Facebook (Anriette Schoeman)
The name Anriette Schoeman may be synonymous with cycling, but seemingly in an instant, she’s immersed herself in the rare field of tuning pianos.
Anriette is a record seven-time Argus champion and quite rightly carries the mantle of Nelson Mandela Bay’s golden girl of cycling – a catchy moniker referring not only to her blonde looks but also to all the gold medals hanging in her trophy cabinet.
Anriette is now in her early forties and says that while she is still a professional cyclist, the racing side of her life is not all-consuming like it has been for more than two decades. “It's time to start slowing down and find a balance,” she says. “This incredible journey I’m on of tuning pianos is so rewarding. I am absolutely loving it and feel like I have reinvented myself. It is certainly something I would absolutely love to do full-time one day.”
Many people may not know this, but Anriette was playing the piano before she could ride a bicycle and in essence, she’s immersing herself in her first love. “I started playing the piano when I was about four years old and I even studied piano as a subject at school at DF Malherbe High School,” she said. “I’ve got a pretty good musical pitch and the mechanics of the piano have always fascinated me. Pianos may have been around for centuries but such is their enduring quality that their mechanics have hardly changed in all that time.”
Piano tuners are indeed a rare breed and arguably the finest exponent of this unique skill is one Reon Brown. “I’ve been racing bicycles for 25 years and Reon has been tuning pianos for 35 years so that just about puts it into perspective,” laughs Anriette. “I have to confess that I started stalking him on social media and about a month ago I plucked up the courage and made contact with him. He has taken me under his wing and is teaching me everything there is to know about repairing the intricate mechanism that makes up a piano, and of course, tuning it as well.”
Anriette and her mentor Reon Brown.
Anriette is a big fan of the grand piano and recently worked on one of these iconic instruments with Reon at a church on 5th Avenue in Walmer. She’s also in awe of probably the most famous piano of them all, the Steinway, but accepts that you have to pay your dues and ‘can’t just jump into a Porsche’ from the get-go. “I cannot believe how many pianos are out there that need a bit of TLC,” said Anriette. “Reon actually cannot keep up, such is the demand to have pianos re-tuned and those ‘dead’ keys repaired. Time will tell if I actually do follow in Reon’s footsteps and do this full-time but for now, he is most definitely providing me with all the tools of the trade and I honestly cannot get enough of it.”
Pianos and bicycles are similar in a way in that they both need regular maintenance and that’s probably why Anriette identifies so strongly with her newfound passion. “You leave your bike standing in the garage for a few weeks, and it will need some pampering,” says Anriette. “It’s no different with a piano. Those cables stretch if they’re not used regularly and there are literally hundreds of them. The mid-range notes have three strings each and the lower-notes two strings each. There are 88 keys and that translates into a process of around two hours to re-tune one piano.”
Sitting alongside Reon Brown while retuning a piano in Sunridge Park, Anriette Schoeman lauded the homeowner for having his piano looked at. “Ideally, a piano should be tuned every 12 months to three years. It is going to cost between R850 and R950 to get the job done but I really feel it’s a very good investment to make. There’s no better sound than a beautifully tuned piano …. or a Porsche for that matter.”
Anriette Schoeman winning the Timbercity Cycle Tour for the 9th time in 2019. Picture: Eastern Cape Road Cycling
