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Casio America Names Ori CEO

Casio America Inc. named Makoto Ori as its new president and CEO. In his new role, Ori will continue to lead the creation and development of products by leveraging the company’s strengths. He also plans to enhance the company’s communication with end users by implementing new marketing and direct sales tactics.

Ori began his career at Casio in 1993. After graduating from college in Tokyo, Japan, he started at Casio Computer Co. Ltd. as a sales planner for its calculator business in the European and North American markets. Just a few years later, he took on additional responsibilities within the company as sales planning manager for Casio United Kingdom’s calculator division. In the years that followed, Ori’s focus remained on planning and marketing calculators, as well as other product categories including pocket TVs, projectors and label printers.

In 2007, Ori switched to Casio’s education business marketing and concentrated his attention on the wide range of scientific and graphing calculators and e-dictionary products. During his almost 30-year tenure at Casio, Ori has held various positions from assistant manager of product planning and marketing to senior general manager of sales and marketing, before taking on this new role.

AES Names New President

Jonathan Wyner started his term as president of the Audio Engineering Society on Jan. 1. “Jonathan has proven his leadership and vision during his year on the AES board of directors as president-elect,” said outgoing AES president Agnieszka Roginska. “The AES is in excellent hands for the coming year.”

Wyner’s experience includes 30-plus years as both an active AES member and as an audio technologist. Wyner’s Jonathan Wyner professional industry involvement currently includes his roles as chief engineer at M Works Mastering, education director for iZotope in Cambridge, Mass., and professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

“The AES is the most varied international assemblage of experts, thought leaders, researchers, manufacturers and practitioners of audio in the world,” said Wyner. “During our recent fall event, we had attendees from 82 countries. Each of us has our individual interests and goals for our work, but a passion for audio ties us together. There are so many interesting and exciting developments taking place in the world of audio. The pillars I am energized to stand up can be summed up in three words: Equity, Sustainability and Innovation.”

Wyner, in addition to being an accomplished musician and performer, has mastered and produced thousands of recordings. Credits include James Taylor, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Kiri Te Kanawa, the London Symphony, Miles Davis, Semisonic, Thelonius Monk, Pink Floyd and Nirvana. Additional accolades include production of the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for the PBS special “Invention and Alchemy” (Deborah Henson-Conant, 2005), the mastering of the first recording of a full-length opera (“Madame Butterfly 1912,” BBC) and the first interactive CD game (“Play it By Ear,” Rykodisc).

Monge Joins Remo

Arianna Monge joined Remo as the rhythm and wellness brand manager. She oversees the task of connecting rhythm and wellness-based services to those who need it the most, and driving Remo’s Rhythm, Wellness and YOU! initiative. Monge was at the forefront of the sudden shift from in-person facilitation to virtual telemedicine. She has experience in program development, implementation and facilitation via Zoom to provide support, socialization and group musicmaking for medically fragile children in times of isolation. Monge also conducted Arianna Monge a case study on the effects of caregiver engagement on client participation in music therapy telemedicine.

Triple Play

Korg USA, Inc. hired DeAnna Goldfeder as associate HR generalist. Goldfeder joins Korg with more than 10 years of HR and administrative support experience, and most recently served as human resources supervisor at Sam Ash Music, where she oversaw HR, operations, benefits, compliance and employee relations matters. As associate HR generalist at Korg, Goldfeder will support Kristin Goold, SPHR, Director, Talent Management, and will leverage her specialized knowledge of HR in the music manufacturing and retail industry. While she will continue to support day-to-day HR needs, she’ll also use her skills in team building, training, and coaching to help colleagues and individuals achieve their full potential within the Korg organization.

Diana Akhavan joined Korg as junior creative designer. The latest addition to Korg’s marketing communications team, Akhavan will work closely with Creative Manager Norm Morales on the implementation and execution of creative design campaigns for Korg USA brands. A recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Akhavan majored in graphic design with a triple minor in creative technology, film and media, and art history.

Korg also hired James Jackson as customer service/support representative. Jackson joins Korg USA with excellent customer service credentials, most recently at Samson Technologies in Hicksville, N.Y. He has extensive training in technical support, including business-to-business support for national accounts. At Korg, Jackson is responsible for giving dealers and customers the best possible experience when they contact Korg USA.

DeAnna Goldfeder

Diana Akhavan

Carma Lou Beck

Beloved Iowa music retailer Carma Lou Beck passed away on Jan. 4. She was an active musician and teacher when she began working in music retail in Iowa in the 1960s. Beck opened her own store in Cedar Rapids in 1967 after working for a few other stores, including one owned and operated by the Wurlitzer Co. By the time Carma Lou’s House of Music expanded to three stores in the mid-1970s, she had become a local celebrity, due in part by her well-known TV and radio commercials. She was a proud advocate for music education and sponsored countless programs that encouraged music making for all ages.

William Dollarhide

Longtime music retailer and industry leader William Dollarhide passed away at 74 years old. He was the president and co-owner, along with his wife Margaret, of Dollarhide’s Music Center in Pensacola, Fla. He grew up in a musical family, with his mother, who was a pianist and teacher, and his father, who was a band director. His grandfather was also a band director, so Dollarhide was proud to be the third generation of band directors. He worked for Jimmie Johnson at Mississippi Music for several years before opening his own piano store in 1988. He served on the NAMM board of directors twice, once beginning in 1987 and again from 2000 to 2003. In more recent years, he worked beside the staff at Blues Angel Music in Florida, providing his knowledge and support.

Lloyd McCausland

Lloyd McCausland, former vice president of Remo, passed away on Jan. 28 from COVID-19. He was 89. McCausland worked with Remo Belli when the famed Hollywood drummer began creating his own line of synthetic drumheads in the late 1950s. He became a fixture at the company and was known to dealers and musicians alike. As vice president, McCausland played a large role in the marketing of the product line as well as improving the manufacturing process. He served as a mentor to many in our industry and loved to talk about music, and in particular, jazz.

Robert ‘Dan’ Palen

Robert “Dan” Palen of Palen Music Center in Springfield, Miss., passed away on Jan. 17 after suffering from a stroke. He was just 52 years old. He was born to Dan and Sue Palen on February 26, 1968 in Springfield. He graduated from Glendale High School in 1986 and went on to receive his associate’s degree in music synthesis from Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was co-owner and managing director at Palen Music Center. Palen is survived by his wife of 31 years, Lisa, his three children, Jessica, Peyton and Barrett, his mother Sue, his two brothers, Brett and Brad, and his granddaughter Juniper.

Buzz

Fred Tinker

Co-founder of Rodgers Instrument Co., Fred Tinker, passed away at 93 years old. Fred and Rodgers Jenkins formed the Rodgers Instrument Co. in 1958. The partnership began when their church asked if they would join the team to help purchase an organ. Fred and Rodgers thought they could build one instead. Over the years, the company introduced many innovative products, including being the first to use transistors in a musical instrument. Tinker not only led the engineering department, he also hired many key engineers over the years, including George Kirkwood.

Paul Winther

Paul Winther, who served as a music retailer in Boise, Idaho, for over 60 years, passed away from COVID-19 at 96 years old. Winther took over his parents’ music store in Boise, which was opened in 1943. He took great pride in the fact that his son Greg came into the business and would run the store after his retirement. Winther would later team with his grandson to create a piano teaching method called Easy Keys, which was based on the simple goal of providing a visual way for students to learn how to make music.

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