Logo on the web shop STL
STL Ocarina is a store and music school based in St. Louis, Missouri.
History[]
Founders, Dr. Dennis Yeh and Laura Yeh.
St. Louis Ocarina "STL" was founded in 2005 by members of the St. Louis School of Music to raise awareness about the benefits of the ocarina wind instrument and make them accessible to a wider audience. Founders, Dr. Dennis Yeh and Laura Yeh. Dr. Yeh is an accomplished violinist who has received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He has performed as a soloist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and throughout the United States. In addition to his performing career, he has also taught violin at various skill levels, from beginners through advanced college level students. Dr. Yeh enjoys sharing his love of music with his students, and believes it is important to allow each student to find his or her own methods of expression. With the accessibility of the ocarina, he hopes to share his enthusiasm with a wider audience, allowing more people to appreciate the benefits of musical education.
Products[]
STL sells a variety of ocarina types including pendants, transverse(sweet potato), and multichambered ocarinas. They also sell some specialty ocarina types such as the Teacup Ocarina. STL has a contract with Taiwanese ocarina manufacturer TNG to distribute TNG and WPN ocarinas in North America. For many first time ocarina buyers, STL's plastics are highly suggested for those who are first picking up the instrument. Not only for its durability for parent's worried about their children holding fragile instruments, but for the pricing and variety. STL offers both plastic pendants, but also plastic transverse, which they have both a tenor range and soprano. (Though it must be noted that their tenor range, A4-F6, is known as alto range to many other companies. Bear this in mind when shopping between companies!) The plastic is ideal for those who don't know whether or not they will continue the passion of the ocarina as they are not that expensive. Little will be lost if this hobby is dropped here. Among their ceramic and plastics, STL also sports holding the purple clay made ocarinas. Purple Clay is a material found in the Eastern hemisphere and, while used to create ocarinas, has been known to help centralize the tone of music played and has been reccomended as high quality. Though as a warning, the price jump of Purple Clay ocarinas are very noticable and considered for profesionals, as categorized by STL's product pages.
Distinction[]
STL's dedication to their ocarina making shows itself with it's products. They make many ocarinas that are gorgeous and well made. Their ocarinas put their company in the spotlight over other companies like songbird who also is in the ocarina field. But what STL has over other companies is experience, beautiful products, and long lasting satisfaction with a hint of music.