Mississippi State has joined the elite ranks of institutions with the prestigious All-Steinway School status and will hold a ceremony Aug. 30 celebrating this milestone.
The designation is granted to conservatories, colleges, universities and schools that solely use pianos designed by Steinway & Sons for practice, instruction and performance. Less than 250 institutions globally hold the acclaimed distinction.
Open to the public, the Department of Music celebration takes place at 10 a.m. in the Music Building located at 124 Hardy Road. Speakers include MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Chris Gilbert, district sales manager of Steinway & Sons, New York City. The ceremony also will include a concert featuring three of the 50 university Steinways and an unveiling of the Steinway plaque, followed by a reception.
Bob and Kathy Olsen, major MSU All-Steinway Initiative donors, completed the fundraising campaign with their latest gift of seven upright pianos. The Olsen family also funded three grand pianos and contributed to a fourth. Their gifts include the Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano, which is onstage in the Music Building’s lecture/recital hall, and the Steinway SPIRIO | r, the finest high-resolution player piano in the world. This piano allows playback of performances—even by some of the greatest pianists in history—“with nuance, clarity, accurate dynamics and passion indistinguishable from live performances,” according to the company.
Professor of Music Rosângela Sebba, a Steinway Artist and keyboard coordinator in MSU’s Department of Music, said the All-Steinway status will improve the quality of learning and teaching while making students more competitive in the job market and attracting great guest artists and faculty members.
“Everyone in our department is impacted by the generosity of our donors,” Sebba said. “Easily 1,000 students each year will benefit from the Steinway pianos, including those who are enrolled in our community music school, as well as community musicians in the region.”
The university’s All-Steinway Initiative began in 2012 and formally launched in 2014 with an estate gift from the late Scarvia Bateman Anderson, a 1945 MSU education alumna. Since then, MSU has acquired its numerous Steinway pianos with private gifts. In 2022, the Department of Music opened its 37,000-square-foot Music Building, which includes classrooms, a choral rehearsal hall, sound-proof practice rooms, a high-tech recording studio and an acoustically advanced lecture recital hall. Each room now holds a Steinway piano for teaching and practice.
“I am thrilled with our Department of Music’s recognition as an All-Steinway School,” said Teresa Jayroe, dean of MSU’s College of Education. “This distinction reflects the exceptional standard of our music programs, the generous support of donors and the unwavering commitment of our faculty. Their dedication has greatly enriched the learning environment for our students at Mississippi State.”
Professor and Department of Music Head Daniel Stevens added, “We are incredibly grateful for the support of our donors that has led to this momentous achievement. No doubt, the impact of their generosity will be felt by our students for generations to come.”
