Historical Keyboards

CCHK was delighted to take part in the Historical Keyboard Society of North America Conference, Keyboard Pedagogy: From the Renaissance through the First Viennese School, held in Bologna and Florence from June 10–13, 2026, and organized by Patricia Garcia Gil, Marcos Krieger, and Maria Luisa Baldassari.

The conference brought us into contact with extraordinary institutions, collections, and instruments, including the Conservatorio di Musica “G. B. Martini,” the Museo di San Colombano – Collezione Tagliavini, the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica, the Basilica di San Petronio, and the Accademia Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence.

The closing concert at the Accademia Bartolomeo Cristofori was a truly moving moment: Roger Moseley, Federico Ercoli, and Patricia García Gil performed (at once!) on three original pianos from before 1800 (Schantz, Könnicke, and Corsini)— beautifully prepared, as always, by the extraordinary women of the Laboratorio di Restauro del Fortepiano: Donatella Degiampietro, Antonella Conti, and Barbara Mingazzini, whose work has preserved and brought these instruments to life for more than thirty years.

Ludovica Vincenti also joined the concert, delighting us with music by J. S. Bach and Elisabetta de Gambarini, before performing duets by Maria Cosway with Patricia García Gil.
One piano, then two, then three — and with each step, another layer of history, sound, collaboration, and friendship came alive.
It was emotional to witness so many worlds colliding: Cornell’s Center for Historical Keyboards, Italian institutions, historic collections, restoration expertise, scholarship, performance, and instruments that still have so much to say.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this conference possible, including our very own Andrew Willis and Morton Wan, who offered so much support ❤️

As the semester comes to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who collaborated with CCHK this year, attended our events, contributed ideas, and helped create such rich, thoughtful, and genuinely fun conversations throughout the semester.

These are some lovely pics from the last salon, featuring a newly composed duet by Roger Moseley and Mozart’s triple concerto for keyboards — both pieces a constant dialogue, (and “trialogue”!) between musicians (and the audience!).

That spirit feels deeply connected to what CCHK has been building together this year: spaces for dialogue, collaboration, curiosity, and shared creativity. Which leads me to one of the true highlights of the year — the foundation of CLAVIS. I’m incredibly excited for what this new initiative will continue to foster moving forward.

Thank you all for being part of this community and for making this year so meaningful. Wishing everyone a restorative and inspiring summer, and I look forward to continuing these conversations and collaborations in the future.

Wheeler photos (except the ones taking with a phone, which are Morelli’s)

Registration for the 2026 Fortepiano Tech Conference at the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards is now open!

Join us for two days of instruction by Ken Eschete and Ken Walkup. Dates are Friday and Saturday, June 26 & 27, 2026, with an opening reception on Thursday evening. Attendance is limited to 12; this is our third time hosting this conference, and both previous events have sold out quickly.

This year, we’re delighted to have fortepiano builder Rod Regier with us! This is a great opportunity to learn Viennese piano voicing and regulation from one of the masters.

Other topics:

Historical piano conservation basics
English piano regulation
“Grab Bag” of tips and techniques for repairing and regulating historical pianos
A chance to hear and see Cornell’s amazing collection of keyboard instruments
Our conference will overlap with Cornell’s Summer Academy, a chance for young musicians to explore the world of historical keyboard instruments. We’ll be able to attend their final concert on Friday evening.

Cost is $550, including three nights lodging at Toni Morrison Hall (dorm), lunch on Friday and Saturday; an opening reception late on Thursday afternoon; and dinner Friday night following the concert.

Please join us, we look forward to meeting you.

Link to the registration form:

https://form.jotform.com/261195863184061

All ready for the final salon staged by the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards at the A. D. White House this Friday, May 8.

Three pianos and two performances of a short –but beautiful and fun!–program: one at 5:00pm and the other at 7:30pm.

To start, Federico Ercoli and Roger Moseley will perform Roger’s recently composed Variations on a Fictional Theme in G Minor for Four Hands and 1823 Conrad Graf Piano, inspired by one of the CCHK’s instruments as well as the Romantic music and literature associated with it.
The variations will be followed by Mozart’s Concerto in F Major for Three Pianos, K. 242, performed by Federico, Patricia García Gil, and Roger Moseley in an arrangement for three pianos without orchestra.

We would be delighted to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Piano Portraits: Art and Music-Making in London, ca. 1800 at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University.

This special afternoon lecture/concert was the culmination of a rich, day-long program that began with a morning study session, bringing together paper conservators, curators, art historians, performers, instrument makers, and scholars for thoughtful presentations and discussion. We are deeply grateful to all participants in the study day for their insights into the materials, histories, and preservation of artworks and instruments, and for helping to shape such a meaningful exchange of ideas.

I would like to extend special thanks to Andrew C. Weislogel, Soyeon Choi, Laurence Libin, Thomas Strange, and Andrew Willis for their illuminating contributions to the morning sessions, and to our afternoon presenters and performers—Andrew C. Weislogel, Roger Moseley, and Addi Liu—for bringing these conversations to life in sound.

It was a pleasure to share this experience with such an engaged audience, and to celebrate the newly acquired Anna Tonelli pastel alongside historical instruments from the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards and the Sigal Music Museum.

For those who would like to revisit the event, you can read coverage in the Cornell Daily Sun and view photos (by Simon Wheeler) from the day:

https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/04/piano-portraits-at-the-johnson-museum

With warm appreciation,
Patricia

A stacked weekend of music is ahead—see you there! ✌ All events are free and open to the public unless stated otherwise.

Friday, April 24 · 2:00 PM · Johnson Museum
▪️Piano Series: Piano Portraits—Art and Music-Making in London, ca. 1800

Saturday, April 25 · 3:00 PM · Lincoln Hall B20
▪️Cornell Percussion Ensemble Concert

Saturday, April 25 · 7:30 PM · Bailey Hall
▪️Cornell Chorus and Glee Club Major Works Concert
🎟 Tickets can be purchased at the link in our comments
📷: Casey Martin Photos

Sunday, April 26 · 3:00 PM · Barnes Hall
▪️Cornell Chamber Orchestra Concert
📷: Manifesto Designs

Sunday, April 26 · 7:30 PM · Klarman Hall Atrium
▪️Cornell Gamelan Ensemble: A Siamese Melody

More information can be found at the link in our bio 🔗

Piano Portraits: Art and Music-Making in London, ca. 1800
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University

Friday April 24th, 2:00–3:30 PM

Join us for an afternoon lecture/concert exploring the fascinating connections between art, music-making, and piano culture in London around 1800.

Centered around the Johnson Museum’s newly acquired pastel portrait of women musicians by Anna Tonelli, this program brings the image to life through conversation and performance on historical instruments, including the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards’ 1799 London Broadwood fortepiano.

📍 Margaret and Frank Robinson Lecture Hall, Johnson Museum, Level 2L

With:

Andrew C. Weislogel
Patricia Garcia Gil, piano/harpsichord
Roger Moseley, piano
Addi Liu, violin

3:30 PM
Reception following in the Hirsch Lecture Lobby

A chance to reflect on women’s music-making, historical instruments, art, and conservation in a shared space of listening and dialogue.

PianoHistory ArtAndMusic WomenInMusic CornellUniversity LectureConcert