Piano makes AEC debut

After months of fundraising the Albany Entertainment Centre opened its doors for the arrival of its new Steinway grand piano on Saturday.

The piano purchased with funds donated by a collection of trusts, organisations and Albany localsalike, completed its journey from Hamburg, Germany, on the back of a truck from Perth.

Albany Entertainment Centre general manager Garry Snowdon said the arrival was “exciting”.

The piano’s journey was not entirely uneventful, with one unsuspecting customs official removing the straps from its box and making it impossible for a forklift to put it on the next truck.

“That had everyone nervous for a minute, hoping it wasn’t going to be damaged, and of course it certainly wasn’t,” Mr Snowdon said.

“When we unloaded it on Saturday, even the man from the company that brought it down said, ‘Oh, what a beautiful piano’.”

Mr Snowdon said he was especially grateful for the many donations made for the piano, with the Jack Family Trust making the biggest contribution of $50,000.

The City of Albany and the Perth Theatre Trust each contributed $10,000.

While the piano’s $135,000 price tag initially fell under some scrutiny, Mr Snowdon said it was a valuable addition to the AEC’s resources, replacing its current Steinway piano made built in 1935.

“The old piano just doesn’t have the volume,” he said. “If we’d gone to what they call a D model, which is what they have in the Perth Concert Hall, you’re looking at nearly $280,000. So “The piano that we’ve got for $135,000, which is nearly $100,000 less than what it usually retails for, is incredibly good value,” he said.

“Looked after, it could be played here for another 20 or 30 years.”