Steinway White House Pianos Pay Tribute to America

In a continuing celebration of its 156-year history, Steinway & Sons commemorates the Steinway piano as a cornerstone of American music and culture. Since 1853, Steinway pianos have captured hearts and inspired generations of Americans, from New York’s Tin Pan Alley, to the stages of legendary jazz clubs and renowned concert halls to Hollywood studios and countless family living rooms in between. Two instruments in particular are notable for their place in American history — the White House grand pianos of 1903 and 1938.

“We’ve always known that Steinway & Sons is a great American original,” said Todd Sanders, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Steinway & Sons. “By producing the finest handcrafted instruments available, our factory in Queens has contributed to a significant part of American culture for more than 156 years. Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Billy Joel, among many other legendary composers and performers, have all drawn their inspiration from the Steinway piano. We’re proud to take a moment to consider how important our company has been in our nation’s history. The White House pianos are also a great reminder of this.”

In 1903, to celebrate the creation of the company’s 100,000th piano – and the 50th anniversary of the firm’s founding – Steinway & Sons offered to transform its standard concert grand piano into an artwork suitable for use in the East Room of the White House. The “Gold Grand” was presented to the White House, and President Theodore Roosevelt accepted the $18,000 Steinway “on behalf of the nation.” The piano served through the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt; it was then donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

The second White House piano was built and presented to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 to commemorate the production of Steinway’s 300,000th piano. The new piano, designed by New York architect Eric Gugler, was more than nine feet long, with a case of Honduran mahogany and gold leaf by artist Dunbar Beck. Last renovated in 1992 during the administration of George H. W. Bush, the piano remains today in the East Room of the White House.

“Steinway & Sons pianos have always had a significant place in American popular culture,” said Dr. Richard K. Lieberman, Director of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, which houses the Steinway collection. “From references to Steinway in the lyrics of Irving Berlin to the enormous celebration of Steinway’s centennial put on by Ed Sullivan in 1953, the company and the pianos it produces have captured the American spirit. The White House pianos are just one example of how important these pianos have been to America.”

Popularity: 6% [?]

Steinway announces Q1 2009 results

Finances are pretty boring (to me, at least) so I’ll keep this brief.

Piano manufacturer Steinway has announced its 2009 first quarter financial results.

Sales dropped 26% to $70m, gross margin decreased to 26.6% from 29.1%, and the company had a net income of $1 million, down 49%.

Steinway’s CEO, Dana Messina, noted, “In the second quarter, we anticipate continued softness in band instrument sales. We expect our back-to-school season in the third quarter to be better and are building inventories to meet the expected customer demand. Our new products are gaining traction in the marketplace; we are excited about their prospects and expect them to do well for us beginning in 2010.”

“Piano sales have been dismal as dealers struggle with low traffic, a general lack of affordable financing and excess inventories,” said Messina. “We expect continued soft sales during the next few quarters until dealers gain more confidence that consumer demand is improving. Given the conditions, we have further reduced factory headcount, lowered production rates and reduced production days at both of our piano plants. We have aggressively reduced staff headcount and salaries to keep our expenses in line with sales. Looking forward, we believe that we can adapt to this new expense structure and increase profitability as demand recovers.”

Popularity: 5% [?]

M-Audio DCP-300 digital console piano now available from Avid

The latest in the M-Audio line of digital console pianos has arrived, with Avid’s announcement of the DCP-300.

Main features include:

• Sixteen premium sounds including Steinway Model D concert grand piano plus two vintage electric pianos, FM electric piano, clav, harpsichord, church organ, rock organ, strings, upright bass, electric bass, vibes, choir, fantasia, warm synth pad;
• 64-note polyphony;
• 40-watt stereo speaker system;
• 88-note TruTouch II graded hammer action keyboard
• Three pedals, including sostenuto;
• Built-in USB MIDI;
• Audio inputs;
• built-in 2-track recording with 28,000-note memory;
• layer / split modes;
• reverb / chorus effects;
• Included Session and Sibelius First software;
• two elegant finish options: dark wood-grain and rich walnut.

Available now with a recommended retail price of $1,375.95.

Product page

Popularity: 7% [?]

Sante Auriti to demonstrate Steinway casemaking in New York City

For a fortnight from today, renowned Steinway & Sons casemaker and craftsman will be moving his workspace to the front window of the Steinway Hall in New York City for a unique exhibition of Steinway craftsmanship.

Though each handmade Steinway piano takes a year to complete, this demonstration will show Sante fitting the braces, fitting and gluing the case mouldings, rough carving the bottom edge of the rim and fitting the legs of a new Steinway Louis XV (Model 501A) grand piano.

“The mission of Steinway & Sons founder Henry E. Steinway was to build the best piano possible,” said Dan Miceli, Senior Director of Retail Sales for Steinway & Sons. “We have always been committed to maintaining the talent, diligence and tradition of expert workmanship unique to the Steinway family of piano builders, and having Sante showcase his craft will be an exciting and fascinating exhibition.”

Auriti, a native of Italy, emigrated to the United States in 1979 and started his career with Steinway & Sons. During his illustrious 30-year career he has worked at Steinway as machine operator and soundboard specialist, but his current position of casemaker charges him with the responsibility of crafting one of Steinway’s most exclusive and beautiful pianos. Auriti’s career has been documented in many national and international reviews.

“One of the most fascinating things about Steinway pianos is the process through which they are created,” said Todd Sanders, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Steinway & Sons. “This is a rare glimpse behind the curtain to see that artistry in action. Sante’s hands are pure magic. I’m so glad we’re going to share this experience with the community.”

Steinway

Popularity: 1% [?]

Sponsored Review: Lindeblad Piano Restoration

This is a review of the web site and services of the Lindeblad Piano Restoration company. It should be noted that I have not used their services personally, so my opinion is based upon the professionalism and attention to detail as portrayed on the web site.

The Lindeblad Piano Restoration company has been restoring quality acoustic pianos since 1920, and prides itself on using only the finest materials in order to restore an instrument to its former glory.

The company is wise enough to point out that not all pianos are worthy of restoration, and only the likes of Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Knabe, Chickering, Baldwin, or Sohmer are likely to be able to withstand restoration.

There’s an excellent video on the site which walks you through the meticulous process of restoring a Mason & Hamlin grand piano. It really does show what’s involved in the labour of love that is restoration.

It takes about three or four months to restore a piano, including transportation times, and a replacement piano can be supplied by the company while another is being restored. Alternatively, new customers can approach Lindeblad to find them a restored piano.

If you’re in the market for a restored piano and are looking for a company that cares about the instrument, Lindeblad may be worth considering.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Steinway expects 10% growth in piano sales for FY2007

Preliminary results suggest that Steinway could see a ten per cent growth in the sale of its (legendary) pianos for its 2007 financial year.

Sales to Europe and Asia grew by 23%, while in the US it was a modest 3%.

It was high-end pianos which saw the biggest falls in sale, but the Boston and Essex pianos leapt 36%.

(Via WPRI)

Popularity: 3% [?]