Eastern Michigan University hopes to hit the right chord
with donors as it kicks off the university's All-Steinway
School Initiative, a $2-million campaign that eventually
will put a Steinway piano in every major concert venue
on campus and in EMU's music classrooms, practice rooms
and teaching studios.
"The prestige of the All-Steinway School designation will
garner a great deal of national and international recognition
for the institution as a whole," said David O. Woike, head
of EMU's Department of Music and Dance.
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SCHOENHALS ON STEINWAY: Eastern
Michigan
University faculty pianist Joel
Schoenhals sits
at the Steinway
Rhapsody piano while Paul Lehman,
EMU's piano technician, looks on.
Schoenhals performed
in concert Sept.
14 to kick off the All-Steinway
School
Initiative, a $2 million campaign. |
To kick off the initiative, the department hosted a free
concert as part of the Steinway & Sons Legendary Pianos
Tour Sept. 14 at EMU's Pease Auditorium.
During the concert, EMU faculty pianist Joel Schoenhals
performed for the first time as a Steinway Artist, a designation
awarded for outstanding musical performance achievement.
He performed works by Beethoven, Liszt, Debussy, Schubert
and American composer George Gershwin.
Schoenhals performed on three legendary Steinway pianos:
Vladimir Horowitz's concert grand, crafted in the early
1940's, which accompanied him on his historic 1986 Russian
tour and was played by him on his final album, "Horowitz,
The Last Recording"; a concert grand owned by Van Cliburn;
and a brilliant blue 7-foot Rhapsody artcase piano designed
in American art-deco style by acclaimed furniture designer
Frank Pollaro. The Rhapsody was designed to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of American composer George Gershwin's
birth.
Guests were invited to come on stage following the performance
to view the piano.
Founded in 1853, Steinway & Sons is known for its
superior workmanship and revolutionary designs. The firm,
which is based in New York, crafts approximately 5,000
pianos a year worldwide.
For more information about the campaign, contact Jill
Hunsberger, director of development in the College of Arts
and Sciences, at 487-0277, or jill.hunsberger@emich.edu.
