BEREA, OHIO – Audition Day at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music always brings welcoming words to anxious parents from Dean Susan Van Vorst about the significance of being an All-Steinway institution.
“More than four years after the conservatory attained this coveted designation, our community still celebrates with the same sense of pride,” she says. “We are lifted by the Steinway standard of excellence, and this buoyant feeling spills out to the University and our ardent legion of supporters.”
Dean Van Vorst finds that parents can take great comfort in the piano inventory. “Our commitment to provide only the best instruments speaks to a quality investment by the university in their child’s success. When I mention the Steinways, I can see smiles, raised eyebrows and many heads nodding ‘yes’ in approval throughout the audience.”
More than 140 donors rallied during the All-Steinway campaign to bring the Conservatory to what she previously hailed as “the Promised Land.” Remarkably, there was participation from people who never contributed to the university. And BW contributors with passions in other academic disciplines also aided the effort. “They found the opportunity to invest in something as hands-on and tangible as new pianos to be extremely meaningful. It was a pleasure to introduce these initial donors to the energy and vibrancy of the arts.”
With a fleet of nearly 90 Steinway & Sons pianos, an extraordinary piano technician and a comprehensive maintenance plan, Dean Van Vorst is well-prepared to explore the challenges of a new decade. Not content to rest on laurels, BW became the Midwest’s first Conservatory to embrace Steinway’s latest cloud-based technology, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Robert and Ms. Janet Gans Brown ‘66.
Steinway Piano Gallery Cleveland recently delivered a new Model B Spirio | r that exhilarates piano faculty and students. “I am most intrigued by the applications we have yet to imagine,” Dean Van Vorst says. “It is easy to envision the implications for teaching, but just how our composers, music theatre students and young entrepreneurs will harness the potential of Spirio | r is really exciting.”
The acquisition stems from an All-Steinway event hosted by SPG Cleveland Vice President Catherine Brulport and Sally Coveleskie, a consultant for Steinway & Sons New York. They invited a select group of All-Steinway students from several institutions and disciplines to learn more about Spirio | r with Michael Cabe, Steinway’s senior manager of sales and training initiatives.
“More than four years after the conservatory attained this coveted designation, our community celebrates with the same sense of pride. We are lifted by the Steinway standard of excellence, and this buoyant feeling spills out to the university and our ardent legion of supporters.”
The audience clapped throughout the session, listening to every keystroke, pedal and nuance. “When is the last time you heard people applauding a machine?” asks Catherine. “After hearing a selected piece of music, they waited politely then clapped their hands, as if to do so any sooner would insult the pianist.”
Dean Van Vorst values BW’s ongoing partnership with the entire team at SPG Cleveland. “Their responsiveness, enthusiasm and professionalism are without equal, and they make it clear that we are valued partners, so it’s a winning combination.”
With the addition of Spirio | r, BW and SPG Cleveland are shaping the future of music in Northeast Ohio.
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