Interactive Piano Exhibit

Apr 13, 2011 by Deb

 The Big Stone Arts Council is proud to present the country’s largest interactive piano exhibit,

“Keeping Time…Steve Misener’s Rare Collection of Historical Pianos”

Veterans Memorial Building, Main Street, Clinton, MN 56225

April 18 – May 16, 2012     Admission is free.

Please schedule your visit to this exhibit in Clinton, Minnesota, by contacting Steve Misener at: stevemisenerpiano@gmail.com  or by calling him at (605) 676-2355.

This exhibit presents the design, engineering, and aesthetic beauty of pianos, featuring models dating from the 17^th Century to 1920s, and other automatic musical instruments. This event will be held from April 18^th to May 16^th in the Veterans Memorial Building in Clinton, Minnesota. Admission is free. Because there are no regional arts grants or legacy funds available for this event, there will be a donation basket to defray the costs of transporting the instruments, the use of the auditorium, and Steve Misener’s time hosting and travel. Clinton’s Veterans Memorial Building is wheelchair accessible.

Curator, Steve Misener, will introduce this collection to the public while interspersing stories about the industry, composers, piano history, and colorful details of previous owners in past centuries. The scope of the exhibit provides expression to nearly all of the senses, from the majestic and sometimes rustic physical beauty of each instrument, to the emotional reaction to the music that each instrument can create.

Keyboard instruments are the most historic, broadest mechanism for performance with the piano being the cornerstone. Misener’s collection affords a rare opportunity to be able to hear the music of Classical and Romantic composers played on period instruments. The interactive nature of this display engages audiences, as participation is required to operate some of the instruments.  Mechanical details of the piano and reed organ will be discussed and the instruments can be partially disassembled for attendees to see the intricacies of design, physics of sound, and the incredible hand carved detailing of the cabinetry and marquetry that make the instrument a visual masterpiece. 

Misener has spent most of his life collecting and restoring pianos and organs, first as a passionate youngster, and then as a professional piano tuner and technician.  His inherent interest in all aspects of these instruments has grown his collection to 130 instruments and it continues to grow as he discovers and cares for more and more of these musical orphans. Misener’s personal collection is one of the largest collections in the United States.

To learn more about Steve’s historic piano collection, please visit http://stevemisenerpiano.com.

Please reserve your visit to this exhibit in Clinton, Minnesota, by contacting Steve Misener at: stevemisenerpiano@gmail.com  or by calling him at (605) 676-2355.