Steinway Society – The Bay Area

The Steinway Society – The Bay Area is a non-profit organization with a mission “To promote excellence in piano performance and music education in the Bay Area.” Steinway Society is recognized as one of the gems in the Bay Area’s cultural life. Now in its twentieth season, the Society continues to bring world-class, internationally recognized pianists to the Peninsula and South Bay, along with arranging in-home recitals reminiscent of the salon concerts of days-gone-by, and contributing in a variety of ways to music education for the young.

The Steinway Society was founded in 1994 by a group of dedicated Bay Area music lovers, including Gerri Alexander (pianist and teacher), David Dumont (of Sherman, Clay & Co.), Billye Erickson, Marina Gusak Grin, Maestro Leonid Grin (Music Director of the San Jose Symphony), Henry Schiro (President of San Jose Jazz), Emilia Shvarts (pianist and teacher), Tony Thomas (president of Sherman, Clay & Co.) and Barbara Day Turner (Music Director of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra).

Concert Series

Since its inception, the Steinway Society has sponsored concerts by a vast array of distinguished international pianists. A close relationship with the International Van Cliburn Piano Competition has allowed the Society to present many of its medalists, such as Diane Walsh (fifth prize, 1969), Vladimir Viardo (first prize, 1973), Jon Nakamatsu (first prize, 1997), Olga Kern (first prize, 2001), Stanislav Loudenitch (first prize, 2001), Antonio Pompa-Baldi (second prize, 2001), Maxim Philippov (second prize, 2001), Alexander Kobrin (first prize, 2005), Joyce Yang (second prize, 2005), Sa Chen (third prize, 2005), Haochen Zhang (first prize, 2009), Di Wu (final round, 2009), Vadym Kholodenko (first prize, 2013), and Sean Chen (third prize, 2013). Other artists have included Emanual Ax, Leon Fleisher, Jon Nakamatsu and Garrick Ohlsson. For a complete list of Steinway Society artists, please peruse our list of past concerts.

Steinway Society also continues to bring to the Bay Area widely acclaimed winners of other prestigious international piano competitions, such as the Tchaikovsky in Moscow, the Queen Elisabeth in Belgium, the Chopin in Poland, the Artur Rubinstein in Israel, the Leeds in England, the William Kapell at University of Maryland, and the Viotti in Italy.

2014/15 Season Contributors

The Steinway Society of the Bay Area gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the donors for its 2014/15 Season:

• $2500+ Concert Sponsor: Anonymous, Daniel Kennedy, CPA, Steinway and Sons
• $1000+ Maestro: Ellen Tryba Chen, Byron C. Foster and Josie Wernecke, Onalee Fuchs, Nancy Daggett Jensen, Lorrin and Stephanie Koran, Richard and Martha Reitman, Emilia Shvarts, Wales Investments
• $500+ Patron: William R. Danielson, Frank and Marjorie Johnson, Karen Lin Peng, Don Wright
• $200+ Benefactor: Nicholas Isaacs, David and Joann Samuels, Carl and Theresa Schultz, Clare and Kerry Schultz, Clifton Williamson
• $50+ Friend: Barbara Baill, Donna J. Bestock, Ronald and Patricia Cachopa, Ralph Cheek, Paul and Marijane Chestnut, Verle Waters Clark, Martha Cohn, Michael Condie, Ron and Joy Crough, Daniel Daggett, Jimmie Dawson, Celia L. H. de Mendez, Sheila and Jack Dubin, Andrew and Rose Korsak, Barton and Elizabeth Lane, Clara Lee and Cecile Chan, Ellen Leung, M. Lorina and C. Gabriel Paun, Robert and Marilyn McBride, J. Montrose, Gerald F. O'Connell, Samuel Rahmil and Larisa Kramer, Robert Rodert, Louise B. Tamm, Richard and Rosa Winkelman, Patricia and Roy Woolsey, Hanley Yoffee