Community Music School Adds 5 Steinway Pianos

Thanks to the generosity of Arden and Harry Fisher, the Community Music School of Webster University was able to purchase five new Steinway pianos including a Steinway D and four Steinway O's.

The Steinway D (pictured), dubbed "Sweet Dee" in honor of our long-time piano tuner Dee Schaeffer, will take the place of "Dolly" in the CMS Concert Hall. The Steinway O's are located in Room 210 and 211 at the CMS Center, Room 5 at Old Orchard, and Room 10 at the Strauss Center in Faust Park. Existing pianos will be re-distributed to different rooms and some inventory will be traded or auctioned.

Purchasing five pianos for a music school is not a simple task - especially during a pandemic! Multiple people were involved in making it happen. Carol Commerford, recently retired director of the CMS, shepherded this project even after her retirement in May, and CMS Center building representative Joe Winters managed the logistics of shuffling inventory around three different physical locations and Strauss Center’s Rebecca Drury coordinated moving; pianos using a crane!

CMS faculty members Matt Pankratz and Nina Ferrigno visited the Steinway Gallery on numerous occasions to play the instruments and ensure CMS purchased pianos that would have just the right touch for our students. Mr. Pankratz and Ms. Ferrigno, along with other faculty and coordinated by Joe Winters and Carol Commerford, also contributed to decisions about which inventory needed to be replaced, moved, traded, or auctioned.

The Fishers knew that an excellent piano inventory is central to a successful music school.

Of course, the whole project would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of Arden and Harry Fisher. Mr. & Mrs. Fisher were awarded the 2017 Webster University Visionary Award for their contributions to the Community Music School and Webster University. Click here for a short video. Especially poignant is that Mr. Harry Fisher passed away in December, 2019 and Mrs. Arden Fisher passed away a few months later in April 2020.

“Arden and Harry Fisher were extremely devoted to the CMS and young aspiring musicians, "said Commerford. Harry was quite a talented pianist himself, making Arden's decision to focus their donation toward pianos for CMS students and faculty even more meaningful. They knew that an excellent piano inventory is central to a successful music school. Their legacy will live on in the music that is shared for generations."

Indeed their gift is already being enjoyed:

“I am so thrilled to have the privilege of teaching some in person (and socially distanced) lessons on the brand new Steinway O in room 211 at Webster CMS," said piano instructor Sarah McGuirk.

"What a joy to see students ranging from early elementary to adulthood comment in their own way about the colors and nuance available, as well as the power and warmth of the wonderful bass register. One young student let out a spontaneous 'wow' the instant he played a subito piano on the new instrument. I am so grateful to our generous donors for making this happen for my students and for CMS.”