine instruments for over one hundred y...