“The eagle has landed,” read an email that Dr. James McGowan received in his inbox last month.
The eagle, a $60,000 Bösendorfer concert grand piano, had landed on the ground floor of the Clemow apartment building in Ottawa – a plan that had been in the works since February.
Roughly nine months before the piano drop-off, James, the undergraduate supervisor of Carleton University’s music program, had received an initial email from Bar Robo owner Scott May.
Scott had emailed him and a few other pianists in town to gauge their interest in performing at a fundraising event to support the purchase of a grand piano for his new jazz bar, Robo Lounge.
He was in the process of opening up this new 140-person capacity venue at the Clemow, an upscale rental building for those aged 50 and above, which just so happens to be the place Scott calls home.
The lounge is set to open its doors to the public on Jan. 2.
The email got James thinking, “Can we get an existing piano that’s not utilized well and needs a good home?”
According to James, Carleton’s music program had been in the midst of organizing the donation of a nine foot concert piano from a community member around the same time that he received Scott’s initial email. But, he said that the music program already had enough of the instrument.
“[The] piano is just absolutely gorgeous, and they want to donate it, [but] at the same time, we don’t have any room,” he said.
“When Scott sent that email, I’m thinking, ‘This is an opportunity to maybe partner with him and his new venture.’”
The nine-foot piano was too big to fit on the Robo Lounge stage.
James remembered a smaller grand piano that wasn’t being used to its full potential.
“We had two pianos in a room. We only need one piano in a room. So, it was a very easy choice,” he said.
The Bösendorfer concert grand piano was given to Robo Lounge as a “long-term loan,” said James.
According to Scott, the 84-year-old piano, built by the renowned Austrian manufacturer, was “better than [he] was hoping for” when he originally set out to fundraise.
“We got really lucky,” he said. “It’s our duty to build a nice stage and a beautiful space to enjoy it. I hope we’re going to get a lot of people who want to come and listen and a lot of people who want to come and play.”
This piano loan sparked a mutually beneficial exchange between the two and their affiliated institutions, Robo Lounge and Carleton University.
Once the venue opens in the new year, Carleton students and faculty will be able to perform at the piano bar.
“A situation presented itself from karma in the universe, and it makes sense to honour that,” said Scott.
James said this will help students get their foot in the door of Ottawa’s live music scene, and will give faculty a chance to play more.
“Having an opportunity for [students] to get gigs on a regular basis is super important to me because this is a stepping stone for professionalization,” he said.
James said this will be good exposure for Carleton’s music program, as well.
“It would raise Carleton’s profile in the community,” he said.
“There’s actually a lot of people who don’t even know that we have a music program.”
Scott said his plans for the lounge will extend beyond a single genre.
“The Robo brand has always been kind of quirky and odd, so it’s not just going to be jazz.” He said he’s hoping to host a variety of events, like flamenco nights and drag performances.
“It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be creative. It’s gonna be interesting,” he said.
Great new spot! Very well written article as well!
Good article Mags.
Glad to hear that, thanks for taking the time to write this Maggie!