Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A few words from Otto Keyes, Piano Technician

If you've ever wanted to own a Steinway piano, but thought you could never afford one, here's your chance to get as close to that Steinway grand as possible without having to mortgage the house & sell one of the kids to do so.

Saturday's Logos benefit concert will feature 2 fine pianos for sale to the highest bidder. One is a Steinert grand piano made by a small company which borrowed the best elements of the finest pianos of the day and incorporated them into their piano designs. This Steinert parlor grand is about as close as you will get to that coveted Steinway without having to pay the $55,000+ for a new one, or upwards of $25,000 for a used instrument. This was a small New England piano builder, so there are relatively few seen here in the Northwest. However, I have worked on several over the years and have found them to be worthy instruments rivaling the sound and quality of the pianos they have copied. Clint Hughes has done a great job of rebuilding this instrument, and anyone acquiring it in the $10-15,000 range would be getting a real bargain.

The Starck upright is a beautifully restored instrument with a great sound. With new strings, pins, hammers and action parts, this piano will serve your family well for decades to come. The case work you find on this instrument is just not to be found on modern pianos. That kind of material and workmanship would be cost-prohibitive today. This is the kind of piano you can buy for your children and (with proper maintenance) you can hear your grandchildren play.

Come to the concert at the Nazarene Church on Saturday at 2 pm, listen to some great music, and be prepared to "bid high and bid often" in support of a good cause and a lifetime of good music in your home.

Otto Keyes
Piano Technician

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Here's a first look at the pianos!







Please contact Clint Hughes (208) 473-0293 or clint@grandamericanpiano.com for information on proxy and long distance live bidding!

Monday, April 2, 2012

The Pledge Cards are in!


Click on the image below to get the PDF of the pledge card. If you would like to save the PDF, "right-click" and "save-as".

Thursday, March 22, 2012

NSA's John Ahern to close afternoon in a grand fashion!

In some last minute schedule changing at Gonzaga University, Timothy Westerhaus was forced to cancel the Beethoven Benefit. Although we were excited to have him here in Moscow, we understand his decision, and wish to express our thanks and appreciation for his initial commitment, and hope to have him grace a future Logos concert. The huge silver lining in this is that in the 11th hour, our own John Ahern has agreed to step up and learn and perform the finale! What a huge undertaking, but if anyone can do it, it is John Ahern. You are in for a real treat as he performs the 1st movement of Beethoven's Waldstein piano sonata, and now, the mighty Chorale Fantasie! Click over to the "performance" page to read his bio, and if you see him around town, please join us in thanking and encouraging him for coming through for the concert.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

WELCOME TO THE LOGOS SCHOOL BENEFIT PROJECT WEBSITE!

Hello! My name is Clint Hughes. My wife, Lisa, and I have 3 children at Logos; Shania 5th grade, Jake 4th grade, and Luke 1st grade. Our love for the school continues to grow, having moved here from Southern California three years ago. I was reminded of our initial excitement for the school when we learned of the record number of new students enrolled this year. There are as many reasons to love the school as there are children in it. I've met parents who aren't aware of the Logos influence nationally, as they've grown up in this area and simply love Logos for what it is. I've also met those who have uprooted their whole families and moved thousands of miles to Moscow precisely because they understand and appreciate the Logos influence abroad. The one thing we all have in common is that we love the school!
As many of you know, 2011 marked the 30th birthday of the school. Since the beginning in 1981, by the grace of God, Logos has continued its model of a classical and Christian school, aided to establish an accreditation organization (the A.C.C.S.) which helps maintain that standard, and aided in the training of over 200 like-minded schools across the globe to continue that vision of the classical and Christian model.
One substantial thing that differentiates Logos from most of the other classical and Christian schools, however, is its location. Most A.C.C.S. schools are located in urban areas, while Logos, as you know, is in a rural area. What this means financially is that most other schools are positioned to avail themselves of the grants, endowments, and the higher tuitions found in the more populous areas. As many of you know, tuition in the other schools can easily be twice the cost of Logos. This means that it falls on us and the local community to support the school through tuitions, gifts, and fund raising. There have been the traditional avenues of fund raising, like the Logos Fall Carnival, the Friends of Logos Dessert, etc. that have been a consistent blessing to the school. Very often for those traditional events, the Logos Moms would come along side and be a big part of the success of those events. Occasionally there have been stand alone events, like the building of the gym in 1998 and the Benefit Concert earlier this year (also where the Logos Moms did a stellar job!). Each of those events was based around a specific need or premise. Therefore, people were involved in a unique way and the event raised a significant amount of money for the school.
I wanted to share with you my excitement for something we're planning that falls under this category, but before that, I'd like to announce the inception of "Logos Dads" as an opportunity for us dads to have a presence, as well. The Logos Moms are exceptional in giving of their time and talents; the Logos Dads will give us the opportunity to give of our time and treasure, more on that in a minute.
Two issues that are of paramount importance in the eyes of the board and parents alike are a biblical music program and the expansion of the school itself. Regarding the music program, people like David Erb, Jonathan Erber and Allie Bradley have been indefatigable in working with the students to "sing and play skillfully unto the Lord", and we have seen and heard the fruit of this a number of times. It is our hope that the music program will continue to grow to the glory of God. Regarding the expansion of the school, the idea has been on the table for many years. It is exciting to know that with so many more students this year, Logos is at full capacity in our current facility. In order to keep up with where we believe the Lord is taking the school, a bigger facility is something to seriously consider. So with these two goals in mind, there is a plan in place that we, as dads, not only can get excited about, but can tangibly participate in. To this end:
Logos Dads Present:
"Operation: Piano Restoration"
A school wide endeavor to restore two pianos for a spring concert entitled:
"The Logos Beethoven Benefit:
Classical Music & Classical Education in Concert."

This year long fund raising drive will consist of three major components:

Pianos, Performances, and Pledges

1) The Pianos. The Hughes family owns "Grand American Piano", a piano restoration business here in Moscow. We have two pianos, one grand, and one upright that will be restored and donated to Logos. We 're calling it: OPERATION: PIANO RESTORATION, and here's where all of you dads come in. I will oversee the restorations, but the Logos students will be involved in the restoration process itself! I will have age appropriate jobs for the children from grades K-12. Not only will this help to instill in them our cherished "Christian work ethic", but it will be an opportunity for the children and the fathers to fellowship together. Especially with all of the new families, this will be a great way to get to connect with other families to "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" Hebrews 10:24.

2) The Performances. Once the pianos are restored, there will be a stirring spring concert, directed by Dr. Erb which will feature the pianos, the Logos choir, and other talented musicians from the area. It will start with piano pieces played on the two restored pianos, culminating with Beethoven's Fantasy for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra in C minor, op.80! It will truly be an evening to remember ending by auctioning off the two pianos to the highest bidders! All the funds for the pianos will go directly to the "music fund" at Logos.

3) The Pledges. Leading up to the concert there will be a pledge drive. All pledge amounts will be based on the final auction prices of the pianos. There will be opportunities for everyone to pledge in all price ranges. All the funds from the pledge drive will go directly to the "expansion fund" to help Logos school with land and building costs.

Included in this website are the specifics of the three components, The Pianos, The Performances, and The Pledges. Please read them over and I trust you'll share in the excitement of this year-long endeavor to bless Logos School. Feel free to call or email with any questions.
 Clint Hughes (208) 473-0293 or hughesfamily@moscow.com