A Warminster woman has uncovered the fascinating link between her family and the Athenaeum’s grand piano.
Clare Hancock was inspired to delve into the instrument’s history after recognising the piano during a performance by Trio Paradis – a music group made up of Jacquelyn Bevan on piano, Ruth O’Shea on violin, and Linda Stocks on cello.
Clare said, “I was absolutely delighted to see Jacquelyn beautifully playing the wonderful Yamaha grand piano, which my late, very musical father, Alan Shephard, sourced for the theatre 53 years ago in 1972.
“The piano had been stored for a long time under covers, so it is great that it is being used again, having been tuned by Barry Mole, who helped Alan install the piano and has tuned it ever since.”
Clare’s late parents, Alan and Biddy Shephard, were deeply involved in the Athenaeum in the 1970s and 80s. Biddy ran the theatre’s box office and met many famous people, including actor Keith Michell, who was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII.
Using family photos and historical records, Clare and her siblings – Francis, John, Liz and Adrian – have pieced together the story of the theatre’s grand piano and their family’s special place in Warminster’s history.
Francis, who lives in Westbury, said, “Alan bought the piano for the Athenaeum from Duck Son & Pinker piano shop in Bath for around £3,000. Alan drove a very hard bargain and got it at a well-reduced price.
“It was an ex-demonstration piano, slightly shop-soiled, having been in the showroom for some time.
“Many concerts and fundraisers were organised to pay for it, all arranged by Alan. He tended to book students from the music academies who performed for very little payment but needed exposure at the start of their careers.
“Often, they would stay overnight with the Shephard family at Madbrook Farm, Westbury, before returning to Warminster the next day for the recital.
“The Yamaha is indeed an outstanding piano. Alan would not contemplate booking musicians only to have them perform on an impoverished instrument – as was often their lot in many concert halls. It just would not have been fair on them to play on a hack.
“The Shephard family really hope it [the piano] will be kept at the Athenaeum.”
A plaque on the piano currently reads, “In loving memory of Alan and Biddy Shephard.”
Andrew Frostick, a trustee at the Athenaeum and the theatre’s archivist, discovered further information about the piano in historical files, which he has now shared with the Shephard siblings.
This includes the fact that, in the early 1970s, a piano store was built without planning application or consent, as this was before the building was listed. A hole was cut into the back wall of the auditorium and part of the dressing room beyond converted.
When the centre went into liquidation in 1997, the grand piano was purchased by Warminster Town Council. It was later gifted back to the Athenaeum Trust in 2000.
Andrew also discovered that several notable pianists have played the piano over the years. They include former BBC Controller of Music Sir William Glock, Stefania Miekrasz Prize Winner Ronan O’Hara, South Korean pianist Young-Choon Park, and Young Musician of the Year 1982–84 Anna Markland.
Andrew and fellow trustee Adela Forestier-Walker are both keen to see the piano remain part of Athenaeum life for years to come.
Currently, the instrument must be assembled and disassembled each time it is moved from room to room or up a flight of stairs, at a cost of £130 per occasion.
Trustees are exploring how the grand piano could be stored on-site in a slightly different location to free up space in the dressing room.
Any support towards the £130 moving cost would help ensure the piano can be used more often.
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