All-Steinway Designation

Upon the opening of the Darcy Rice Center for the Arts in August 2012, St. Margaret’s received the prestigious distinction as an All-Steinway School from Steinway & Sons, builders of the finest pianos in the world.

 

According to Steinway & Sons, to earn the distinction of an All-Steinway School, an institution must demonstrate a commitment to excellence by providing its students and faculties with the best equipment possible for the study of music. All pianos owned by All-Steinway Schools, from the practice room to the recital hall, are designed by Steinway & Sons.

 

Each Steinway-designed piano in the Darcy Rice Center for the Arts was new and delivered when the center opened in August 2012. Among St. Margaret’s collection is a Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano for the Marcus D. Hurlbut Theater, three Steinway-designed 5’ 10” Performance Edition Boston Grand Pianos that outfit the Choir Room and Concert Band Room and the Orchestra Room. Additionally, there is a new Performance Edition Institutional upright Boston Piano in each of the Performing Arts Center’s 11 practice rooms.

 

When presenting St. Margaret’s the distinction, President of Steinway & Sons Ron Losby said, “It truly is my honor to be here and after what I have just seen briefly walking through this extraordinary facility, I am humbled by having our name attached to such a beautiful school. This is an extraordinary place."

“What does it mean to become an All-Steinway school? Well there is a technical definition, and that is merely purchasing some or our fine instruments. But, it is far deeper than that. It is a commitment to seeing excellence at every facet of the student experience. And that extends well beyond the music department. For all of us who are not students here, this is our future. Education is one of the very few opportunities where we have the ability to craft the future we see. Education is all about inspiration, creativity and providing the tools that will inspire the next president, the nuclear scientist, the next Steve Jobs.

 

“I must say that the experience that one will receive here at St. Margaret’s will be an extraordinary life-changing experience that will lead us to a community that is far more benevolent and beneficial for many, many years to come. So, I applaud all of you who have made this very special school possible.”

Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street. Over the next thirty years, Henry and his sons, C. F. Theodore, Charles, Henry Jr., William, and Albert, developed the modern piano. They built their pianos one at a time, applying skills that were handed down from master to apprentice, generation after generation. Today, Steinway still builds pianos that way. Each Steinway grand piano, for example, takes nearly a year to create. Nothing is hurried. Even the carefully selected woods employed in the rims, tops, soundboards, and actions cure for months in its yard, kilns and conditioning rooms, until they stabilize at a rigidly specified moisture content. Steinway is dedicated to the ideal of making the finest pianos in the world. The result is instruments renowned for their unsurpassed quality. Pianos with such superior sound and responsive touch that they enchant the most demanding pianists. Steinway pianos are preferred overwhelmingly by people who share the joy of playing and owning the finest musical instrument.

 

To view the list of All-Steinway Schools, please click here.