Release Date: November 19, 2008
KSU honored by prestigious Steinway & Sons
For media inquiries, contact: Cheryl Anderson Brown, Director of Public Relations, 770-499-3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
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(From left) Pianists Alpin Hong and Joseph Meeks photo by Melissa Ray |
KENNESAW, Ga.—The Kennesaw State University School of Music joined the ranks of Yale, Oberlin and Juilliard when it was officially certified as an All-Steinway School during a celebratory concert on Nov. 15. This designation indicates that all of the school’s pianos have been made by Steinway & Sons, the world’s most prestigious piano maker. The distinction was made possible by longtime KSU benefactor and trustee Dr. Bobbie Bailey, who purchased 27 new Steinway pianos for the university.
“On behalf of Kennesaw State University, I am deeply honored to accept the designation as an All-Steinway School,” said KSU College of the Arts Dean Joseph Meeks, who also performed on the concert. “This is yet one more significant achievement for our excellent School of Music. Thank you to Dr. Bobbie Bailey for making this long-held goal come to fruition.”
The sold-out audience enjoyed a program demonstrating the range and beauty of the new instruments with selections from Bach to Gershwin for solo piano, four-hand piano, piano concerto with the KSU Orchestra and more. In addition to Meeks, the featured pianists included guest artist Alpin Hong, a rising international performer; KSU alumnus and member Robert Henry, who has won several international piano competitions; KSU Professor of Music David Watkins; and Marietta pianist Sarah Stedman.
During the event, representatives from Steinway also presented Bailey with a “Living Legacy” pin and named Meeks an “International Steinway Artist,” an honor that places him among the top pianists of the last 150 years, from Sergei Rachmaninoff to Billy Joel.
“I never would have thought this recognition would have been possible for me,” Meeks said. “I am deeply moved by this honor.”
T he main focus of the evening, however, was on the positive impact Steinway pianos will have for students at KSU, as Bobbie Bailey indicated. “I am so proud of these students. They deserve to have the best pianos possible. Now they can put on their resumes that they attended an All-Steinway School.”
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A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 21,000 from 142 countries. The third-largest university in Georgia, Kennesaw State offers more than 65 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including new doctorates in education and business.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts programs.