Stunning Steinways
Three Steinways have joined Concord Academy’s piano fleet in the Centennial Arts Center (C.A.C.). The new Model D in the Recital Hall in the Fields is a full-sized 9-foot concert grand—the first the school has ever owned. “We wanted to give our students access to this caliber of instrument,” says Linda Coyne Lloyd Performing Arts Department Chair Michael Bennett. “Our advanced pianists are always eager to play it.”
Because Steinways are handcrafted, no two are exactly alike. In September, Bennett and Sarah Yeh P’24 ’27, associate head for teaching, learning, and faculty, visited the Steinway & Sons factory in Queens, N.Y. There, they observed the precision that goes into the instruments’ construction, and they tested five pianos. “I thought it was going to be difficult to tell them apart, but each was very different,” Bennett says. Knowing the concert grand would be needed for solo recitals, chamber music, and chorus accompaniment in CA’s medium-sized hall, he adds, “we went with an instrument that had the clarity and projection necessary, while still being able to create more intimate tone colors.”
Two generous CA families also donated pre-owned Steinways. A Model B classic grand piano was moved into the Hammett Ory Theater when the C.A.C. was completed in spring 2025. It was in use throughout the year for orchestra and chorus rehearsals and performances, the mainstage musical, and Music Café. In September, a Model O, a living room grand with a custom macassar ebony finish, part of Steinway’s “Crown Jewel” collection, arrived from Singapore, a gift from Jaehee Koo and Tong Buhm Tommy Kim P’26. It’s now used regularly in the Jasmine Music Practice Room for piano lessons and chamber music.
At the end of its first year, the C.A.C. is home to all-new pianos: seven grands, four uprights, two digitals, and a keyboard lab. “Students now have reliable access to new, fully functional, and pedagogically appropriate instruments,” Bennett says.
