On October 1, Augusta University’s Department of Music marked two significant milestones: the third annual MusiCon event and its official recognition as an All-Steinway School. The celebrations took place at the Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre, where performances by the AU Orchestra, University Singers, Opera Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble highlighted the university’s musical community.
The evening event included the dedication of a new 9-foot Steinway concert grand piano, symbolizing more than 15 years of fundraising and partnership with Lisa Turner-Maddox of Turner’s Keyboards. This achievement places Augusta University among a select group of institutions in the United States that have earned the All-Steinway School designation, a status that requires at least 90% of a school’s piano inventory to be Steinway instruments.
Angela Morgan, DM, chair of the Department of Music, described the accomplishment as historic. “The Department of Music has worked since 2012 to reach the designation of an All-Steinway School, which requires that the institution have a minimum of 90% Steinway pianos in their inventory,” Morgan said. “With this designation, Augusta University’s Department of Music has joined other top music programs in the U.S. to show that we provide the best possible instruments for our students and faculty.”
The department now owns 41 Steinway pianos, ranging from concert grands to studio uprights. The initial purchase was made in 2012 through a fundraising campaign that raised over $50,000. Additional instruments have been acquired through donations and campus support, with Turner’s Keyboards assisting in both procurement and maintenance.
This summer, faculty members Martin David Jones, DMA, and Rosalyn Floyd, DMA, traveled to New York to select the new concert grand piano. “We visited both Steinway Hall in Manhattan and the Steinway factory in Queens,” Jones said. “After a tour of how a Steinway is made, a process that takes about nine months, we were brought into a room with five 9-foot Steinways. Dr. Floyd and I played them, listening carefully to each other, and we both agreed that ‘No. 4’ was our clear favorite.”
The selected piano was delivered in August and now serves as the main instrument for performances at Maxwell Theatre.
Jones emphasized the broader impact of the designation: “Now that we are a Steinway School, we are seen as a different music department both in the state of Georgia and nationally,” he said. “It gives our students wonderful instruments to use, and it strengthens our ability to recruit.”
Morgan added that this distinction sets Augusta University apart from similar-sized music departments. “Most smaller departments of music that are similar in size to ours do not have pianos of this quality for student and faculty use,” she said. “This is a significant privilege and honor. Our current students have the privilege of being able to practice and learn on the best pianos in the world. This designation shows that the music program at AU is committed to excellence and student success.”
