Oral History - all
Dominic Messinger was inspired to play music by his mother who played the oboe. At the age of ten he started playing the oboe as well and expanded to the saxophone to perform in rock bands. He wrote music for his band, “Love Rush,” which won a music competition. Developing skills as a composer at... more
Russ Gazda recalls listening to his mother playing the Hawaiian Guitar as a child. He played the accordion and later was introduced to the Hammond B-3, thanks to recordings by his hero Booker T. Jones. Russ sought to play wherever he could and in his early days he performed in lounges in the... more
Tom Tuson was just 12 years old when he was hired by the Wurlitzer company to demonstrate their organs. As a “Wurlitzer Kid” he played at state fairs and supermarkets to gain the attention of would-be customers. Once he stopped playing, the sales team would walk around the crowd that Tom had... more
James Harding is very passionate about his role in the music industry and particularly proud of his efforts to foster strong relationships between piano dealers and piano teachers. James has worked for several music stores for which he has learned much about the importance of solid relationships... more
Sonja Lynne grew up in her mother’s music studio and found her voice as a singer. Sonja studied opera and can still be heard singing in her church. She had a few jobs, including as a school teacher, before answering an advertisement for Jacobs Music in Philadelphia. She joined the sales team there... more
Dave Rivard has thoroughly enjoyed his role at Roland Corporation as a sales rep. He has grown the role over the years and covered nearly every state, making connections, introducing new products to his retail customers and often outselling his teammates. Dave was there when many of the amazing... more
Thomas Claxton has had some meaningful vocal coaches over the years who have inspired him and taught him important tips, such as how to protect his voice. Lauren Ringwall was his vocal teacher in school and later he was trained by Ron Anderson, whose long list of clients included Myles Kennedy and... more
Greg Dell’Era brought his music background together with his technical resources to form a company in his native France in 2011 called Weezic. His goal was to expand the content of music publishers who had their music on printed paper to a digital format in order to combine the music with other... more
Don Hilsberg fell in love with the harp when he was in the third grade and was taken to the symphony. His parents could not afford a harp, so young Don began taking organ and piano lessons. Midway into college at the University of Denver, Don was given the chance to play the harp and it was all he... more
Debra Kolacny began playing the organ at the age of eight, not knowing a life of music was ahead of her. She joined her junior high school band as a percussionist and in high school focused on theater arts, where she met her future husband, David. His grandfather started Kolacny Music in Denver,... more
David Kolacny has a remarkable family history steeped in bringing music to others. His grandfather took over a small music store in Denver in 1930 and since that time the store and its staff have served music makers of all ages. His father focused on trumpet repairs and David too found his own... more
Paisley Rosenthal is a rescue dog who has become the mascot for the Denver Folklore Center. The store was established in 1962 to serve the Folk music community. When Saul Rosenthal purchased the store, he knew it would be fitting to have a four-legged mascot greet his customers. Paisley does a... more
Saul Rosenthal has been driven by two ideals, equal rights for all people and supporting music and music makers whenever possible! After earning his Ph.D., Saul taught sociology at the college level and proudly worked for the Anti-Defamation League for 15 years. He later served on the board of the... more
Dick Weissman played an important role in the resurgence of the popularity of Folk Music in the 1950s and’60s. As a songwriter, producer and musician, Dick’s handy work can be heard and felt throughout the era. He co-founded the Journeymen, a Folk group that went on to record several albums, many... more
Harry Tuft is a true legend in the world of Folk music! As founder of the Denver Folklore Center, he has provided instruments to music makers of all ages. As a promoter of all things folk, Harry has presented concerts with the likes of Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Flatt & Scruggs, John Denver (who... more
Sondra Blanchard comes to music through theatre. She has worked in regional theatre and internationally as an actor, coach, writer, and director. Over the past 10 years, she has specialized in creating original work that often includes live music. She especially enjoyed creative collaborations with... more
Tanya Ogsbury was often brought to her father's banjo workshop as a small child. She later spent summers in the Colorado mountains with her father as he designed new and innovative banjos for his line, first Ode Banjos and later Ome Banjos. After earning a degree in Chinese, Tanya realized that she... more
Heath Mathews is the Senior Vice President of Content & Licensing for Peaksware Music, which includes MakeMusic and Alfred Music. Heath joined MakeMusic in 2007 with a focus on developing the repertoire for the SmartMusic platform. Heath takes great pride in his contributions to the platform,... more
Derek Richard has always appreciated the experience he had in college as a pianist accompaniment to singers and choir. Those were meaningful opportunities for him to learn in detail the importance of how musical notation is laid out on a page. Not all musical notation is the same and Derek has... more
Jimmy Bowen is the successful record producer whose musical career began as a Rockabilly recording artist and songwriter. He formed a trio right out of high school and created a songwriting partnership with bandmate Buddy Knox. Together Bowen and Knox wrote such hits as “Party Doll” and “I’m... more