Women in the Music Industry

Sally Duane was born the same year her brother started McMillan Music outside of Philadelphia. She is the epitome of “growing up” in the business and has early memories of filling bottles of the company’s valve oil and containers of cork grease for mouthpieces. She stayed on when the company moved...
Beth Houlihan often reflects on the important role her mother played in establishing the family owned music store along with her father in 1974. Beth took note of the way her mother kept the books and worked with customers and suppliers, which has served her as President of Kidder Music. She has...
Viola Schimmel proudly recalls the mantra of her great grandfather, the founder of Schimmel Pianos, “Quality will prevail.” These words provide motivation, understanding, and guidance for her and her team as they continue the rich tradition of piano building. The company was formed in 1885 and has...
Nan DeStafney served her country as a United States Navy nurse. As she neared retirement, she met navy man Jim DeStafney who had the idea of opening his own music store. The two were married and saw Jim’s vision come true when Blues Angel Music was opened in Florida. Nan has served in the...
Betty Comer has owned and operated Gibson’s Music in Corbin, Kentucky since 1969. When asked about the store, Betty fondly describes Gibson’s as “the Mom and Pop store but just with the Mom” as Betty has single-handily ran the business since it opened its doors. Betty sat down for her NAMM Oral...
Sharon Hennessey and her brother, John, are the co-presidents of The Music People. The company was established by her father, Jim, back in 1979. Sharon worked in every position within the company, knowing from a young age she had a deep passion for the music industry. She worked alongside her...
Kyoko Hara is proud to continue her family tradition of being involved in the music products industry. It all began in 1919 when her grandfather opened a small store. Her father, Ryoji Okamoto, expanded the company and began providing ukuleles for their customers. The ukulele was a key instrument...
Jade Yu has always treated her employees at Tycoon Music like family. She has worked as Managing Director with the company her husband started since the beginning, and is often called the mother of the company. Her kindness and caring nature is the reason why many employees stay with Tycoon for...
Sabine Grubmüller joined the Bösendorfer Piano company in 2008, the same year the historic piano manufacturer was purchased by Yamaha. In 2015 Sabine was named the Managing Director and outlined a plan to continue the company’s traditions while embracing changes that helped keep the company...
Orianthi is an Australian born guitarist who, as a young teen, experienced what most aspiring musicians can only dream of. She had opened for her hero Steve Vai, traded solos with a guitar legend Carlos Santana, and soon after, backed Carrie Underwood at the Grammy Awards. Later, she toured...

Pages