In the corner of the stage in Glidden Recital Hall, an old piano, cracked and worn, is standing on its last leg. The School of Music is looking to replace this old Steinway & Sons grand piano after nearly 100 years of usage.
“It’s from the 1920s, so it’s been played, literally, to death,” said Christopher Fisher, associate professor of piano and chair of keyboard studies.
The School of Music has launched a campaign to raise money to purchase a new Steinway Model D Grand Piano in order to replace one of the two they own, a feat that will cost $145,000. The goal is to raise $100,000, but Christopher Hayes, director of the School of Music, said the more they raise, the smaller the impact on the school.
“At the very least, this is money to help defray the cost and minimize the impact on our programs,” he said. “We have one pot (of money) for all the instruments, so if we spend this much on the piano, then we can’t spend on another instrument.”
Hayes said the new piano would be the best gift to help the greatest number in the school because the piano is not only used by students but also for different types of recitals.
“If I had to define one essential piece of equipment, it’s the Steinway grand,” Fisher said. “These (pianos) touch the lives of every student and faculty in the School of Music.”
Fisher compared the cost of renovating the old Steinway to sinking money into an old car; there’s a point where it makes sense to buy new.
The school is searching to buy a new Steinway & Sons piano in particular because both Fisher and Hayes said Steinway is the leading name in pianos and cannot be compared to other brands, which are oftentimes mass produced unlike Steinway, which is all handcrafted.
“Its touch and tone are really unparalleled,” Fisher said. “Any serious school of music will have a quality Steinway instrument.”
The old piano’s age is affecting the way it performs. The sound vibrates; it’s harder to keep in tune and is more difficult to play, Hayes said.
These problems also affect the other Steinway grand the school owns. The newer piano is only about 15 to 20 years old, but as more people continue to play that one over the older piano, it ages more quickly.
Sarah Welch, a junior studying piano performance, said she is looking forward to the new piano and the opportunities it will present.
“It would be awesome to have both pianos play well,” she said. “Fisher is really involved in duo and duet performances, and that’s something several students are interested in, but it’s difficult to do when you have one good and one bad instrument.”
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