GOLIATH - Music Inc. Magazine

ALLEGRO PIANOS I BY KATIE KAILUS
PIANO RETAIL AS ART
Allegro Pianos is more
than a high-end
piano showroom.
It’s an acoustic work
of art.
The 10,000-square-foot
Greenwich, Conn., dealership
pays homage to beautiful architecture,
as well as high-end
pianos, and its acoustic design
has no rival.
“We are an exclusive
authorized dealer for piano
brands, such as Bösendorfer,
Bluthner and Steingraeber, for
Connecticut, New York and
Massachusetts, as well as much
of the Northeast,” said owner
Ori Bukai, who also carries
August Förster and Estonia.
“We have a wide array of
pianos, but the selection of the
high-end brands is virtually
unmatched.”
Allegro’s previous showroom
was located only a few
miles away. When Bukai saw a
pond-side lot down the road go
up for sale, he knew it would
be an ideal place to relocate.
And when the new dealership
opened in June 2009, his predictions
were affirmed by the
public’s praise.
“More than just providing
the ‘wow’ factor to customers
and industry people alike, our
new showroom creates an ideal
setting, and its relaxed atmosphere
allows customers to
choose from among more than
the 50 available high-end grand
pianos on our floor,” Bukai said.
FUNCTIONAL BEAUTY
John Storyk designed the
acoustic aspects of the building.
“There aren’t many showrooms
like this one,” said
Storyk, principal designer for
Walters-Storyk Design Group.
16 I MUSIC INC. I JUNE 2010
Allegro Pianos’ new showroom.
Notice the floor-to-ceiling windows
(below right) and Persian rugs.
Allegro
Pianos’ new
showroom has
been designed
to acoustic
perfection
“I’ve never seen so many pianos
of this caliber in my life.”
The building features two
levels. Along with the main
showroom, there’s a mezzanine,
performance room and
music school. Its floor-to-ceiling
windows also play a major role
in its acoustic design.
“The curtains are there to
control the mid- and upper-frequency
controls,” Storyk said.
“There is a lot of glass in the
showroom. People want to play
pianos and hear reflections, and
a lot of glass can cause problems
and reflections can come back.
So basically, we put the curtains
up to soften the sound.”
The electric curtains can be
operated at the touch of a button.
“This way, we can simulate
a customer’s residence
and provide them with a better
idea as to how a particular
piano may sound at their
home,” Bukai said.
The windows themselves
are UV-protected and acoustically
treated. “STC [sound
transmission class] is the measure
of sound transmission,”
Bukai said. “These windows
are set at 43, which is a very
high value and successfully isolates
possible outside noises.”
Attention to detail was
taken when decorating, as
well. Persian rugs line the
hardwood floors, and incan-