On January 25th, Jordan Kitt’s Music celebrated the grand opening of its flagship showroom and Music Education Center in Rockville, MD with a special concert and reception.

Tony DeSare performs to a capacity crowd at the new Jordan Kitt’s Rockville Showroom

The Grand Opening Concert featured the enormous talents of Tony DeSare, who enthralled a capacity audience of just under 100 with a performance melding contemporary, jazz, pop, and classical piano.

Named a Rising Star Male Vocalist in Downbeat magazine, DeSare has lived up to this distinction by winning critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout North America and abroad. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas headlining with Don Rickles and major symphony orchestras, DeSare has brought his fresh take on old school class around the globe. DeSare has three top ten Billboard jazz albums under his belt and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, the Today Show and his music has been posted by social media celebrity juggernaut, George Takei.

(L to R) Chris Syllaba, CEO of Jordan KItt’s Music, Tony DeSare, Ray Fugere, CFO of Jordan Kitt’s Music.

In an effort to expand its showroom, recital facility and Music Education Center, as well as consolidate it’s warehouse from a separate facility into an adjoining one, Jordan Kitt’s Music moved into this new location in December, and became fully open in mid January. The new space is more convenient to customers accessing the store from the beltway, and offers more than 5,000 square feet of new & used pianos from manufacturers such as Yamaha, Bosendorfer, Mason & Hamlin, Roland, Cristofori and others.

A reception was held in the new recital facility designed for audiences of up to 90, and featuring a Yamaha concert grand for performance.

The facility also has a greatly expanded 1,500 square foot Music Education Center, offering piano instruction to hundreds of students weekly.  It includes private teaching studios complete with performance grade pianos, a large group teaching facility, a waiting area for parents, and a recital hall for seating of up to 90 complete with a Yamaha CF series concert grand piano.

The store expansion in Montgomery County marks Jordan Kitt’s Music’s 105th year of continuous service to the customers, institutions and piano students in metropolitan Washington, D.C. and continues to be the area’s (and one of the nation’s) oldest continuously operating music stores.  Jordan Kitt’s Music has matched the perfect piano with over 250,000 customers since 1912, as well as having taught over one million piano lessons.

(L to R) Michiko Yurko, member of Maryland State Music Teachers Association (MSMTA), Chris Syllaba, CEO of Jordan Kitt’s Music, Artist Tony DeSare, Lily Chang, founder International Young Artist Piano Competition (IYAPC) and member MSMTA, Alice Shiu, a teacher at the new Rockville Music Education Center and member MSMTA, and Ray Fugere, CFO of Jordan Kitt’s Music

The new showroom and Music Education Center is located at 11726 Parklawn Drive in Rockville, just 2.6 miles from the Washington Beltway (495) off the Rockville Pike (Rte 355) exit.  Anyone wishing to find out more information about lessons, the recital facility, home or event rentals or information about new or used products should contact us today at info@jordankitts.com

Just days ago, the National Association of Music Merchants elected a new board of Directors, including the appointment of Chris Syllaba, President and CEO of Jordan Kitt’s Music.

NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants, commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization’s popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that promotes the pleasures and benefits of making music and strengthens the $17 billion global music products industry. It serves as a hub for people wanting to seek out the newest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound and lighting. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages.

NAMM welcomed the following members to the organization’s Board of Directors: Lauren Haas Amanfoh, President, Royalton Music Center, Inc.; Bryan Bradley, Senior Vice President/General Manager, HARMAN International; Philip Cajka, President and CEO, Audio-Technica U.S., Inc.; Kathy Donahoe, President and Member Partner, American Way Marketing, LLC.; Alun Hughes, Managing Director, British Band Instrument Company Ltd.; J. Scott Mandeville, President, Tim’s Music; Eric Matzat, President, Palen Music Center, Inc.; and Chris Syllaba, President/CEO, Jordan Kitt’s Music.

Jordan Kitt’s Music was asked to be a part of this extraordinary organization for a number of reasons related to its own community outreach efforts, including:

• Its participation in the Music Education Advocacy DC Fly-In, an annual advocacy effort organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) to promote music education in our public schools.
• A partnership with Strathmore, supporting annual student concerts for Montgomery County Public School 2nd and 5th grade students resulting in 20K+ students each year being exposed to music and the different instruments of the orchestra.
• Its presence on the Give a Note Foundation Board of Directors: formed by leaders of NAfME (National Association for Music Education) to “nurture, grow, and strengthen music education opportunities – every student, every school, every community.”
• CEO’s involvement with classical music outreach as a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO) Trustee Council.
• Its commitment to community music outreach through free public concerts featuring area talents at its recital facility
• Providing music education through approximately 20K lessons taught per year out of five education centers in 2 major markets at Jordan Kitt’s Music School.
• Its support of music education by providing recital hall, rehearsal rooms and meeting facilities for area music teachers, local Music Teacher Associations, and Piano Guild auditions.
• The support of local Piano Technician Guild (PTG) meetings and organizing manufacturer training and education opportunities for the local piano technician community.
• The support of numerous Music Festivals and organizations, including the Washington International Piano Festival, local Music Teacher Associations, and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).

Read more here.