RPMDA
Lauri Knapton is the founder of Knapton Musik Knotes in Janesville, Wisconsin. The store, which was established in 2000, provides musical instruments, lessons, and a long list of community outreach programs such as Rock Camp and Uke Circles. Lauri has been passionate about music since she began...
Alex Ordonez was eight years old when he began playing the piano. He was the first in his family to play music and was encouraged by his parents. Although he later focused his time on sports, Alex somehow knew his love of music would be part of his future. It was after serving in the United States...
Robin Galison is the founder and president of Music Gift located in Boca Raton, Florida. The company began as a division of the Edwin F. Kalmus Music Publishers, which her husband’s family started. The publishing company was founded in 1926 by Edwin Kalmus originally as the United States Agent for...
Chris Scialfa developed his great love and passion for music at a very young age. By the time he was five years old Chris was taking classical piano lessons, which thanks to his understanding teacher, occasionally included works by Chris’ hero, Elton John! He began writing original music when he...
Tracy Leenman remembers hearing her father play the saxophone and wanting to play the same instrument. She played several instruments throughout school including the sax, flute, and bassoon, while also singing in the choir. Tracy earned her Master’s in music education with the idea of becoming a...
Stephen Pearl was inspired while working with Irv Kratka at Music Minus One to create a series of recordings of Broadway musicals that would provide background music for singers. In 1997, his newly formed company, Stage Star Records, released its first product, recordings for the musical The...
Marcia Stearns is a regular attendee at the annual RPMDA conventions and can often be found volunteering to introduce a speaker or tallying the session surveys. Her passion for the business is clear in all that she does, including running her own sheet music and gift shop called Bookmark Music. ...
Michael Sagun, while attending the University of Portland, began working for a couple of local music stores. He worked as a part time shipping clerk at Barker Lynns Sheet Music Service of Portland, which he would later purchase and run until his retirement from the industry several decades later...
Eric Strouse's NAMM Oral History interview had several special moments, such as his reflection on the mentorship his father provided him during his own career running the family sheet music store. Yet, one meaningful element of the interview was that it took place just hours before Eric received...
Reiff Lorenz grew up in the music publishing business and, like his father and grandfather, Reiff is happy and proud to carry on the family tradition. The company was established back in 1890 with a focus on choral, keyboard, hand-bell, and instrumental music in support of church worship programs...