Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Keene State First in NH to Begin Earning All-Steinway Designation

  • 09/19/18

KEENE, NH – Keene State College (KSC) is the first school in New Hampshire to begin a program to earn the designation of All-Steinway School. KSC will join a prestigious list of 185 colleges, universities, and music conservatories worldwide to receive this designation from Steinway & Sons. The four-year program will result in a new inventory of Steinway pianos for the KSC community, and to be enjoyed by Redfern Arts Center patrons as well. This program provides students access to high quality equipment in addition to outstanding music faculty who offer instruction and mentorship.

KSC accepted 18 Steinway pianos that are on loan to the college—the start of Steinway’s Festival Placement Program. These pianos have spent the summer in service to major music festivals, including Tanglewood, Berkshire Choral Festival, and Bowdoin. Students, faculty, and performers booked at the Redfern Arts Center will use the pianos for rehearsals and performances throughout the current academic year.

“This initiative underscores Keene State’s commitment to providing access to high-quality instruction and equipment for our students,” says Associate Professor of Music, Heather Gilligan. “We are a conservatory-level music program that is uniquely situated within the state’s public liberal arts college; this means that we not only deliver a nationally accredited curriculum with top-level faculty, but we also work with over 500 students across campus who take music classes, play in ensembles, and take lessons. The All-Steinway program will assure that students across campus, regardless of their primary area of study, will have access to the best instruments. It’s truly a distinctive honor for the college, and an important resource for our students.”

After this academic year, the Festival Pianos will return to their summer jobs and KSC will purchase four Steinway-built pianos. At the start of the 2020 Academic Year, the college will again “borrow” Festival Pianos—14 this time—committing to more purchases in June 2020. The process will repeat until 2022, at which point the school will have replaced their entire inventory.

Fundraising efforts for the program are underway. The “quiet phase” of a capital campaign will enlist the participation of alumni, community members, and private and corporate foundations. A public celebration for the All-Steinway Initiative is in the planning stages.

Featured

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Porter Family Center

    Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Announces Acquisition of JJCA

    Wold Architects & Engineers, based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently announced that it has acquired JJCA, an architecture firm based in Nashville, Tenn., according to a press release. JJCA specializes in healthcare and education design; the partnership allows both firms to expand their presence across the country while building on existing strengths.