2023-12-19 20:04:44
It is a profession of passion which requires an absolute ear, that of piano tuner, carried out by a 35-year-old Guyanese, Joane Yamb Ngan Ngue. The young woman travels all over Guyana and the West Indies to check and tune the pianos without which certain concerts might not be held.
Joane Yamb Ngan Ngue comes from a family of musicians known in Guyana. First there is the mother, Nicole Pronzola, music teacher, the older sister, Mickaëlle Ngo Yamb Gan, flautist and director of the Music Conservatory, the younger brother, Marvin Ngo Yamb, director, graphic designer, poet and then the last of the Joane siblings who are also making a name for themselves in the artistic world.
She herself says she is very discreet, far from the spotlight and yet Joane Yamb Ngan Ngue is called for each scene in Guyana. Few concerts are held without her stopping by to check the sounds of the pianos. She has been practicing this profession of tuner since 2011.
“In 2011, I graduated from the Technological Institute of Music Professions in Le Mans. I was one of 12 students in this promotion. I completed a professional aptitude certificate because I already held a degree in musicology and a master 1. I did not have to take the general subjects. I took technical courses and was on a work-study program in a company. I had the chance to train with Sylvain Charles who is the former director of the Pleyel channel. Then I returned to Guyana to work at Ink, following the death of Mr. Antoine Edouard, who was then the only tuner in the region. »
Our musician combines her activities as a certified college music teacher and tuner and acoustic piano repairer.
Tuner, a profession of ear and precision • ©Joane Yamb Ngan Ngue
She has been working with the Antilles for 3 years. First with an individual clientele then since this year with show organizers, notably for the Créole Beach jazz festival in Guadeloupe.
Each musical event gives Joane the opportunity to meet many artists, including international stars. Some now immediately request his services to tune their instrument. She thus expands her network and also satisfies her taste for music because Joane also likes to sing.
There are few tuners locally and nationally. The training institute in Le Mans only welcomes 12 students per year. This is a profession that requires specific qualities such as having a special ear and being blessed with great patience.
Joane Yamb at work • ©Joane Yamb at work
“You don’t become a tuner straight out of school. You have to work on your ear and above all be patient. From one place to another the climate is not the same, the piano does not react in the same way to the pegging. Besides, it’s a shadow job, we come before the concerts to put the pianos at the right frequency”.
In the Antilles and Guyana, we still use the acoustic piano a lot even if digital technology now occupies a large place in musical expression. The tuner profession still has a bright future according to Joane.
“When Mr. Antoine Edouard came to the house to tune the piano, we had to go out. But it intrigued me a lot and since the 9th grade I knew that I would do this job. My parents insisted that I study and now I realize that it serves me a lot. I am happy and proud that they called on me!”
This mother of an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl takes them with her whenever possible “They are like me, they live in art”
Joane Yamb Ngan Ngue’s children accompany her on stage • ©Joane Yamb Ngan Ngue
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