OH Taxonomy
Martin Konig’s father, Karl, partnered with Erich Meyer in 1949 to create a wholesale business in which their first products were music stands. Soon the Germany-based company grew to not only supply music accessories created by other companies, they began producing their own products such as...
Alois Mayer formed his own brass instrument company in 1988 with the hope of bringing high quality hand-made musical instruments to the finest orchestras in the world. In a very short time Alois did just that. His brass instruments, including the famous line of trumpets, have been played in...
Winfried Baumbach came to represent the German musical instrument industry beginning in the 1980s. As the managing director of the European Music Industries Association, he has played a vital role in the organization and development of the German market. He has also been key in the expansion of...
Csaba Toth was working in the hotel management business when, by pure chance, he had the opportunity to work in the music products industry. As a keyboard player in a local band, Csaba was a big fan of the Roland line of products. One day he noticed a hotel visitor was from Roland in Japan and...
Roberto Weingrill Jr. spoke during his Oral History interview about the early days of his family’s business and the many changes that have occurred over the years. His great-grandfather moved to Brazil in the 1890s to establish his own instrument company. Weril Instruments was established just a...
Ingbert Bluthner followed in the rich history of his family tradition of building world-class pianos. Under Ingbert’s leadership the company expanded production and models along with developing new global distribution chains. Over the years, since his own oral history interview, Ingbert has been a...
Joseph Chen has put his vast knowledge of international trade along with his love of music together for a successful and respected career in the music products industry. His career began with Wu Hsieh at KHS Musical Instruments, which led to Joseph’s own company, Reliance International. Under his...
Barbara La Mair is the niece of the late industry icon Louis La Mair. During her interview, she provided warm and insightful background into the personal life of this one-time NAMM President. Barbara and her friends just happened to be visiting the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music at the...
Henry Heller recalled with detail his father’s idea of moving the Aeolian Piano Company’s manufacturing plant from New York to Memphis. During the months of the move in the early 1950s, his father suffered a heart attack and died. It was up to Henry not only to take over the project of moving the...
William Tapia stood up in front of United States solders playing his ukulele and singing at the tender age of eight years old. He was entertaining the troops for World War I and did not stop playing until the year of his passing at the age of 103! His life in music was almost as fasinating as his...