"Piano Bank"
Steinway maintains a "piano bank" from which performing pianists, especially Steinway Artists, can select a Steinway piano for use in a certain concert, recording or tour. The idea is to provide a consistent pool of Steinway pianos with various characteristics for performing pianists' individual touch and tonal preferences. Performing artists choose a piano for use at a certain venue after trying some of the pianos of the "piano bank". This allows a range of Steinway pianos with various touch and tonal characteristics to be available for artists to choose from. Steinway takes responsibility for preparing, tuning and delivering the piano of the artist's choice to the designated concert hall or recording studio. The artist bears the cost of these services. The pianos for the "piano bank" are selected by Steinway's experts.
The "piano bank" is worldwide and consist of more than 400 Steinway pianos, mostly grand pianos model D-274. Approximately 300 pianos of the "piano bank" are located around the United States and are valued collectively at more than $25 million. The headquarters of the "piano bank" is below street level in the basement of the Steinway Hall in Manhattan, New York City.
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And in it a piano loudly playing.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
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