26.5. Tuning problems

Keeping a piano in tune may be difficult when it’s pouring with rain outside. Funnily enough, I spent half the day in the office before realising it was raining outside. Because we don’t have a single window, so we’ve no idea what the weather’s like. Members of the audience were, however, dripping wet as they entered the foyer, and we had to order a taxi or two for contestants.
The tuning of one of the two Steinway grands, which had already been a bit dodgy during the evening session, left something to be desired. Luckily we managed to get hold of a tuner so the contestants wouldn’t suffer. The grands are in really heavy use during the competition, though they are of course tuned daily, both in the morning and before the afternoon session.