LANSING, Mich. — It’s been said that music brings people together. And at the Michigan State Capitol, one man is making sure that harmony has a local sound. This week’s Good Neighbor turned his love of Michigan—and music—into something beautiful.
“I am a piano technician. I tune, repair, and restore pianos. I have the greatest job in the world. I get to work with some of the greatest musicians alive.”
His name is David Kollar—and for years, he’s been quietly tuning the Capitol’s piano. But one detail kept striking the wrong chord.
"There is a rich history of piano manufacturing in the State of Michigan. We had 10 piano factories... South Haven Grand Haven, Muskegon, Holland, Charlotte and Detroit and they are all gone."
The Capitol always had a piano since it opened in 1879… but recently not one made in Michigan. David wanted to change that. So, he picked up the phone, tracked down an old Everett piano from Lansing’s St. Gerard School—and set out to give it a second life. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work, restoring a true piece of Michigan history.
“The capital is meant to be a gathering space that brings people together," says Valerie Marvin the Capital Historian.
That is of course what music does as well. And when the instrument was finally tuned and ready to be played… something magical happened.
"Everyone wants to talk about the Capitol and the divide. But when you bring music here—it unites. It’s one thing everyone loves," says Robert
Blackshaw/Executive Director of the Michigan Capital
One piano and a legacy made in Michigan that will echo through these halls for generations.
Robert Blackshaw says it best, "David Kollar is a Good Neighbor because he cares about Michigan history. He cares about the Capitol. And he wants to make sure the artifacts inside it reflect who we are."
We want to say thank you to David Kollar—this week’s Good Neighbor—for restoring Michigan’s piano.
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