What a great way for flautist/composer Ron Korb to end the month of July – with a special performance at the renowned Steinway Piano Gallery in Markham (just north of Toronto). Ron was joined on stage by the award-winning pianist/composer (and Steinway artist) Chris Donnelly, and accompanied on Chinese erhu by Xiaoqiu Lin.
If you’ve never been to the Steinway location in Markham, it’s definitely worth a quick trip to see some of the most extraordinary instruments, ranging from family-friendly uprights to concert grand pianos. Join me for a virtual stroll thru their showroom…..
World-renowned musician Aidan Mason tickles the ivories
Piano consultant Janice Brisco (r) chats with guests
Ron and Chris had a wonderful rehearsal in the afternoon (below), and they were so well taken care of by the Steinway team. Wish all venues had such accommodating crews.
As the concert drew to a close, both Ron and Chris were presented with a special performance citation from the City of Markham by Regional Councillor (and BIG Ron Korb fan!) Nirmala Armstrong (below left) – joining them on stage is Steinway General Manager Alex Thomson (below right)
Ron’s beautiful wife, Jade, handled videotaping duties (below) as well as being responsible for the stunning photography in Ron’s latest CD, Asia Beauty. She also handled all the CD sales last night…phew! That woman needs a vacation!
We then adjourned to the gallery for a reception, CD sales and a meet-n-greet with the stars…oh what a rush!
Lovely to see some of the Canadian music icons and fellow artists who came out to support Ron and Chris. Below Liona Boyd…need I say more? Wow!
And keyboardist and producer Lance Anderson played a few tunes while Nightingale Music founder, Caron Nightingale looked on (below). 
Lance soon drew a crowd including photographer David who I snapped mid-shot!
Here’s Aidan Mason again, with partner Margot Glatt
Sculptor/painter Olga Nabatova showed her stripes along with her friend, classical pianist Helen Marinow
Here are two friends and fans of Ron’s – at left musician Wen Zhao (who played on Ron’s Asia Beauty CD) with Grace Lau of Aqua Event Mgmn’t on the right.
We all love Ron’s super fan John Ota (above)
And here is Ron sandwiched between two fabulous ladies – Margaret Nightingale (left) & Caron on the right.
More fans showed their love for our 2 stars of the night
Charming and knowledgeable piano consultant Phyllis Zhong (ctr) was joined by 2 friends
But it was Phyllis’s shoes that caught my attention. Painful? Yes. But worth it? You betcha!
Here’s Helen Li, VP of the new posh glossy magazine “Pure Luxury”.
Alex worked hard all night with his staff to make everyone feel welcome. Bravo, Alex, good show!
And here’s the “jewel in the crown” – the handcrafted Macassar Ebony Steinway grand, worth a cool qtr million! Everyone wanted to touch it, play it…and so they did!
If you would like to learn more about Ron, please visit his website: www.ronkorb.com and if you would like to visit the Steinway Piano Gallery, check out their website at: www.steinwaytoronto.ca
A wonderful concert…thank you to Chris, Ron and Xiaoqiu