OH Taxonomy
Lou Castro has often said that NAMM is about the people! As a musician and songwriter, Lou has been involved with many musical products and publishers over the years and when it comes time for the trade show each year, he knows he will get the opportunity to connect with those important to his...
Lori Rubinstein was the first employee of the Theatrical Dealers Association, which in 1994 changed its name to the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA). Under Lori's leadership, the organization created the ANSI-accredited Technical Standards Program, which focuses on safety...
Bernie Williams is the former professional baseball player whose passion for music making led him to a role as a music advocate. Being a musician since he was a kid, Bernie perused a successful career as a baseball player for 16 years before gaining his degree in music at the Manhattan School of...
Stu Cohen grew up playing the clarinet, and took lessons for close to eight years. In the early 1950s, Stu listened mostly to country music on the radio, just because it was the only station that his radio would pick up. When he was in college, Stu got into country music even more, and started...
Christan Griego grew up surrounded by music. In fact, he did not have a television in his home as a child, but did have a piano! While in the school band during the sixth grade, Christan began playing the trombone, where his love of band and orchestra instruments began. As a child Christan visited...
Sarah Hagan wanted to play the drums more than anything when she was young. After asking so many times, her parents finally agreed and got her a snare drum and signed her up for lessons. Sarah loved every minute of playing the drums, and would even skip recess during elementary school to receive...
Basilios Strmec grew up in Vienna and was exposed to piano music at an early age. While learning many different languages, he studied business in college and went to work for Xerox. After a few years, when a friend suggested to him to apply for an opening with a piano company, Basilios jumped at...
Angela Koregelos grew up playing the flute and taking lessons from her father, George Koregelos. George owned his own retail store and Angela has fond memories of working alongside her father. George also founded Koregelos Flutes, as well as HW Products. Angela went on to study flute at the New...
Robbie Robertson was a member of the rock group The Band, which backed Bob Dylan and went on to record a string of hit songs, many of which Robbie wrote. During his NAMM Oral History interview, Robbie talked about the music stores he visited as a kid and his delight in going to Manny's Music in...
David Bergstrom spent 10 years studying classical guitar, and even traveled to Spain to study under André Segovia. Upon returning to the United States, David found a career in the music products industry working for Kaman Music Corporation as the manager of artist relations - a job he kept for 18...