Pianos Lure Students to Pa. Conservatory The Associated Press Apr 16 2003 3:00PM PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Of the 800 or so students who annually audition for the Curtis Institute of Music, about 40 are accepted. And for some of those lucky - and talented - chosen ones, it gets even grander: their own Steinway piano for the duration of their enrollment. The loan program has been a tradition since the founding of the 79-year-old Curtis, regarded as one of the world's most prestigious music conservatories. Thirty students now have at-home Steinways. ``This is something that's really unique to Curtis on this kind of a scope,'' said Sally Coveleskie, director of institutional sales for Steinway & Sons in New York. Steven Hackman, now a 22-year-old second-year conducting student, had auditioned and was waiting for his flight home to Illinois when he read about the loan program while browsing the school's Web site in the airport. ``My parents were here, too ... our jaws just dropped,'' he said. ``I'd never heard of anything like that.'' It can make apartment hunting tougher, and the students have to pay for the piano move, which costs at least $150. But they're not complaining. ``We're really blessed to have this program - it's one of the reasons I came here,'' said Sheridan Seyfried, 18. ``Otherwise, you're relying on practice rooms and trying to schedule time to use them. To have one at home is just the ultimate.'' This year, 38 students were accepted at Curtis, founded in 1924 by publishing heiress Mary Louise Curtis Bok. The school accepts only enough students to fill all the seats in an orchestra plus a small number of keyboard, composition and conducting students. Currently there are 158 students; all are on full scholarships. The length of study is open-ended, ranging from two years to 10 years or longer. Students, mostly college-age but a few of whom are in their early teens, graduate when their teachers decide they are ready. Conductor Leonard Bernstein, opera singer Anna Moffo, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, pianist Peter Serkin and composer Samuel Barber are among Curtis' alumni - as is the school president, noted pianist Gary Graffman. The Curtis Institute purchased its first 45 Steinways shortly after the school opened and it now has 91, acquired through donations and purchases. Besides the school's 16 piano students, 14 others studying harpsichord, organ, composition and conducting have Steinways. Students try them out and pick the one they like best. The remaining grands, worth $12,000 and up, grace the school's performance venues and practice rooms. ``Steinways are workhorses; they hold up extremely well. And the depth of the sound really gives students idealized training that allows them a fuller palette to work with,'' said Hugh Sung, a Curtis alumnus and faculty member. Third-year piano student Di Wu, 18, said she otherwise would have rented an upright piano for her studies. Instead, she practices in her apartment on her 1931 Model B Steinway - but she worries it might be spoiling her. ``It's an honor,'' she said. ``I just don't know how I'll ever be able to play on anything else after I leave.'' On the Net: The Curtis Institute of Music Web site: http://www.curtis.edu Steinway & Sons Web site: http://www.steinway.com 04/16/03 14:56 EDT Terry Peterson _________________________________________________________________ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
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