A grand piano was delivered to the main lobby of the Creative Arts Center last week, and West Virginia University music students can’t wait to get their hands on it.

The gift of WVU Physics Professor Arthur Weldon and his wife, Barbara Weldon, the instrument has the distinction of being the first piano to be purchased for the WVU School of Music since the College of Creative Arts announced last spring that it would become an All-Steinway school.

The new Steinway will soon have a brass plaque on the side honoring Barbara Weldon. It was presented by the Weldons with the specification that it be used exclusively for piano students for practice. Therefore, it will be housed in Room 104, a practice room in the lower level of the CAC.

“This generous gift to the School of Music will help current and future students reach their potential as artists,” said Keith Jackson, director of the WVU School of Music. “The hours spent practicing are so valuable for their development, and now they can spend these countless hours with the quality of instrument they need.”

WVU is joining approximately 120 other major universities across the country and throughout the world that use Steinway pianos exclusively.

The All-Steinway designation will also allow the college to partner with more than 1,500 Steinway Artists worldwide, enhancing master classes and performances at WVU and providing performance opportunities at Steinway Hall in New York and at Steinway events worldwide.

Currently, All-Steinway schools include Oberlin, Yale, The Juilliard School, the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and many others.

A recent inventory showed that 70 percent of the pianos at the CAC are at least 30 years old. Therefore, the college is committed to raising $4 million to purchase more than 65 new Steinway pianos.

The initiative, titled “All Keyed Up,” is sponsored through the WVU Foundation private non-profit corporation that generates and provides support for WVU—in conjunction with Steinway & Sons in New York and their regional local representative.

As part of this program, donors may contribute to the purchase of Steinway pianos for the college, beginning at the $1,000 level. A portion of every gift is also set aside for the maintenance and ongoing care of the pianos.

Donors who give $100,000 or more will be named as honorary members of the Steinway Living Legacy Society and will be invited to exclusive Steinway events at WVU and at Steinway & Sons in New York.

Steinway pianos are the standard for concert stages worldwide, with 98 percent of performing artists choosing to play Steinway exclusively. The construction and design of Steinway pianos, when maintained in best performance condition, give them a distinct musical capacity.

“The students can’t wait to get their hands on the new Steinway,” Jackson said. “Due to the end-of-semester events being held in the building, we will not move the new piano downstairs for a few more days. In the meantime, students, faculty and the public have a chance to see the new piano up close when they visit the Creative Arts Center.”

For more information about how to make a gift in support of “All Keyed Up,” please contact Glenn Rosswurm, Director of Development for the College of Creative Arts, at (304) 293-4331 or Glenn.Rosswurm@mail.wvu.edu.

For more information on the Steinway pianos, see the Steinway & Sons website at www.steinway.com.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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