Friends of the Steinway aim to continue a grand arts legacy for Wangaratta

A new interest group has been established to help ensure the preservation of Wangaratta's Steinway Grand Piano, and to ensure the precious instrument can continue to entertain the local community for a long time to come. The Steinway Interest Group - Friends of the Steinway was formed by the Goulburn and North East Arts Alliance (GANEAA) in the wake of the closure of the Wangaratta Arts Council, who had purchased the Steinway as part of a community-generated joint initiative with the Rural City of Wangaratta in 1963. The group recently made a submission to the Rural City of Wangaratta to seek funding to continue the work of the Wangaratta Arts Council and secure the legacy of the Steinway for the future. GANEAA member David Godkin said the Steinway Grand Piano has been part of the community for 63 years. He said over that time it has been played by national and international piano luminaries, from David Helfgott, Winifred Attwell and Jeffrey Tozer, to local artists, teachers and music students. "It is part of the cultural fabric of Wangaratta and a real community asset," he said. "The Steinway on Stage concerts were an initiative of Margaret Brickhill and the Wangaratta Art Council which began over 10 years ago, with the aim of showcasing the talents of local and regional artists, and we wanted them to continue." The Steinway on Stage concerts are unique in that they involve audience members sitting around the piano, on stage in the Alpine MDF Theatre, rather than at a distance in theatre seats. It allowed them to better appreciate the talent of the pianist and the quality of the handcrafted Steinway Grand Piano, which is considered the "gold standard" by concert pianists around the world. But even a precision instrument like the Steinway ages, requires ongoing maintenance and refurbishments, and while it may last for many more years, it will not last forever. It's why a sub-committee of GANEAA called the Steinway Interest Group was formed, which currently has five members who share an understanding and appreciation for the grand piano. Among them is local pianist and piano tuner, Mark Bolsius, who has been instrumental in finding musicians to play the piano for the upcoming concert series. After a hiatus last year, Mr Bolsius will introduce the first in a new series of Steinway on Stage concerts for 2026, when Wangaratta piano tutor Celeste Cari plays on Wednesday, 25 February. Steinway Interest Group member Cassanda Pollock said GANEAA and the Wangaratta Arts Council had been "sister" arts organisations, with members attending many of each other's events. She said when the Wangaratta Arts Council folded after many years, GANEAA wanted to step in to support those particularly significant events which the arts council had offered. "The Steinway on Stage series was something unique to the arts culture of Wangaratta and representative of the special contribution Wangaratta Arts Council had made," she said. "We saw the concert series as one of those events we could find some life in going forward. "GANEAA decided to present our thoughts to council as part of our regular meetings and put forward a case highlighting its cultural significance, and our desire to see the program of concerts continue on." Ms Pollock said instruments with the prestige and complexity of the Steinway need care over their lifetimes and significant investment in the piano had already been made. She said as a new group, they have an eye on what might be necessary in the future, including the possibility of renewing the commitment to have an instrument of this excellence in Wangaratta. "The long-term thinking of the group is that we may need to purchase a new instrument in the future," she said. "In the short term, we want to bring life to the connection between the community and the instrument - and the best concept to enable that to happen is the intimate concert series. "We were already keen to see this concert series continuing, but looking to the future, a city the size of Wangaratta needs to have an instrument of this calibre." Ms Pollock said the intimate twilight concerts make the physical effort and skill of the pianist and the quality of the instrument tangible, which the audience may not fully appreciate from a distance. The group will also put a call out to the community to come and renew their own connection to the piano and show their support for an ongoing concert series. Ms Pollock said the popularity of the television series The Piano, showed there was an appetite for experiencing new talent in an age-old format, gathered around the piano. She said the Steinway on Stage concerts were intentionally held early (at 6pm) and with a modest ticket price, to make them more accessible to all. It's hoped enthusiastic audience members attending the first concert may be willing to provide contact details and become associates of the Friends group, receiving updates on future concerts and any plans they have for the piano, while also gaining a greater understanding of the instrument. Wangaratta pianist Celeste Cari will open the Steinway on Stage series for 2026 with a recital entitled Sunshine and Moonlight on Wednesday, 25 February at 6pm, and tickets are available at wpacc.com.au.

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