State-of-the-art acoustic and digital pianos used by West Virginia University music students and faculty during the 2005-06 academic year will be sold March 16-18 at the Creative Arts Center .

The pianos will be shown by appointment only on Thursday and Friday, March 16-17, and they will be available for public viewing from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 18.

According to Dave Bess, chair of the WVU Division of Music, the College of Creative Arts has an agreement with the Kawai Piano Co. and their authorized area representative, Keyboard World, to borrow brand new, high-quality Kawai pianos for a one-year period.

Since the WVU Division of Music does not own enough keyboard instruments to accommodate the needs of faculty and students, the Kawai loaner program is critical to the division’s educational mission,he said.

Each year, as the pianos come off loan, they are made available to friends of the division at a fraction of the manufacturer’s retail price,Bess added.The pianos have been carefully maintained by WVU Division of Music piano technician Tim Richards. Although they have been on loan for the academic year, they will be sold as new with full manufacturer’s warranty.

To enhance the selection, new and used pianos from manufacturers such as Baldwin, Kohler&Campbell, Roland, Pearl River and Suzuki are also made available to friends of the division for purchase. The selection includes concert, full-size and baby grands, players, professional studio pianos, decorator consoles and studios, and digital pianos.

Each purchase strengthens the Division of Music’s ability to maintain the Kawai loaner program, thus ensuring that the division has the number of pianos required to meet the educational needs of students and the instructional needs of the faculty,Bess said.

For more information or to make an appointment to view the pianos, call 1-800-923-1023.