William Ellis School’s secret Steinway set for encore after repair

Published: 11 February 2010
by DAN CARRIER

THEY are the Ferraris of the piano world, the leading instrument every concert virtuoso wants to use.

And now students at William Ellis School are celebrating being able to tinkle the ivories of a Steinway piano, the legendary German brand that experts call the very best in the world.

It has sat in the Highgate Road school hall for as along as anyone can remember – it has almost certainly been in situ since the boys’ comprehensive moved to its current building in 1937. 

But the piano had not been well looked after, and so last month made a long road journey north to Liverpool, before being shipped over to the Steinway factory in Hamburg for a complete restoration. 

The piano, worth around £150,000, cost £18,000 raised through donations to get it back to its best.

Drama teacher Jeremy Pratt explained how over the years it had not always been appreciated it as much as it should. 

He said: “It had occasionally been subjected to the sort of behaviour fans of Jerry Lee Lewis would recognise.”

The school are now gearing up to for its return, and are set to host a concert with some of their own virtuosos later in the month. 

But the mystery as to where the piano came from has got pupils and teachers guessing. 

Mr Pratt said: “No one knows when the school was given the piano. It is not in any of the school archives and we would love to know who gave the school the gift of a great piano. Was it left it us in a legacy? Did we inherit it from another school? Perhaps an old pupil will recall it arriving?”

Piano playing pupils Remus Bigg, Cosmin Modoran, Adoneyas Asfaw-Seyoum all now regularly use the Steinway, and say it is like playing no other instrument they have seen.

Remus said: “The sound is crystal clear and the action on the keyboard is incredible.”