The dawn of a new Colorado Symphony season brings with it a magnificent on-stage addition to Boettcher Concert Hall in the form of a brand-new concert grand piano. This exquisite instrument, crafted by one of the world’s premier piano manufacturers, promises to elevate the performance experience for audiences in Denver for decades to come.
The acquisition represents an important milestone for the Colorado Symphony, marking a commitment to artistic excellence and a dedication to providing audiences with an unparalleled auditory experience. Sourced from Steinway & Sons, renowned for their superior craftsmanship and tonal quality, the piano is the result of meticulous craftsmanship and customization.
“This piano is not just an instrument; it’s a work of art,” said Peter Oundjian, Principal Conductor of the Colorado Symphony. “It will enable our musicians and visiting guest artists to explore greater depths of expression and deliver live performances that resonate even more deeply with our audiences.”
“This piano is not just an instrument; it’s a work of art.”
Peter Oundjian, Principal Conductor
While pianos in our homes can last for generations, the sheer volume of use on concert instruments means they usually need to be replaced every 20 years, and the symphony’s existing piano was at the end of its distinguished career.
The journey to acquiring the new grand piano began months ago. The symphony’s selection team, including Oundjian and Chief Artistic Officer Anthony Pierce as well as donor Phil Beaver embarked on a visit to the Steinway factory in Queens, N.Y.
Founded in 1853, Steinway & Sons has two factories, with the other residing in Hamburg, Germany. Their pianos are regarded as the finest in the world with their nine-foot Model D as the industry standard in classical music, powerful enough to soar above an orchestra without any amplification. Model D’s can be found in more than 90 percent of concert halls worldwide. Meticulously built by hand, each piano has a unique voice, and finding one that complements a particular hall can be tricky.
In the Steinway & Sons factory, you can see the incredible precision with which the soundboard is chiseled from a single piece of Alaskan spruce. The cast iron frames that hold the enormous tension of all the strings are manufactured in a foundry in Ohio owned by Steinway, before being shipped to New York and Hamburg to be fitted into each piano’s wooden casing. Technicians “voice” the completed piano by either softening or hardening the felt hammers that hit the strings with a variety of implements including pins and lacquer. The sheer skill of the workmanship is breathtaking to behold.
Oundjian took part in a preliminary visit to the factory, testing four instruments and selecting one that possessed an unbelievably big and bright sound. Based on that selection, Steinway & Sons prepared three other instruments with similar attributes for the full symphony contingent to choose from. Upon their visit, the symphony’s representatives were shown into a gleaming showroom with four Model Ds lined up beside each other. It’s customary to have a concert pianist join you at this point to help choose and the Colorado Symphony was fortunate enough to have Natasha Paremski to assist in the process. Legendary Cuban American pianist Horacio Gutiérrez also happened to be at the factory at the same time, and thanks to a longstanding relationship with Oundjian that began with a performance with the Colorado Symphony, he graciously agreed to lend his expertise to the selection process.
Both artists played each of the pianos, commenting on the strengths and weaknesses in each, while also providing an extra set of ears while the other played. One piano had a spectacularly powerful bass, but the higher strings didn’t seem to sustain enough. Another had a wonderfully warm tone, but there were worries it wouldn’t carry across the orchestra in cavernous Boettcher Concert Hall. Another was incredibly bright and powerful but lacked subtlety and character.
The group quickly came to a consensus that one piano was special. In the relatively small showroom, they could feel its resonant bass notes through their feet, its treble notes seemed to sing forever and the middle range was powerful but also beautiful, with a special personality that intrigued everyone in attendance. Gutiérrez and Paremski played snippets of Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev and after some discussion, all agreed that this was the right instrument for Denver.
“We were looking for a piano that would complement our orchestra’s sound and enhance the acoustics of Boettcher Concert Hall. This instrument surpassed all our expectations.”
Peter Oundjian, Principal Conductor
“Our selection process was rigorous,” explained Oundjian. “We were looking for a piano that would complement our orchestra’s sound and enhance the acoustics of Boettcher Concert Hall. This instrument surpassed all our expectations.”
Boettcher Concert Hall, with its unique design and wraparound seating, presents unique acoustical challenges compared to a traditional “shoebox” theater. Making the perfect selection for this hall required an instrument where every note played could be heard with clarity and precision, creating an immersive experience for concertgoers.
For the Colorado Symphony, the acquisition of this new grand piano is more than just a purchase; it’s a symbol of artistic growth and ambition for the future. It represents the Symphony’s ongoing efforts to attract top talent, both in terms of musicians and guest artists, and to expand its repertoire and outreach in the community.
“This piano is a testament to our commitment to artistic excellence,” said Mark Cantrell, President & CEO of the Colorado Symphony. “It’s an investment in our future and in the cultural vitality of our community. We can’t wait for our audiences to experience the magic this piano will bring to our performances.”
“This is a momentous occasion for us,” added Oundjian. “We are thrilled to share this extraordinary instrument with our audiences and to explore the new dimensions of performance it will unveil. It’s a new chapter in our history and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.”
The Colorado Symphony is indebted to Phil Beaver for his generosity in funding the purchase of the new Steinway. Beaver, a professor at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Dener since 2010, has been a longtime supporter of the Colorado Symphony. He served in the Army from 1983 to 2008, where he was a professor of applied mathematics at the U.S. Military Academy for 6 years, and a senior analyst on the Army and Joint staffs.
“It was such a thrill to get to take part in the selection process with Peter and Tony,” Beaver said. “Natasha [Paremski] described this piano as a ‘unicorn,’ and I have to agree — it’s the finest instrument I’ve ever played.”
You can hear this remarkable new instrument six times this season featuring a world-class roster of soloists including Yuja Wang. The piano’s debut takes place during opening weekend, September 13-15, 2024, with the renowned Jean-Yves Thibaudet performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F.
2024/25 Piano Concerts:
Gershwin Concerto in F
feat. Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
feat. Simon Trpčeski
Stravinsky & Tchaikovsky
feat. Yuja Wang
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20
feat. Yeol Eum Son
Greig Piano Concerto in A minor
feat. Stephen Hough
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
feat. Gabriela Montero