VSO Unveils New $250,000 Steinway Concert Grand Piano with Russian Virtuoso Daniil Trifonov

Vancouver, Canada (September 25, 2019) — The opening week of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s 2019–2020 season continues with a once in a generation event — the unveiling of a new Steinway grand piano at the hands of Russian virtuoso Daniil Trifonov on September 27 & 28 at the Orpheum Theatre.

A gift from the VSO’s 100th Anniversary Campaign, the VSO team traveled to Germany this past summer to hand-pick the nine-foot piano. Renowned pianist Sergei Babayan, Trifonov’s teacher and mentor who also appears this season with the VSO, helped select the handmade, 3,000-pound instrument.

Misha Aster, Vice-President of Artistic Planning and Production said: “We’re thrilled about this new addition to the VSO Family. Steinway & Sons produces some of the best pianos in the world and our Concert Grand was selected for its clear and brilliant sound that will have enough impact to be heard clearly throughout the 2,700 seat Orpheum Theatre. You need to physically be in the same room as this magnificent instrument in order to hear and feel its true power — there’s really nothing like it.”

To make the transatlantic voyage safely, the Steinway was secured to a pallet, carefully wrapped, packed and boxed. Upon arrival in Canada, the piano was transported to the Tom Lee warehouse in Richmond where it spent a month acclimatizing before making the final journey to its new home at the Orpheum Theatre.

Daniil Trifonov — one of the most important musicians on the scene today — has been lauded by The Globe & Mail as “arguably today’s leading classical virtuoso”. The New York Times noted that “few artists have burst onto the classical music scene in recent years with the incandescence of Trifonov.”

This weekend, the instrument will receive its official public unveiling as Daniil Trifonov takes centre stage to perform one of the world’s most challenging concertos, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the VSO and Maestro Otto Tausk on September 27 & 28 at the Orpheum Theatre.

Trifonov Plays Rachmaninoff No.3 is part of the Assante Vancouver Centre Masterworks Diamond series.

About the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1919, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada’s most active and successful performing arts institution; the largest performing arts organization west of Ontario, and the third largest symphony orchestra in the country.

The VSO performs to an annual audience of over 250,000 people and features more than 50 celebrated guest artists each season. Over 170 concerts are performed annually by the VSO in the historic Orpheum Theatre and numerous additional venues throughout the Lower Mainland. 2019-2020 marks the organization’s 101st season

Media release and image provided by Sarah Yu, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.