Ibach
Ibach follows the escape of a Jewish family and their piano from Nazi Germany in the 1930’s to the piano’s restoration in Philadelphia four generations later. Weaving an in-depth look at the restoration process alongside perspectives from the surviving family members, Ibach is a heart-rending story of generational trauma and reconciliation.
In 1936, Heidi Frank escaped the Holocaust with her life and family to Philadelphia, PA. While many of her items were lost, she brought with her her first love, her German made Ibach piano. The Frank family had a successful hat company in Germany. When the Nazi’s came to their small town of Magdeburg, they traded their hat manufacturing company for their lives. With family already established in New York City, Heidi and her piano left Germany and landed in Philadelphia, PA. While others weren’t as lucky as the Frank family, they now have an heirloom that encapsulates their history and family lineage.
The Ibach piano that Heidi had left to her family (the Brauers) is an incredibly rare piano to begin with, but to find one in the United States is even further baffling. The Ibach is an interesting piano. It is small in size, but it’s sound radiates like a baby grand because it has an extra, third layer of string. The robust sound would echo through Heidi’s home as she would sit down and effortlessly play for her children and grandchildren.
The piano is now in the possession of her grandson, Eric Brauer. Eric and his ex-wife Tami are having the piano restored in Philadelphia by Tom Rudnitsky, owner of Philatuner Piano Works. Once restored, their son Brandon will inherit the piano so that his two-year-old daughter Charlie can learn to play on it.
