Samsung Cultural Foundation Hosts 'Piano Tuning Seminar' with Renowned German Master

Technical Seminar Held for Over 230 Domestic Tuners
Over 2 Nights and 3 Days

Samsung Cultural Foundation announced on the 28th that it held a domestic piano tuning technical seminar by inviting Lutz Leibeholtz Meister, a former senior concert technician at Steinway in Germany, in collaboration with the Korea Piano Tuners Association.

Roots Laibeholtz Meister tuning demonstration.
Photo by Samsung Foundation of Culture

The seminar was held from the 24th to the 26th at Deoksan Splash Resort in Yesan-gun, Chungnam Province. It was the first event to be held normally in four years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 25th, Kim Hwang-sik, Chairman of Samsung Cultural Foundation, who visited the seminar site, said, "The foundation has supported fields that are essential for the development of Korean culture and arts but lack public interest and support. I heard that piano tuners face many difficulties because, despite the increase in domestic concert halls, there are no systematic education programs or external support."

Chairman Kim added, "The rise of K-Classic and the enthusiastic acclaim of young Korean performers on the global stage are not only due to the performers' efforts but also the invisible support of piano tuners. I hope our piano tuning skills continue to be honed so that they can expand globally."

Participants shared their experiences from the 'Overseas Technical Training' on the 24th. Shin Beom-su, a tuner who completed training in Seiler, Germany, said, "I was able to understand the differences in pianos at production sites, ordinary homes, and concert halls, and experience Seiler's unique technique of appropriately adjusting and correcting the natural deformation of wood to create the best piano condition."

Chairman Kim Hwang-sik of Samsung Foundation of Culture.
[Photo by Samsung Foundation of Culture]

O Ji-kwang, who completed training at Kawai in Japan, said, "I observed the entire grand piano manufacturing process and experienced the overall tuning process, which helped me understand Kawai's philosophy regarding sound. Especially, the instructor Kitamura emphasized, 'Act with pride as an artist who seeks and creates good sound,' which left a strong impression on me."

On the 24th, Lutz Leibeholtz, who retired as a senior concert technician at Steinway Germany and is actively working at European music festivals, visited Korea and gave a special lecture. Leibeholtz emphasized, "As a tuner, have pride in the skills you trust in yourself and treat performers accordingly."

Domestic instructors Kim Bu-hwan and Oh Jae-myung gave lectures on piano tuning methods. Pianist Kim Jun-hee held a lecture concert on "Various piano brands favored by famous composers of the 19th-century Romantic era and the characteristics of their compositions."

Kim Hyun-yong, President of the Korea Piano Tuners Association, said, "I hope this technical seminar will serve as a foundation for the technical development of piano tuning in Korea and that domestic piano tuners will fulfill their roles as partners accompanying pianists."

Since 2017, Samsung Cultural Foundation has been cooperating with the Korea Piano Tuners Association to nurture world-class piano tuners by providing opportunities for capable domestic piano tuners to receive overseas tuning technology training. As part of this, they have supported 'Overseas Technical Training' at foreign piano manufacturers such as Steinway and Yamaha and held 'Domestic Technical Seminars' by inviting renowned overseas masters. Last year, they established an 'Advanced Training Course,' a ten-day program to intensively transfer the professional know-how of domestic and international tuning masters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.