LONGTIME YAMAHA RETAILER GIVES BACK TO NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE

—Sam Falcetti Honored with Yamaha TouchStone Founder's Award—

BUENA PARK, CA (May 2, 2003)—With five locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, Falcetti Music, Inc. is a mainstay for music lovers in southern New England. One of the retailer's longstanding relationships is with the University of Massachusetts Department of Music & Dance, and on April 13 that partnership reached new heights with the dedication of the Falcetti Music Lobby of the 200-seat Bezanson Recital Hall at the university's Amherst campus.

The Falcetti Family in the newly renovated lobby they provided for the Bezanson Recital Hall at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The striking, expanded chrome-and-maple lobby, made possible by an unspecified gift from the company, is part of the recital hall's overall $1.17 million renovation. A new stage, computer-controlled lighting and improved access for the disabled are also in place.

"This makeover was six years in conception, and during that time the plans for the lobby tripled in size, which is a good thing," says owner Sam Falcetti. "The facility is used just about every day of the week. The University of Massachusetts has one of the largest music programs in New England, and there's something going on just about every single day. It's very intensive."

Marilyn Kushick, the music department's Director of Advancement, expressed the university's gratitude. "Thanks to the Falcetti family and our other donors, there now sits on the Amherst campus a little gem of a concert hall—a beautiful, intimate space where music of all kinds can be enjoyed by audiences and performers alike," she says.

Sam and Peggy Falcetti receive the Yamaha TouchStone Founders Award from Yamaha National Sales Manager Mark McNeary.

In a development not directly related with the recital hall at Amherst—but very much related to Falcetti's lifetime of service to the New England music community—Yamaha greeted the retailing patriarch with the Yamaha TouchStone Founder's Award.

Neither Falcetti nor his wife Peggy had any idea that the rare honor was in store when they walked into the Chateau Provost restaurant in Springfield, MA on March 12 for what they thought would be a small dinner. Instead, 50 people were waiting to fête them.

"It was incredible," Falcetti recalls. "I guess there aren't a lot of people that have gotten this award. It means an awful lot to my wife and me after the 46 years we've been in this business. It brought tears to our eyes. We're dumbstruck, and we're very proud."

Rocco Ferrante, the Yamaha district manager whose territory includes New England, says Falcetti was especially deserving of the honor. "Sam Falcetti's really a legend in the music industry, especially with music education," he notes. "Falcetti Music is one of the more education-oriented dealers in the entire country."

For more information about Yamaha pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; email infostation@yamaha.com; visit www.yamaha.com or telephone (714) 522-9011.