North Bennet Street School (NBSS) is pleased to announce that Eric Schandall, a 1967 alumnus of the School’s Piano Technology program, will deliver the commencement address to our newest graduates at the Old North Church on Friday, June 2, 2017.
A native of East Haddam, Connecticut, Eric is an internationally respected master piano technician – working primarily on Steinway & Sons pianos throughout the United States and also in China, England, Ireland, Russia, and Norway. From 2001 to 2008, he served as administrator of the C.F. Theodore Steinway Technical Academy in Astoria, New York. Eric now makes his home in Norway, working for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and traveling the country, applying his expertise at music festivals, colleges, universities, and culture houses, which are often home to performance halls outfitted with Steinway grand pianos. Eric also currently serves as a visiting instructor at Ohio’s Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
“Eric is one of the most distinguished individuals in his profession. His considerable skills and expertise as a master piano technician help ensure that concert pianos throughout the world resonate with the beauty of their true sound. We’re delighted that Eric will be with us this year to share his life experience with our graduates,” said NBSS President Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez.
Eric has fond memories of his days at North Bennet Street School and welcomed the invitation to speak to this year’s graduating class.
“I consider myself lucky to have an enduring relationship with North Bennet Street School and so I’m delighted to have been asked to give the commencement address on the 50th anniversary of my own graduation. Throughout my career, it’s been my experience that anyone in my field would look at you twice when you said you were a North Bennet Street School graduate. It’s always been at the very top. The teachers were kind, interesting, and very talented people. They were the crème de la crème. I’ve never had to unlearn a single thing I learned there.”
While he is in Boston to serve as commencement speaker, the NBSS Alumni Association will also present Eric with its Distinguished Alumni Award – the first time in our 136-year history that an individual has received both honors. Notably, this year also marks the 70th anniversary of the School’s Piano Technology program.
The 2017 Commencement will see 94 students from all nine programs joining the NBSS alumni community. They come from a variety of backgrounds and from locations around the world, representing one of the most diverse classes ever.
About North Bennet Street School
One of the nation’s oldest schools for hands-on training in traditional trades and fine craftsmanship, North Bennet Street School is internationally known for its programs and for helping students to achieve meaningful lives and livelihoods. For more than a century, the exceptional programs, master faculty, and inspiring community have encouraged individual growth, curiosity, technical mastery, and commitment to excellence.
The School offers full-time programs in Bookbinding, Carpentry, Cabinet & Furniture Making, Jewelry Making & Repair, Locksmithing & Security Technology, Piano Technology, Preservation Carpentry, and Violin Making & Repair. In addition, NBSS provides continuing education classes in a range of related disciplines. The School is located at an impressive new facility in Boston’s historic North End, the community in which it was originally founded as a settlement house for immigrants in 1881.
