By Communications Staff

Staff at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts received a very special delivery this morning: a Steinway concert grand piano.

Renowned for their quality, Steinway pianos grace the stages of performance halls around the world and have been celebrated by artists from Glenn Gould to Billy Joel. A Steinway grand piano is made from over 12,000 individual parts, and typically takes nearly a year to make.

The Isabel's Steinway piano was purchased with philanthropic support from William and Meredith Saunderson of Toronto and from John Partridge (BSc’66) and Jean Partridge of Calgary.

Pianist Maxim Bernard will play the Steinway on September 21 when he performs with the Afiara Quartet as part of the first concert in the Isabel’s classical series, The Ensembles.

 Dr. Gordon Smith, Vice-Dean, ­Faculty of Arts and Science, and former director of the School of Music, took the piano for a spin soon after it arrived.

 Steinway & Sons have been making pianos for 161 years. 

 Dr. Smith plays the piano in the Isabel's empty performance hall. 

Learn more about the inaugural season by visiting the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts website.

The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts is a hub for artistic study, creation, exhibition and performance at Queen’s. It is home to the Department of Film and Media and also provides learning and working space for the university’s other creative arts disciplines.

The Isabel was made possible by a transformational gift from Alfred Bader (Sc’45, Arts’46, MSc’47, LLD’86) and his wife, Isabel (LLD’07) as well as the financial backing of the federal and provincial governments, the City of Kingston and additional philanthropic support.