C. Bechstein Academy A22 Piano
I am pleased to announce that our C. Bechstein piano arrived late on 31st January 2023 from Manchester. The previous instrument dated from at least the 1890s and had reached the end of its working life, having served the school for many years.
Stefan Czepiel and I embarked on a wonderful journey of discovery late last year to find a replacement instrument for Big School that will last well in to the next century. As part of this process, we visited a couple of piano studios. We started local by visiting Belbroughton with a small number of our boys. It was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to try playing some of the finest quality pianos available.
A few weeks later we ventured to C. Bechstein Manchester Ltd located in a purpose-built studio in the heart of the city. This studio had a wider range of instruments with prices from £3,000 up to £170,000! One of the challenges we faced was finding an instrument powerful enough to fill Big School. Although Big School does not have a large floor space, the high ceilings make it difficult for a piano to be heard at the back. After several hours of playing and pondering we found the perfect piano. It is almost 2m 30cm in length and weights approximately 415kg.
The piano needs a few weeks to settle before being tuned again but then it will be heard and played by the staff and students of KEVI HGS for many years to come.
M. Ward
