Piano Campaign

In 2016 the School of Music kicked off its Piano Campaign, a multi-year effort with the goal of purchasing 20 new pianos for the Carnegie Mellon School of Music.

The School of Music hosts hundreds of public performances each year, ranging from student recitals to performances by distinguished international artists. These artists, our faculty, and certainly our students deserve to work with the best pianos in the world.

Since its inception, and due to the generosity of some remarkable people, the Piano Campaign has seen some marvelous successes. For example, the stable of performance pianos now in Kresge Theater include three new Steinway Model “D” concert grand pianos, each among the best in the world. The first was a gift to kick off the Piano Campaign, a New York Steinway concert grand, the gift of Robert and Susan Summer. This was followed by another New York instrument from CMU alumni Michael and Lonna Smith, and then one from Hamburg, Germany, made possible through the generosity of James Rohr, the Chairman of the Carnegie Mellon Board of Trustees. This gives us a collection of performance instruments second to none.

But it is not just new pianos that can help us. Well-maintained used pianos can also help our students. Along these lines, I hope you will take a moment to read about a remarkable commitment by one of our most distinguished and loyal alumni, Henry Spinelli.

Whether it’s a used or new piano, or a financial gift, I hope you will consider helping the Piano Campaign along towards its goal. In so doing you will be helping brilliant young musicians develop and share their musical artistry with the world.

Thank you for your generosity and consideration.

Sincerely,

Denis Colwell
Jack G. Buncher Head of the School of Music
Carnegie Mellon University