Spoleto Festival USA to introduce new Steinway & Sons Hamburg grand piano
April 4, 2017
Inaugural concert to take place May 16 at 6:00pm at 14 George Street
After an extraordinary 28 years, Spoleto Festival USA will be retiring its current Steinway & Sons grand piano. Its replacement, a Hamburg Steinway “Model D,” was purchased earlier this month from the Steinway factory and showroom in Hamburg, Germany. The new piano flew directly from Hamburg to Charleston, where it cleared customs and arrived at Festival offices on Monday, April 3. To celebrate this momentous occasion, an inaugural recital will take place on Tuesday, May 16, at 6:00pm in Spoleto Festival USA’s Gallery (14 George St., 2nd fl.). Distinguished pianist Pedja Muzijevic (who will again be performing during the 2017 Festival) and Bank of America Chamber Music series director Geoff Nuttall will play a short program, and a Krug Champagne reception will follow. The invitation-only event will thank the Festival’s many generous donors whose outstanding contributions made the purchase of a new piano possible.
To select the instrument, Festival General Director Nigel Redden and distinguished pianist Pedja Muzijevic accompanied David Vail of Steinway Piano Gallery Charleston to Hamburg. A day-long selection process involved hours of playing excerpts from a diverse repertoire on nine available instruments. Muzijevic describes it this way: “The biggest factor was looking at each of the piano’s range. During the Festival, it has to accommodate such a varied repertoire—from 18th- to 21st-century music to romantic pieces and more. The current piano has done that beautifully for the last 28 years, but it had started to show age, wear, and tear. The new instrument will take on a life of its own.”
The Festival’s previous Steinway was gifted in 1988 by NCNB, now Bank of America, through Spoleto Festival USA Chairmen Emeriti Joel Smith and Carlos Evans. Renowned French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet selected the instrument in Hamburg and played a dedication concert during the 1989 Festival. Over the years, the instrument has been played by music luminaries including Philip Glass, Charles Wadsworth, Peter Serkin, and Jeremy Denk. Its music has echoed through the Dock Street Theatre in more than 900 chamber music concerts during the Festival, and, in the off-season, the piano has also provided organizations such as Chamber Music Charleston and Charleston Academy of Music an instrument for concerts held in the Spoleto Festival USA Gallery. The Festival is arranging a new home for the piano; details will follow.
For 17 days and nights each spring, Spoleto Festival USA fills Charleston, South Carolina’s historic theaters, churches, and outdoor spaces with performances by renowned artists as well as emerging performers in dance, music, opera, and theater. The Festival’s 41st season takes place May 26 to June 11. The full 2017 program, including more than 160 ticketed events, can be found at spoletousa.org.
The public can purchase Spoleto Festival USA tickets by visiting spoletousa.org anytime, or by calling the Festival box office at 843.579.3100 from 10:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Saturday. Additionally, tickets will be available at a box office within the Charleston Gaillard Center (95 Calhoun St.) beginning May 1: Monday through Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pmand Sunday, June 11, from 9:00am to 2:00pm.
