Steinway & Sons
On September 30th, 2024, the Deming Center hosted a study tour for Columbia faculty, students, staff, and other guests to the Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria, Queens. Since its very first patent was granted in 1857, the company has been granted more than 150 additional patents and positioned Steinway as the piano by which all others are judged. Since 1880, Steinway pianos have been produced in the company’s New York and Hamburg factories, hand-built by artisans with decades of experience passed on from generation to generation. Consisting of more than 12,000 individual parts, each Steinway is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and a work of art with its own musical character. During the visit, attendees were able to get an inside look at the making of a Steinway—from wood selection to polishing to final tuning—and learned about the company’s commitment to continuous innovation and improvement from its Director of Operations.
For a full recap of the trip, please view the study tour booklet.