Mr. Zapf was my first music teacher. I was six years old when I ventured to his home for piano lessons. He also taught my sister piano previously. He became a very good friend of our family.
When I began attending Olney in 1963 he took me under his wing and began to give me organ lessons. However, I was already an accomplished French Horn player by that time so the organ lessons did not last too long.
Then years later I was performing with the Theater Orchestra at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. I received a phone call at my boarding house and it was Mr. Zapf and his beautiful wife. They came to the boarding house and we had a wonderful visit. I was to later find out from my mother that he had passed away while in Acapulco soon after our visit. (1978)
I feel that it was kismet that he was the first musical influence when I was six and he made an appearance at what became the Twilite of my musical career.
Thank you, Mr. Zapf (Karl "with a 'K") for all you did for me in those early years.
Karl Zaph was my first piano teacher, but not until the year after I had graduated from Olney High School. Zaph’s Music Store on 5th Street was one block east of my house on Fairhill Street.
During one of our lessons, I expressed interest in joining a choir conducted by the then VERY young Michael Korn at the First United Methodist Church in Germantown. (Korn would go on to found the Philadelphia Singers, in 1971. He was the group’s Artistic Director and Conductor until his death in death in 1991.) Karl Zaph instead suggested that I audition for the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, conducted by Robert Page, head of choral activities at Temple University. Miraculously, I passed the audition! Bob Page was my inspiration to pursue a degree in music education at Temple beginning in 1970.
I have fond memories of being driven home (still on Fairhill Street at the time) from Mendelssohn Club rehearsals in Mr. Zaph’s VW Bug and the delight he took in driving directly into the puddles along East River Drive whenever it rained. I think he was always a kid at heart.
And who can forget Theodore Nitsche? Choir was always the highlight of my days at Olney.
Steve Rubin
You and Mr Nitsche pulled it off. May you both Rest In Peace.
The beauty of 900 plus graduates singing The Halelulah Chorus still brings back great memories! And... we all finished at the same time! LOL
Thomas Woodrow
Mr. Zapf was my first music teacher. I was six years old when I ventured to his home for piano lessons. He also taught my sister piano previously. He became a very good friend of our family.
When I began attending Olney in 1963 he took me under his wing and began to give me organ lessons. However, I was already an accomplished French Horn player by that time so the organ lessons did not last too long.
Then years later I was performing with the Theater Orchestra at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. I received a phone call at my boarding house and it was Mr. Zapf and his beautiful wife. They came to the boarding house and we had a wonderful visit. I was to later find out from my mother that he had passed away while in Acapulco soon after our visit. (1978)
I feel that it was kismet that he was the first musical influence when I was six and he made an appearance at what became the Twilite of my musical career.
Thank you, Mr. Zapf (Karl "with a 'K") for all you did for me in those early years.
Barbara Klubal
Karl Zaph was my first piano teacher, but not until the year after I had graduated from Olney High School. Zaph’s Music Store on 5th Street was one block east of my house on Fairhill Street.
During one of our lessons, I expressed interest in joining a choir conducted by the then VERY young Michael Korn at the First United Methodist Church in Germantown. (Korn would go on to found the Philadelphia Singers, in 1971. He was the group’s Artistic Director and Conductor until his death in death in 1991.) Karl Zaph instead suggested that I audition for the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, conducted by Robert Page, head of choral activities at Temple University. Miraculously, I passed the audition! Bob Page was my inspiration to pursue a degree in music education at Temple beginning in 1970.
I have fond memories of being driven home (still on Fairhill Street at the time) from Mendelssohn Club rehearsals in Mr. Zaph’s VW Bug and the delight he took in driving directly into the puddles along East River Drive whenever it rained. I think he was always a kid at heart.
And who can forget Theodore Nitsche? Choir was always the highlight of my days at Olney.