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