Chichester concert honours memory of popular blind piano tuner and repairer

Anva, who tragically lost his sight in his native Vietnam when he was only eight years old, died at the age of 60 in December 2021. He was mourned as a dedicated father and husband, skilled piano tuner and repairer, charismatic speaker and an inspiration for many. A documentary about him can be found at: https://dannyweinstein.com/journey-of-the-piano-tuner

Anva is survived by his wife Yuriko and his children Imy, Maria and Kenji, who are all musicians. They will remember him with a special charity concert at St George's Whyke Church, Cleveland Road, Chichester, PO19 7AD at 7.30pm on Friday, October 25.

His wife Yuriko said: “It is a concert in support of Chichester Sanctuary which helps refugees in Chichester. The ticket sales are shared between the charity and the church.

“St George's Church is offering a series of varied concerts on the last Friday of the month. Ours will be the last one for this year so we would like it to be something for everyone. We will include The Carpenters, a Japanese pop song and The Beatles along with beautiful classical music. We would like to remember Anva through music and let people know about him even though he is not in this world.”

Anva came to the UK as a refugee at the beginning of 1980s.

“He and his family had a very hard time coming over here to set up their new life in the UK so we would like to support the local charity Chichester Sanctuary this time.

Anva trained as a piano technician as he had excellent hearing. He met Yuriko at Bishop's Palace Garden, got married in 1993 and had three children, Imy, Maria and Kenji. All of them have become professional musicians and are graduates from Royal Northern College of Music. He passed away in December 2021 after long suffering from Covid.

For the concert, the Luc Family and musicians Jack Adams and Rebecca Grove will offer a varied programme of classical and popular music. Music will be solo pianos, piano duet, voices and cello. The varied programme includes pieces by Bach, Mozart, Shubert, Chopin, Medtnar, Thomas Dunhill, Minako Kawase, Ravel. Gershwin and Beatles.

The tickets are £10 in advance on http://bit.ly/MemoryAnvaLuc or £12 on the door. Includes tea, coffee, juices and cakes in the interval.

Daughter Maria said: “Anva made the family’s life very fun. He was a humorous guy, always with a joke up his sleeve and the family were always laughing a lot. He taught the necessary skills to his children with vigour and encouragement. There are many fond memories with him. He had an excellent memory and general knowledge due to his keen interest in history, current affairs, and the natural world. His curiosity on any topic meant he could relate to anyone he met.

“Anva was a very generous man dedicated to the community of Chichester and lit the hearts of many. As well as being the local piano tuner he raised a lot of money for various charities through his fitness which included participation in Bognor Birdman.”