German Music Industry
Hartmut Willms is the President of Piano Willms, a firm established by his grandfather and his two brothers back in 1912. Hartmut’s grandfather enjoyed building pianos and created the Willms brand of instruments as well as manufactured other brands over the years. After World War II, Hartmut’s...
Annekathrin Mascus serves as the Head of Sales for Breitkopf & Härtel, the oldest currently operating music publishing house. The company began in 1719 by Bernhard Breitkopf in Leipzig, Germany. Over the years the company has played a large role in the growth and development of print music,...
Michael Falkenstein grew up in a very musical family. His father was repairing musical instruments when Michael was a small child. Michael watched his father work in the music industry and took great joy in hearing his father play his favorite instrument, the Hammond Organ! Michael learned the...
Jochen Stock is the president of Just Music in Berlin Germany, one of (if not the) largest music retail stores in the world! With a space of 7000 square meters, the vast store is equally impressive with the industry and knowledgeable staff members. Jochen has always been focused on the best...
Karl Schulze’s grandfather worked in the piano business during his career, so it certainly was not out of place when young Karl began learning the craft of piano building. Karl worked for the C. Bechstein Piano Company, which was founded in 1853. When the company went up for sale in 1986, Karl...
Earl Matzkin was arrested by the East German Army in 1985 for trying to pass the Berlin Wall that divided the country without the needed visas in order to visit the Petrof Piano Company. Earl had high hopes for exporting the piano to the United States, but was unaware of what was required to enter...
Klaus Heinz, the CEO of ADAM Audio, grew up with a strong interest in engineering and speaker technology. In 1999, he teamed with Roland Stenz and established ADAM Audio in Berlin. The company has gained a strong reputation for products based on the development of the ART (Accelerating Ribbon...
Kate Riessland was born in England in the years following World War II and soon found she had an interest in learning all she could about the German culture. While in Germany, in 1969, she answered an ad for a job with the Götz Company. The company was looking for someone with perfect English and...
Franz Moser is a student of instrument acoustics as well as a double bass player who often asked himself, “What conditions need to be fulfilled for a stringed instrument to immediately respond with a clear, powerful tone at all times?” The search for an answer took Franz on an educational journey...
Cordelia von Gymnich was born in Frankfurt, which is ironic considering that for so many members of the music product industry, she is Frankfurt! Her love of music began at an early age, where her love of singing was born. After college, Cordelia was hired by the Messe Frankfurt group and in 2000...