Steinway Artists...et moi

LEON BATES

I was going through some old files recently and found a 2009 photo of Steinway artist Leon Bates posing with one of my students and her brother. Bates had come to town to do an all-Gershwin concert at Hollins University with soprano Judith Cline, and we had the pleasure of visiting with him after the show. What a nice man and PHENOMENAL pianist!

2009: Steinway artist Leon Bates
with students from The Piano School

The afternoon before his concert, he held an open rehearsal, which meant that people in the community could sit in the hall and watch him practice. Three of my students and I took advantage of this opportunity, and what a thrill it was! We were treated to his entire program, PLUS, he took requests from my students afterward and talked to them about the pieces they were currently studying. Unforgettable.

Before I drop any more names of famous pianists, perhaps I should explain what a "Steinway Artist" is. Here is a description from the Steinway website:

For decades Steinway and Sons has cultivated special relationships with pianists from every genre. From classical pianists like Lang Lang, to jazz stars like Diana Krall, to pop icons like Billy Joel, to "immortals" like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, [Josef Hofmann], and Arthur Rubinstein -- more than 1,600 artists make the Steinway their own.

I added Josef Hofmann to the mention of "immortals," because he's my personal favorite from the list, and I am privileged to have his autograph inside the 1940 Steinway Model S which was passed down to me from my grandfather and mother. From time to time, my students get a kick out of sticking their heads under the piano lid and spotting the signature with a flashlight. Steinway artists are, in a word, FABULOUS. As their designation implies, they perform only on Steinway pianos, and the company makes sure they have a top-notch instrument delivered to every concert venue. In some cases, they supply practice instruments for the artists as well.

THE 5 BROWNS

So back to my story. In 2007, The 5 Browns gave a concert in Greensboro, North Carolina. A colleague and I made a road trip of it and were treated to a fun and impressive program that included a Q&A during intermission. Being the fan that I am, I waited in line to have my picture taken with these talented siblings after the show.

2007: The 5 Browns...et moi
Greensboro, North Carolina

BARBARA NISSMAN

Sometimes Steinway artists come from surprising places. For example, Barbara Nissman lives on a farm in West Virginia. She was the featured artist at the Virginia Music Teachers Association annual conference in 2010 at James Madison University. I had a seat very close to the stage and could not believe the power that emanated from this woman. She played a Prokofiev sonata with such force that the piano (a Steinway, of course), had to be retuned before the program could continue. This isn't a great picture, but it shows how close my vantage point was.

2010: Steinway Artist Barbara Nissman
performing at James Madison University 

The piano had to be retuned after
Nissman wore it out with her
Prokofiev Sonata

After the concert, Nissman autographed programs
and charmed her admirers at the VMTA State Conference

NING AN

2011: Steinway Artist Ning An...et moi

Ning An visiting with some of my students
after his recital at Hollins University

In 2011, Ning An did a workshop for piano teachers and a subsequent concert as the guest for the Galbraith Teachers Workshop at Hollins University. This man is amazing. His program was beyond impressive, and the house was full. Overflow seating was supplied onstage, and one of my students eagerly volunteered to take one of those chairs! His Haydn Sonata (number 50) was so beautiful that another of my students said it "changed his life."

JOSEF HOFMANN

Let's finish this tour of Steinway Artists with a little nod to Josef Hofmann, the pianist whose autograph is inside my Steinway. Nowadays, the only people who have heard of Josef Hofmann are probably musicians themselves, but in his heyday, he was a force to be reckoned with. Many people don't know that he and Rachmaninoff were close friends and that Rachmaninoff dedicated his third piano concerto to Hofmann. He was a concert artist, a piano teacher, and also an inventor. His patents are numerous, and one of his most successful inventions was the pneumatic shock absorber for cars and airplanes.

Steinway "Immortal" Josef Hofmann (1876-1957)

He was a legendary wunderkind who gave concerts at the age of eleven. That was a big controversy which deserves its own article, so I'll just leave it at that for now.

Young Josef Hofmann,
the wunderkind

Of course, I never met Josef Hofmann. He passed away 9 years before I was born. I feel like I know him better than most people my age, though, because I've done extensive research on his life and career. I like to "put him out there" for people to meet. :)

Steinway Artists...et moi - it would be a nice title for a book, don't you think?