All-Steinway tour de force

Audition Day at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music always brings welcoming words to anxious parents from Dean Susan Van Vorst about the significance of being an All-Steinway institution.

 “More than five years after the conservatory attained this coveted designation, our community still celebrates with the same sense of pride,” she says. “We are lifted up by the Steinway standard of excellence, and this buoyant feeling spills out to the university and our ardent legion of supporters.”

Dean Van Vorst finds that parents can take great comfort in the piano inventory. “Our commitment to provide only the best instruments speaks to a quality investment by the university in their child’s success. When I mention the Steinways, I can see smiles, raised eyebrows and many heads nodding ‘yes’ in approval throughout the audience.”

The Baldwin Wallace community rallied around the All-Steinway campaign, as more than 140 donors brought the conservatory to what she previously hailed as “the Promised Land.”

Remarkably, there was participation from people who never contributed to the university. And university donors with passions in other academic disciplines also aided the effort. “The opportunity to invest in something as hands-on and tangible as new pianos was extremely meaningful to them. It was a pleasure to introduce these ‘newcomer’ donors to the energy and vibrancy of the arts. The best part is; now they are hooked!”

With a robust fleet of nearly 90 Steinway & Sons pianos, an extraordinary piano technician and comprehensive maintenance plan, Dean Van Vorst believes Baldwin Wallace is well-prepared to explore the challenges of a new decade. Not content to rest on laurels, Baldwin Wallace is the Midwest’s first conservatory to embrace Steinway’s latest cloud-based technology. Steinway Piano Gallery of Cleveland recently delivered a new Model B Spirio | r that exhilarates piano faculty and students. “I am most intrigued by the applications we have yet to imagine,” Dean Van Vorst says. “It is easy to envision the implications for teaching, but the manner in which our composers, music theatre students and young entrepreneurs will harness the potential of Spirio | r is exciting.”

The latest acquisition stems from Baldwin Wallace’s participation in a special All-Steinway event hosted by Ted Good and daughter Catherine Good Brulport at SPG Cleveland. “Ted and Catherine are valued partners and resources for the Conservatory family,” Dean Van Vorst says. “Their responsiveness, enthusiasm and professionalism are without equal. And they make it clear that we are valued partners for SPG, so it’s a winning combination.”

SPG invited a select group of All-Steinway students from various disciplines – piano performance, musical theatre, composition – to learn more about Spirio | r from Michael Cabe, senior manager of sales and training initiatives, and Sally Coveleskie, representing Steinway & Sons New York.

“People need to remember why we do what we do,” says Catherine Brulport, vice president of SPG Cleveland. “It’s all about giving students the best possible musical experiences over four very important years of their lives. By investing in Spirio | r, Baldwin Wallace is investing in the future.”