On the occasion of the purchase of the new piano for the Kolarac Endowment, on Tuesday, December 26th, the letters of gratitude and original piano keys of the Steinway & Sons factory were presented to all who participated in the donation and financing the piano procurement.
On the promotion of the new piano our artists who performed at charity concerts for piano appeared: Kemal Gekić (Miami), Stefan Milenković (Chicago), Alisa Bešević (Linz), Roman Simović (Belgrade).
Funds for the purchase of the concert piano were provided by donations at concerts in Belgrade, America and Europe, individual donations in the period from 2014 to 2017, and the funds of the Ministry of Justice at the public competition (2017).
On this occasion, the director of the Piano Institute of Bruckner University, the Danish pianist Sven Birch, gave us honour by this wonderful speech.
“It was a great joy and honour for my colleagues and colleagues from the Piano Institute from Bruckner University to jointly hold a charity concert in Linz, and greater joy that the funds were really raised, that the piano was purchased and Steinway found its home in this wonderful Hall.
The whole effort indeed pays off at the moment when the cords of the instrument present sound. The moment when the audience is listening with attention.
Therefore, the most cordial congratulations to the organization of the Kolarac Endowment, which has persistently managed to raise funds and realize its dream!
We, professors of the university, know best how much a good instrument is necessary. It is crucial for artists to decide whether the instrument is helping or a person has to fight against it in order to get the desired sound and expression.
With your new instrument, you have created the best possible conditions for your pianists!
I wish you many happy moments with the new “Steinway” among the works of genius composers and the interpretations of extraordinary artistic piano performers.
Best regards from Bruckner University in Linz!”