ShowHub Feature: An Interview with Gregg Schiller
Art Is for Everybody:
a ShowHub Conversation with Gregg Schiller, Founder of Piano Jams
Long before shows like American Idol, The Voice, and even The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson beamed into the family home, there was one personality responsible for introducing rising stars to the American public: Ed Sullivan. Part talent scout, part vaudevillian ringmaster, it was Sullivan’s knack for spotting promising new talent that gave the world its first glimpse of Itzhak Perlman, Richard Pryor, Stevie Wonder, and hundreds of other now iconic artists.
I find myself thinking about Ed Sullivan as I talk to Gregg Schiller, founder and beloved emcee of the Beaumont Studio’s hit monthly series Piano Jams. A live, music-themed variety show, Piano Jams offers a platform to the city’s finest emerging artists, including singers, comedians, dancers, and even jugglers. “I’m like a talent scout,” says Schiller. “I go out to lots of shows and meet lots of people. I’ve found out how much great local talent there is in this city.”
Schiller’s long road to becoming Piano Jams impresario started in Toronto at the age of 4. “The lady who lived next door to our family had a grand piano, and she let me play it every day for fifteen minutes,” he reflects with a laugh. When those fifteen minutes were up, Schiller would prop himself up at his family’s kitchen table and “play” on a keyboard his mother had made for him out of cardboard and marker felt. It wasn’t long before he graduated to real ivories, and Schiller was eventually enrolled in Toronto’s prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music. At 14, he was earning his pocket money as resident piano tutor for the neighbourhood children. At 16, he had already earned his diploma from the Conservatory.
While music remained a constant in his life, Schiller’s passion for community building and social support led him to Vancouver, where he pursued a fruitful career in disability advocacy (eventually becoming BC’s provincial advocate for autism awareness). It wasn’t long however before musical opportunity came knocking on Schiller’s door again.
“I was at a party at the Beaumont Studios,” recalls Schiller, “and by chance I sat down next to Jude, the owner.” They chatted about their mutual love of piano performance, and by the end of the night Schiller had been granted cart blanche to organize a monthly duelling pianos show in the Beaumont’s Main Hall. The only catch? He had to source two baby grand pianos in time for the first show, and deliver them to the Beaumont Studios directly. A hectic search through East Vancouver’s garages and store rooms ensued, and mere hours before the curtain rose on the first Piano Jams, Schiller appeared at the Beaumont with two baby grand pianos in tow. The show was an immediate hit, and while the grand pianos were eventually replaced with more portable electric ones, Piano Jams was there to stay.
Now preparing for its seventh outing, the Piano Jams series continues to attract an ever-growing cadre of accomplished local artists: concert pianist Aslan Aslanov (medalist at the Canadian National Music Competition), multi-instrumentalist prodigy Ricardo Pequenino, and Yuki the Juggler (winner of the Vancouver Fringe Festival’s “Best of the Festival Award”) are only a few of the acts to grace the Piano Jams alumni list. Schiller credits the success of the series to its diversity. “There’s something here for everyone. On one night, you can catch jazz, comedy, rock, even flamenco dance. People don’t want to leave their seats in case they miss something — it’s amazing.” Despite the wide range of disciplines, Schiller is quick to remind me that Piano Jams is still a piano show at heart: “there’s always piano music involved with every act, even the comedy sets!”
As I wind down the interview, Schiller asks if he can highlight one more thing: the community connection. “All the artists come from different backgrounds,” he reflects, “and I see them all becoming friends and collaborating on projects after the show — collaborations they never would’ve thought of before.” By way of example, he tells me how James Amzin (tap dancer and Piano Jams regular) is currently choreographing an opera for another Piano Jamscontributor, and how Schiller himself will be featured in a music video with Aslan Aslanov later this summer.
A modern day Ed Sullivan, Gregg Schiller continues to pioneer the best and brightest of Vancouver’s creative scene, joyously devising weird and wonderful rosters of performers for each new show. Whether a classical music aficionado (like Schiller) or a rock n’ roll loving cretin (like myself), Piano Jams is sure to keep you hooked from start to finish.
The next Piano Jams show will be held at the Beaumont Studios on Friday, June 12th. Learn more here.