Josh Roland: My visit to Faust Harrison Pianos in Manhattan, and White Plains, New York

During my recent NYC touchdown for the occasion of my mother’s memorial service, I found a weekend interval to make side trips to Faust Harrison Pianos’ remarkable showrooms and factory. Serendipitously drifting into an inviting space on Piano Row’s West 58th, just a block from Carnegie Hall, I was surrounded by Steinway grands that were impeccably rebuilt and immaculately refinished. It was a piano paradise from start to finish with generous opportunities to extract every musical morsel of pleasure from each instrument.

Irving and Sara Faust, co-founders of this expanding musical establishment that now has FOUR premier showrooms and an awesome state of the art White Plains factory, were my hosts on Sunday June 7th in Westchester, while Dmitri Shelest, Sales Associate, was a reliable guide and historian at the Manhattan location.

Faust Harrison specializes in rebuilding vintage Steinway grand pianos that are for sale in their Manhattan, White Plains, Huntington Station, New York; and Fairfield Connecticut locations, while the White Plains factory, accessible by Metro North departing from Times Square is the crowning glory.

Aside from feverishly forward-moving rebuilding operations, Faust Harrison sells brand new Yamaha, Mason Hamlin, Hoffman, Schimmel, Bechstein and most recently, Fazioli pianos.

Taking up an offer to interview Sara and Irving on their home turf in White Plains that played out after my immersion in pianos at the NYC showroom, (June 6th) I was delighted to film the whole dream- fulfilling journey in pleasurable parcels.

Thank you Sara and Irving for a riveting visit!

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If indulging beautifully crafted pianos was not enough for a weekend East Coast spree, meeting up with a Facebook Friend who shared my passion for teaching via the Piano Pedagogy FB Group, was icing on the cake. (Gail Trattner Isenberg and I both shared NYC and Berkeley translocations)

Ironicially, she had reserved the Faust Harrison recital area of the showroom on Sunday, June 7th, for a beautiful display of her students’ musical gifts, and I was fortunate not only to meet my colleague for the first time IN PERSON, but to enjoy the fruits of her creative labors as I combed the White Plains super space.

Naturally, cameras were snapping at every opportunity, so I joined in, capturing memories of a unique outing that will be savored for years to come!