Tempest Preservation | Preserving history through sound

Our Philosophy

Preserve the past by making it playable. We believe that historical instruments are not merely artifacts to be observed behind glass, but living conduits of artistic heritage. By digitizing their sonic fingerprints, we ensure these irreplaceable treasures can be experienced, studied, and played by generations to come.

The Interactive Exhibit

1845 Broadwood Grand Piano

Played by Chopin in 1848, not long before his death

From the collection of the Sigal Music Museum

When Frédéric Chopin was forced to flee France and take refuge in England in the spring of 1848, he accepted the offer to use what was then the largest grand piano made by Broadwood & Sons. Before embarking on his official tour, Chopin earned £20 per appearance for morning recitals at the homes of wealthy patrons.

This piano, identical in style to the ones provided to Chopin for touring, was at the London home of William Amory. Purchased in December of 1845, it was the instrument available to Chopin when he was employed for the morning by Mrs. Amory in May of 1848. The story was told and retold within the family — finally condensed into a recollection of the grumblings that William made on paying the outrageous sum of £20 for a musician.

Learn more about the Sigal Music Museum →

Experience This Instrument

Play the actual recorded samples of this historic Broadwood piano — right in your browser.

Supports QWERTY keyboard & MIDI controllers

The Rare Violin Project

A love letter to the history of violin making

Rare Violins is an ongoing project dedicated to capturing precious and important instruments from around the world, so that they can be experienced by music-makers and music-lovers everywhere. We’re sparing no expense to make sure the instruments are recorded in their absolute best element.

We’re traveling around the world in search of rare and significant instruments, and with the help of the project’s violinist, Dovid Friedlander, we are holding half-day sampling sessions along with a short performance of classical masterworks. From these recordings we create software that allows users to intimately understand these precious instruments and their characteristics.

🎤 Recorded with rigorous standards in state-of-the-art studios

🌐 A resource for musicians around the world

🎵 Respecting the importance of live music

The Player

Dovid Friedlander was Associate Concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony from 2005–2020. He has held positions with the Columbus Symphony and the San Antonio Symphony, and has performed with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Music Festival and regularly with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Mr. Friedlander studied with Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil at the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he won the Jerome Gross award and the esteemed Darius Milhaud award.

Core Pillars

Preservation

Meticulously recording multi-microphone perspectives of fragile, aging acoustic instruments to immortalize their physical state in a digital form.

Accessibility

Breaking down geographic and financial barriers, allowing anyone with a browser to play instruments once locked in private collections.

Education

Providing interactive historical context, technical schematics, and interactive acoustic exploration tools for universities and students.

Immersion

Delivering high-fidelity spatial audio and stunning visual design that transports the player into the physical presence of history.

Partnerships & Support

Tempest Preservation operates in strategic partnership with leading institutions, including the Sigal Music Museum. As a nonprofit initiative, our mission relies on institutional collaboration, philanthropic support, and educational licensing.

Support Our Mission