Piano series weathers 10 tough years

Concert pianist Milana Strezeva and her husband, Raniero Tazzi, looked around the community in which they had just put down stakes, and wondered whether it would like a small series of piano concerts.

Ten years, two slamming hurricanes and a worldwide pandemic later, the answer has come: Yes.

Absolutely yes. Grand Piano Series plays into its 10th anniversary in 2026 well developed beyond those first summer recitals at the Euro Pianos Naples gallery. The series is now resident in the Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples with five annual concerts. It has scheduled a winter series of topical programs in the Ubben Signature Space; there with discussion, videos and performances from Konstantin Soukhovetski, its director of education and community engagement.

It continues to bring in guest artists who go on to fame, such as Eric Lu, a Chopin Competition winner who later won the Leeds piano competition. Several featured artists have won Avery Fisher career grants. Even the already famous, including Barry Douglas, Tchaikovsky International Competition winner, have been on its stage.

A toe in the water

“It all started with the brilliant idea of Raniero, and the generous support of Sunny (Reuter, Euro Pianos Naples owner), where we could use the space and the piano,” Strezeva recalled. “The idea, in the store, was to see if people would like this sort of thing.”

She laughed at her doubts. “I honestly didn’t know it was a good idea.”

Tazzi would scoff at that: “You are the founder,” he told her, with some pride. He prefers to work behind the scenes, handling logistics and videotaping concerts.

Tazzi was a gallery representative for Fazioli, Italy’s entry in the ultra-high end category of pianos similar to Bosendorfer and Bechstein. Strezeva was still making concert appearances solo and with her Manhattan Piano Trio. They were already busy. But after they filled the gallery in mid-July, a time that is dead air space in Naples’ social life, the couple realized there was more appetite for piano music to be met. Staging a series without its own venue was the major exercise in adaptability. The Euro Pianos gallery eventually closed, although Reuter generously lent instruments until the last one was sold.

“We had to grow up,” Strezeva said, chuckling. Supporters helped the young Grand Piano Series buy its own Fazioli, which put on the kind of miles a delivery truck knows. Its concerts moved from Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church to Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, which shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At one point during the pandemic, the group was performing at The Knickerbocker, an elegant country estate that had become a conference and reception venue. Distanced pairs of chairs permitted, if not the maximum audience, an optimal one.

To accommodate the crowd and the acoustics, performances were held al fresco on the lanai. Volunteers surrounded the pool with electric candles to give it a romantic atmosphere — and preclude any unintended swims after dark.

“It was so cold. If I remember correctly, it was like 52 Fahrenheit,” Strezeva recalled of the first performance. “So I bought handwarmers for everybody. Everybody had a handwarmer; even the artist got a handwarmer. Between the pieces he was warming up his hands to play.”

There were some rustic realities there, as well. During one concert a neighbor decided to do some yard work, accompanied by country music. For another, a crowing rooster joined the performance.

But the worst came, during its pandemic series, when a moving company dropped their Fazioli piano. The amount of damage required it be sent back to Italy for repairs.

That meant a full year of renting a keyboard.

Still, Strezeva knew the Grand Piano Series could not afford to sit out the COVID-19 challenge.

“We’re too young to pause,” she said, “because if we would pause, we would not be able to restart.” She saw its results firsthand, when the Classic Chamber Concerts organization shut its doors and willed its chamber ensemble milieu to them. (Grand Piano Series now incorporates at least one ensemble appearance into each series.)

As the climate for group gatherings became better, St. Leo became the home for the Grand Piano Series, until it forged an agreement with Artis—Naples. This year, the relationship is such that one of the artists is performing in both its series and the Sypert Salon Series sponsored by Artis—Naples.

Soukhovetski joined in mid-2023 to handle the growing demand for its talent. Stars were making appearances at local elementary schools, and the Series was tailoring music presentations to themes being studied in classes at the time of their appearances.

“We can help them bring the concepts they’re studying to life,” Strezeva explained. It’s a double win, she added: “They’re also learning about music terminology. They’re learning about the orchestra. They’re learning about the piano.”

The Grand Piano Series has applied for outside funding that would let it present recitals at Guadalupe Center, New Horizons, the Boys and Girls Club and senior centers and as part of mental health programs. It follows a deeply held belief by the couple that everyone should be able to hear live music.

“It’s a lot of programs, but we’re excited.

We’re really excited that the organizations appreciate this,” she said. “They want those programs for the kids. And we’re happy to do it as long as there’s community support for it.”