NEWFANE — A familiar hit song capped off an evening recognizing both current Newfane High School seniors and one of the school’s most prominent graduates.
On Wednesday, a new grand piano that was donated to the high school music department in memory of Newfane native and King Harvest keyboardist Ron Altbach was dedicated in the late musician’s memory during the high school’s Vocal Showcase Concert.
Altbach’s widow, Elka, and son, Mischa, were on hand for the dedication and the choir’s performance, which culminated with a choral rendition of the King Harvest hit “Dancing in the Moonlight.”
“What they did with everything (was) a really lovely gesture and I’m happy that the fundraiser was able to bring the piano to the school,” Mischa said.
“Ron would have loved it,” Elka added.
The effort to raise funds for the piano was started in the wake of Altbach’s death last year by Dan and Robin Dy, Gina Guido-Redden and Mary and Jack Martin, Altbach’s longtime friends and neighbors of his summer home on the West Bluff in Olcott.
In total, their efforts raised approximately $7,000. Most of the donations were solicited through commemorative T-shirts made and sold at last year’s King Harvest concert in Olcott celebrating Altbach’s life.
A plaque commemorating Altbach will soon be placed on the six-foot Kawai grand piano that is now housed in the same auditorium that he performed in numerous times while attending Newfane schools.
After graduating from Newfane High School, Altbach split his time between playing with various bands, while attending Cornell University, and studying with classical pianist Nadia Boulanger in France.
It was there that Altbach formed King Harvest with bandmates Rod Novak, David “Doc” Robinson and Ed Tuleja and recorded “Dancing in the Moonlight” in 1972. The band would eventually call Olcott home for most of 1973 as the single soared up the charts.
Whether he was playing with King Harvest, The Beach Boys or producing films, Elka said Newfane and Olcott always held significance to her late husband.
“It was always home to him no matter where he lived,” she said.