James
Collier, GR'70, loves to give away pianos.
The retired English teacher recently donated a Steinway D concert
grand piano to Drake's music
department.
"
I love the piano," Collier said. "I wanted to give Drake
something tangible, something that will continue to give, through its
music, to so many people for generations."
"
For me, it's a dream come true," said Chiu-Ling Lin, chair of
the music department and professor of piano. "It's beyond words."
The concert grand piano came from Rieman Music in Des Moines and
was used by Steinway artists who have played in the area. According
to
Lin, a Steinway artists' piano, though used, is better than one that
has come straight out of the factory because it has been adjusted
by technicians to fulfill the needs of talented pianists. The one
Collier
donated to the University was delivered to campus in late August
after undergoing $2,000 worth of refurbishing.
A Des Moines native, Collier graduated from Roosevelt High School
and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa and
a master
of education degree from Drake in 1970. He taught English in Iowa,
Wisconsin and California. Now retired, he
resides in southern Oregon.
Collier's late mother, Mary Collier Baker, shared her love of learning
and education with him and his brother John and also was an avid
supporter of Drake.
In 1999, Collier made his first piano gift to his mother's church,
Westminster Presbyterian in Des Moines. It was a Steinway B piano,
which Lin picked out for the church at the Steinway factory store
in Philadelphia. Collier says churchmembers still remember him as "The
Piano Man."
Since then he has donated four other pianos, one to his stepmother,
one to a church in California, one to Wesley Acres in Des Moines
and one to Drake.
"
I want this gift to honor my mother's memory in a way that will enhance
the cultural life of both the campus and the community and make the
music department proud," Collier said.
Lin says the timing of Collier's gift was perfect because the University
will have more piano recitals than ever this year. The music department
has partnered with Central College for a series of concerts through
which all 32 of Beethoven's piano sonatas will be performed. The
department also has welcomed a new piano professor, Nicholas Roth,
who will play
his debut recital on the Steinway during a dedication ceremony on
Tuesday, Sept. 23. The program includes works by Beethoven, Rachmaninov,
Prokofiev
and Liszt.
Hahn bequeaths
Bösendorfer
Pianists
performing in Sheslow Auditorium will someday have a choice between
two of the finest pianos made.
C. Stanley Hahn, FA'48, GR'48, has bequeathed his personal Bösendorfer
Imperial Grand Piano and bench to Drake to be used on the Jordan
Stage in Sheslow Auditorium.
"
I've always wanted to give something to the University," Hahn
said, "and this is the nicest thing I have to give."
Made in Vienna, Austria, the Bösendorfer is considered by many
to be the most prestigious piano in the world. The Bösendorfer
Imperial Grand is unique in having nine added notes in the bass,
which bring extra resonance to the entire piano.
Hahn, who lives in Owatonna, Minn., taught at Pillsbury Baptist Bible
College and Shattuck-St. Mary's School - at one time teaching 50
lessons a week - until he retired from teaching piano in 1990. He
has also
enjoyed performing publicly and privately for decades.
"
My hobby - well, really it's an obsession - has been fine pianos," said
Hahn, who has owned 13 grand pianos. He calls the Bösendorfer "the
most responsive piano I've ever had," noting that it blends
well with the violin and performs well in solos.
