8 hands, 2 pianos: Piano-Stachio! performance returns for pair of concerts

What could be better than two hands on one piano? Eight hands on two pianos! An ensemble of local pianists will perform a pair of concerts, Piano-Stachio!, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, in Ohl Concert Hall on the campus of Heidelberg University.

The eight hands of Piano-Stachio! belong to Char Pope, Vicki Ohl, Sally McDonald, and Mimi Lange Johnston. They will perform a holiday-themed concert with some classical selections and American classics.

COVID gets credit for the formation of Piano-Stachio! When cellist Yo-Yo Ma challenged others to post songs of comfort during the early days of the pandemic, Pope began offering daily piano solos or collaborations online for three months until June 2020. After she found an excellent 8-hand arrangement of Stars and Stripes Forever to post on July 4 and three willing and talented partners, the group was established.

“None of us had any idea how much fun we would have, or that we would still be playing together and posting recordings five years later,” Ohl said. Pope added, “Playing music with these friends is a highlight of my life.”

The concerts will benefit Berg Bravo! Friends of Heidelberg Music & Theatre.

The repertoire features festive and familiar favorites, from Stars and Stripes Forever to a pair of holiday and patriotic medleys. In between, the quartet will also perform selections titled American Song Book, arranged by Vicki, classical selections by Bach and Rachmaninoff, and Thankful by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager and Robert Page, arranged by Char. Rounding out their repertoire will be Perpetual Commotion by Kevin Olson and Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuona, arranged by Vicki.

The members of Piano-Stachio! have a history in service and education locally, and often incorporate their musical talent into their community-building efforts.
Mimi has a notable musical career as a singer, pianist and bandleader, working with major artists in Chicago and Nashville. She has written, produced, and sung award-winning jingles for Hallmark and Disney. Locally, she is the coordinator for the LIFE@TU program and directs the Off Our Rockers senior chorus. 

Sally, a retired special education teacher for the Tiffin City Schools, was an organist at St. Paul’s Methodist Church for 10 years and continues as the substitute organist. She previously shared organist duties at St. John’s United Church of Christ. As a pianist, Sally accompanied the Heidelberg University-Community Chorus for many years and was the accompanist for three musical productions at the Ritz Theatre.

Vicki retired in 2019 from her career as a professor of piano and music theory and later an administrator in Academic Affairs at Heidelberg University. She fondly recalls playing two-piano recitals with her late mother, Dorothy Ohl, and arranging popular music for Heidelberg’s show choir. Her interest in Broadway musicals resulted in Fine and Dandy, the biography of composer Kay Swift. She is now the choir director at Trinity United Church of Christ.

Char was an educator in the Tiffin City Schools for 26 years, later focusing on teaching teachers across the U.S. how to integrate new technologies into their classrooms. Always passionate about piano, she has played in church and in the community for over 45 years. She has self-published two albums of original pieces and arrangements and is the accompanist for Off Our Rockers.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.heidelberg.edu/piano-stachio26 or at the door. General admission is $10.