Local Expert Shares Secrets With Piano Dealers in Vienna

Westport, CT – (May 18, 2006) – Westport resident, Erica vanderLinde Feidner, was hand-selected as the guest speaker to address the global dealer network at the Bösendorfer International Convention in Vienna, Austria this month.

Feidner, known as “The Piano Matchmaker,” has been featured in major publications and television segments because of her unique talent for forging a powerful connection between a person and the piano they were meant to own.

As one of the newest agents for the Bösendorfer Piano Manufactory, Feidner was asked by Bösendorfer executives to reveal how she finds solutions to potential concerns a client may have when embarking on their quest for the piano of their dreams. Feidner’s presentation involved a demonstration of her charismatic ability to establish personal relationships with her clients in order to discover all of the elements about the person, place, and uses that the piano will have.

“Every piano is born with its own unique personality. A handcrafted instrument will have nuances that create a distinctive sound and sensation, and because a piano must mirror the personality of its owner, it is essential that all elements, including the size and style of the piano fit together to match the client’s individual circumstance,” Feidner explains. “How lucky can I be? I make people happy every day by helping them find the piano that was born for them.”

Piano matchmaking is Erica’s gift. She has sold more than $42 million worth of pianos and has matched more than 1,000 pianos to clients, one client at a time. She has matched pianos with families, concert pianists, celebrities, and socialites throughout the country.
An article by James B. Stewart in The New Yorker (August 20, 2001) reported that “Erica Feidner has a gift…No one who experiences it seems to forget it." The article also said, "It is not unusual for Feidner’s customers to describe her as a force of nature. This is not because they feel pressured by her but because after they meet her many soon find themselves in the grip of musical ambitions they never knew they harbored.”
Piano matchmaking was Erica’s unquestionable destiny. Born into a family of seven pianists in a home with 26 pianos in it, her childhood home is the home to “Sonatina”, the world renowned piano school in Vermont. Erica was classically trained at the Juilliard School and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The State University of New York. She entered the Miss America Pageant after winning the Vermont state title and then moved to New York City where she established a successful piano teaching practice. She was recently granted a U.S. Patent 7,005,569 for her teaching approach.
While completing her Masters in Marketing, Feidner worked for a Bösendorfer dealer where she began to recognize her gift of matching people-to-pianos and pianos-to-people. Later, she was recruited by Steinway & Sons and with her fine-tuned ear and matchmaking skills she become the company’s top sales representative worldwide for eight consecutive years.

Now, Erica’s desire to match a client to virtually any top tier piano prompted her to establish her own piano consulting company, Piano Matchmaker LLC.

Upon receiving a commitment from a customer, Piano Matchmaker escorts clients to various trustworthy showrooms in the U.S. In addition, she owns a collection of 5 Bosendorfer grand pianos that are available for sale through Piano Matchmaker to customers in the Northeast. Erica even offers Bosendorfer clients the opportunity to travel with her to the flagship showroom in Vienna to make their selection.

Erica explained, “A fine piano has the potential to become part of the family for generations. When walking into a showroom filled with top-tier pianos, it seems easy to fall in love many times over. Yet it is easy to select a piano that is not your match.” With the Piano Matchmaker customers learn what to look for and also what to look out for. Feidner takes personal accountability for each selection and assures that the piano chosen is the perfect piano for decades to come.

For more information about Erica vanderLinde Feidner and Piano Matchmaker LLC, please visit www.pianomatchmaker.com or call Erica directly at 203-644-9197