People

Neal Hickson
Neal has been a resident of New Mexico for 15 years. He began piano study at age 14 and, from 15 to 18, attended the Arts Magnet High School for the Performing Arts in Dallas, TX ― the first performing arts school to open after New York, and the prototype for magnet schools nationwide to follow. Neal studied music theory, composition, accompanying, and was the pianist for the school’s symphony and chamber orchestras . . . as well as performing orchestral solo works . . . graduating “Senior Musician of the Year” in 1978. Noted alumni of the school include Edie Brickell, Grammy award winning artists Erykah Badu, Roy Hargrove, and Yamaha Artist Norah Jones. After graduating from high school, Neal studied Piano Performance on full scholarships at three notable universities: Meadows School for the Arts at Southern Methodist University, studying with Alfred Mouledous, a student of pedagogues Walter Gieseking and noted French pianist Alfred Cortot; at the University of Texas with Dr. Arryl Paul; and at Arizona State University with Robert Hamilton, a prizewinner of the Busoni, Casella, Montevideo, and Rudolph Ganz competitions. Mr. Hamilton is featured in the book, The Most Wanted Piano Teachers in the USA. Following formal studies, Neal taught piano ― and accompanied and performed chamber music ― before becoming a piano consultant in 1987. In 1995, on his first visit to New Mexico, during a business trip, Neal fell in love with Albuquerque and decided to make it his home. That visit also yielded his first meeting with Maurice Unis and Cathy Traylor of the nationally acclaimed Forte Marketing Group. Neal was invited to join their team. As a member of Forte, he worked with arts organizations and piano dealerships in major cities across the United States and Canada for 15 years. For Neal, PianoWerkes represents an exciting opportunity to work with his associates from Forte in his home state of New Mexico.
Maurice ("Moe") Unis
The history of Maurice (“Moe”) Unis and his involvement in the piano business started at an early age. He first learned the piano trade from his maternal grandfather, Maurice T. Schuster (“M.T.”) ― violinist with the Portland Symphony Society, and a piano tuner. When the orchestra fell on bad times during the Great Depression, M.T. made his living by tuning and repairing pianos. Moe “cut his teeth” around pianos, and later mentored his own sons in the family’s fourth generation piano vocation. Maurice was founder of “Moe’s Pianos,” Portland ― dealer for Steinway & Sons. In 1989, after selling Moe’s to Sherman & Clay, Maurice went on to become founder and president of Forte Marketing Group. In 2001 Maurice Unis and his eldest son, Brian, opened Classic Pianos — next to the Aladdin Theater ― in a building that had earlier housed a violin maker. After becoming Portland’s exclusive Yamaha dealer, Classic Pianos expanded its “piano campus” by purchasing one of Portland’s old brick buildings located on the West Side of its main store. Here, in the historic “Brooklyn Neighborhood” Restoration Shop, craftsmen and technicians restore and revoice vintage instruments ― especially Steinway & Sons and Mason & Hamlin grands ― available in New Mexico exclusively through PianoWerkes and its Classic Collection. Adjacent to the shop is a restored 1912 craftsman “Church House,” former turn-of-the-century mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon . . . saved from demolition by Maurice . . . now enlarged into a guest condominium and audition room for out of town Classic Collection customers.
Anthony "Butch" Bauske
Anthony, a native New Mexican, is head of Customer Service and Operations. He has been a friend and associate of Forte Marketing Group for 15 years and has served in a variety of capacities. Within Forte, Anthony has acted as a general event facilitator, from delivery and appointment coordination to reception. In the establishment of PianoWerkes, Butch has been involved with every aspect of the business from its inception. From the logistics of finding a location, planning, furnishing, lay out and showroom decor, Butch has been a key player in making PianoWerkes become a reality. His role with PianoWerkes involves all areas of operations and customer service.
Richard Raskob
A Registered Piano Technician (RPT), Richard was born and raised in Albuquerque. He was graduated from Western Iowa Tech Community College in 1975. Richard worked as an independent piano technician in Albuquerque until 1986, when he moved to Minneapolis. There, as an independent RPT, he performed voicing and concert tuning jobs for the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, as well as other colleges and high-profile piano clients. Richard toured with a Yamaha artist as personal technician and concert tuner from 1995-1997, then returned to Albuquerque to resume private work as a RPT. He has received training from Steinway & Sons, Yamaha, Kawai, and Baldwin piano companies. As a member of the Piano Technician Guild for over 25 years, Richard has performed concert tunings for some of the world’s most notable pianists: André Watts, Victor Borge, Lori Line, George Winston, Diana Krall, Judy Carmichael, Robert MacDonald, the Beaux Arts Trio, Dave Brubeck, Jamie Cullum and Jon Nakamatsu. 

Don West
Don began his music career in Portland, OR in 1978, working for Portland Music Co. in its Musical Instruments and Sheet Music departments. Later he met Maurice Unis and, in 1986, accepted a position with Moe’s Pianos on Southeast Woodstock. In 1989, after Moe’s was sold to Sherman & Clay, Don became manager of the Piano Department for Day Music Co. Then in 1992, together with another music colleague, Rob Church, Don started an intimate, boutique-style, piano gallery called “Classic Pianos” ― later acquired by Maurice Unis in 1995. Don joined Maurice Unis’s Forte Marketing Group in 1996, and has been a key associate ever since. A multi-talented musician in virtually all genres of music … especially classical repertoire and jazz piano performance … Don West has been a DJ radio host on KPSU, the non-commercial student-operated radio station at Portland State University; as well as the subject of a KGW music / arts “Eight Lively Arts” program in 1978. Don’s principal piano studies were with Tilford Ruble and Don Lehmann, both of Portland. A professional musician since 1976, Don has played piano in a wide spectrum of venues, including four concerts for the Oregon Ballet Theatre; Portland’s inaugural Ten Grands piano extravaganza featuring ten pianists on ten grand pianos; and appearances at Rimsky-Korsacoffee, an up-scale, “super cool,” dessert and coffee house situated in a Southeast Portland Victorian manor that became the favorite place to be after concerts.
Sweetwater Nejal
Sweetwater was the child of a British mother and a Native American father. Her mother, an artist and seamstress, immigrated to the United States in the late 1960s and settled in Central Oregon ― the land of the Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute Native American Tribes ― where she met Sweetwater’s father, a Wasco native of Filipino descent, who was also an artist. The Wishram and Wasco are Plateau tribes that are closely related to neighboring Chinook Indian tribes from the Columbia River in Oregon. Today these tribes are all part of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon, and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation in Washington ― known internationally for their intricate woodcarving, beadwork, and basketry. Sweetwater’s mother exposed her to reservation activities, rituals, native culture, art, and dance from an early age. Reflecting the heritage of her English and Native American ancestry, Sweetwater excelled in dance and taught dance and gymnastics to young children at community centers. Six years ago she became involved in the piano industry as greeter and financial representative for Forte Marketing Group, doing national piano fund-raising events coast-to-coast. Sweetwater is married to Don West, and loves working with “piano people.” Additionally, she runs “Tanami” in Portland, OR, an Indonesian handcrafts wholesale business doing international sales.
Christopher Ranney
Chris is a recording studio specialist. He studied music theory at the University of Michigan and creative composition from concert pianist / recording artist William Bolcom. While living in New York City, Chris trained in audio engineering under David Ruffo and assisted on many live remote jazz recordings at famous Manhattan venues including: Birdland, The Village Vanguard, Blue Note, Jazz Standard, and Symphony Space. Prior to joining Classic Pianos, after moving to the Pacific Northwest from Berkeley, California, Chris worked with Maurice Unis's Forte Marketing Group ― a national sales and marketing organization that organizes university, institutional, and special fund-raising events coast-to-coast. Currently, Chris maintains the Website for PianoWerkes and has extensive sales and technical experience in both acoustic and digital Yamaha pianos, including Disklavier and Yamaha’s latest “hybrid” AvantGrand. Owning a small music production studio, Chris is well-versed in the art of audio and MIDI recording — interfacing computers with acoustic, digital, and hybrid pianos.
Cathy Traylor
Cathy minored in music at Miami of Ohio and later played piano for Civic Theater and Storefront Theater productions in Portland. She first started working with Maurice Unis at the old Moe’s Pianos in charge of artist relations, concerts, event rentals, and master classes. For 25 years, Moe’s was considered Portland’s landmark piano store ― a fixture on Southeast Woodstock Boulevard near Reed College ― prior to its sale to Sherman Clay & Company in 1989. After several years with the new owners of Moe’s Pianos, Cathy left Sherman & Clay in 1995 to again join Unis at Forte Marketing Group. Having organized numerous Forte events coast-to-coast, Cathy continues to oversee all university fund-raising activities nationwide ― including public relations, marketing, and advertising. Cathy has known, and worked with, Neal Hickson since they first met in New Mexico 15 years ago.
James Walls
Jim majored in Liberal Arts at the University of Oregon and studied piano with Dr. John Hamilton, a prodigy of keyboard icon Wanda Landowska. Jim has played piano since age five and has been featured on BBC Radio. Studies have been jazz great Mary Field of Portland; Jim Rousey, San Francisco; and classical work with Katherine George, past pianist with the Oregon Symphony. After several years of experience in piano and organ retail sales, Jim joined Rodgers Organ Company, Hillsboro, OR, as Vice-president of Marketing under the ownership of CBS, Inc., New York; then later Steinway Musical Properties, Inc., Boston. In the 1980s, Jim was Vice-president and Creative Director of Denny, Walls, Ross & Wright: a Portland-based advertising, marketing, and public relations agency. Now “semi-retired,” he serves as Director of Marketing for Classic Pianos. Jim also works with PianoWerkes on its advertising and marketing projects, and is a member of the American Marketing Association.
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