Press Release | August 28, 2024

New grand piano for the KKL Luzern

Star pianist Víkingur Ólafsson chose the instrument and inaugurates it on 1st September 2024

The Icelandic star pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has chosen the concert hall's new grand piano as part of the ongoing expansion of the KKL Luzern's in-house grand pianos. Ólafsson, who has already performed at the KKL Luzern on several occasions, knows the venue very well and contributed his expertise to the choice of instrument.

With the acquisition of a fifth grand piano, the existing series of grand pianos at the KKL Luzern will be extended. In future, a grand piano will be placed in the rehearsal room, which will further enrich the musical possibilities of the house and offer more flexibility.

The KKL Luzern has closely coordinated with its main partners in the field of classical music, Lucerne Festival as well as the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, the resident orchestra of the KKL Luzern, in the procurement process. Christiane Weber, Head of the Lucerne Festival Artistic Office, established contact with Víkingur Ólafsson. She expressed her delight at the collaboration: «Víkingur Ólafsson is a very welcome artist at the Lucerne Festival, whom we all greatly appreciate. We were therefore delighted that he agreed to the selection of a new grand piano for the KKL Luzern. And above all, we knew that there would be a perfect inauguration on 1 September 2024, when he will play Robert Schumann's piano concerto on the new grand piano as part of the Lucerne Festival summer festival.»

As chance would have it, Ólafsson was playing a double concert in Hamburg and was therefore already there to select the new grand piano at the Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg. The morning after the concert, he spent around 45 minutes selecting the most suitable grand piano for the KKL Luzern concert hall.

Philipp Keller, CEO of the KKL Luzern, was delighted:
«We are looking forward to the additional grand piano, which perfectly complements our existing instruments and emphasises the world-class standard of the venue for piano concerts.»

The financing of the new grand piano was carried out by the KKL Luzern Foundation. In the tradition of public-private partnerships, the Club of Lucerne also supported the purchase of the grand piano with a contribution of CHF 85'000. Karin Auf der Maur, Managing Director of the Club of Lucerne and President of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, was also present and accompanied the selection. The same applies to Jürg Schär, Head of Building and Security at KKL Luzern, who thanks the KKL Luzern Foundation and the Club of Lucerne for the financial support.

After the inauguration, the new grand piano will be available to all pianists performing at KKL Luzern for the next approximately twenty years. Karin Auf der Maur expressed her enthusiasm: «I am especially pleased that the piano will also be used as part of the annual Piano Festival Le Piano Symphonique by the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester.»

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New grand piano for the KKL Luzern

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