Swaddled in blue moving blankets and turned on their sides, the 11 legless Steinway pianos rode belted to the walls of a box truck from Queens to their new home in Lower Manhattan: the practice rooms, rehearsal spaces, and performance venues in NYU’s new John A. Paulson Center at 181 Mercer Street.
These 11 made up the second group of 23 Steinway pianos that were procured for the newly opened building, a $2 million purchase that represents one of the largest deliveries ever for the renowned piano manufacturer. Their arrival is a game-changer for the Steinhardt School’s music program and its students, who will now have access to world-class instruments in the center’s state of the art practice and performance spaces.
The instruments will transform the studies of hundreds of NYU musicians.
“It’s an investment in the future of arts programming at NYU,” said Marilyn Nonken, professor of Music and Music Education, chair of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions and a concert pianist. “It absolutely raises the bar for orchestral music, chamber music, musical theater and solo performers. The presence of these exquisite instruments elevates all of our programs and will benefit our students for years to come.”
The purchase includes two nine-foot concert grand pianos, nine seven-foot models and 12 that measure almost six feet, each weighing between 600 and almost 1,000 pounds. They join another 70 Yamaha uprights in the new building.
