The legendary Steinway & Sons Model D Cliburn Piano, CD 375, will arrive at Turner’s Keyboards in Augusta to be featured in special performances and public playing opportunities.
“This stunning piano – a nine-foot grand – provides a rare opportunity for the public to see, hear, touch, and even play the world-renowned instrument that accompanied piano legend Van Cliburn on stages worldwide,” according to a news release from Steinway and Sons.
Piano CD 375 will be on display at Turner’s, 2358 Washington Road, from Oct. 1-10.. During this limited engagement, members of the public are invited to sign up for 15-minute time slots to sit down and experience this iconic instrument. Nicholas Bai, a Mercer University piano professor, will play the instrument at 4 p.m., Oct. 3,. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. Others interested in playing the piano may schedule a time by calling (706) 736-4479 or email Eric@TurnersKeyboards.com.
“We cannot wait for the arrival of CD 375 in Augusta,” said Lisa Turner Maddox, Owner of Turner’s Keyboards of Augusta. “Anyone who knows and loves piano will understand the historic and artistic significance of Van Cliburn’s personal piano. We are thrilled to be entrusted with this instrument, and we are looking forward to sharing it with our region through performance and playing opportunities.”
One of the most beloved and celebrated musicians of the twentieth century, Van Cliburn was a devoted friend to Steinway & Sons. In 1958, at age 23, Cliburn burst upon the classical music scene when he won the First International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, stunning the world and helping to diffuse American Soviet Cold War tensions. It was Steinway’s head of Concert & Artist Department who helped Cliburn obtain a grant and encouraged him to use the money to go to Moscow for his history-making win, the new release continued.
Cliburn’s personal Steinway Model D piano, serial number 443530, was built over the course of 1975-76 in the Steinway New York Factory and was selected into the famed Concert & Artist (C&A) inventory of pianos. With its serial number on the cast iron plate replaced with a new unique C&A identifier – CD 375 – the piano performed admirably upon some of the great stages of the world and became a favorite of Cliburn’s. In fact, he loved the piano so much that he purchased it from Steinway & Sons at the first opportunity. Although Van Cliburn owned many Steinways, this one was played by him more than any other in his collection over the years.
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