Steinway & Sons finest piano to grace Cobham Hall in prestigious new music partnership

Cobham Hall has taken delivery of one of the world’s finest pianos, a Steinway & Sons Model B Grand, marking the start of a prestigious new partnership for the historic Gravesend school and the creation of an exceptional music venue for the area.

Known as ‘the perfect piano’, the Steinway Model B Grand now graces Cobham’s fabulous Gilt Hall. With its beautiful, gilded ceiling and excellent acoustics – reputed to be among the best in the country – the Gilt Hall is a dream venue for any musician, and the school looks forward to bringing some of the finest to the venue over coming months.

The chance to play this exquisite instrument in such awe-inspiring surroundings will not just be for the great and the good of the classical world, however. As part of the partnership, the school is offering an exciting new Steinway Scholarship, giving talented young musicians the chance to play, as a matter of course, this ‘perfect’ instrument and to participate in masterclasses with an extraordinary roster of Steinway International Artists, which includes such stars as Yaoying Yang, Lang Lang, Charlie Puth and Hying-ki Joo.

Music students at the school had their first masterclass early November, when they visited London’s Steinway Hall to choose the Model B, with the help of Martin Roscoe, one of the UK’s most loved and respected pianists and one of the most regularly played on BBC radio.

Head of Music at Cobham Hall, James Williams, said: “This is a pivotal day for music education at Cobham Hall. The installation of the iconic Model B Grand piano in our breathtaking Gilt Hall makes us a distinctly unique venue to learn, create, and perform music. It has been thrilling to see students excited about our new pianos and eager to play on them. It’s also been inspiring to see many students and staff playing on the Model B today. From Year 7s to one of our gardeners and from the Director of Studies to our Diploma pianists, Steinways at Cobham Hall are for everyone. The most exciting element is that this is only the start of the adventure. We are committed to nurturing and developing musicians of all instruments, styles and backgrounds. The addition of the Steinway Scholarship to our already strong Music and Choral scholarships will ensure that talented and gifted musicians are placed to excel and flourish at Cobham Hall.”

The school were also delighted to recently host the world-renowned London Philharmonic Orchestras as they were filmed for the Genshin Concert 2023, showcasing music from Genshin Impact – the world’s third highest grossing mobile game of 2021. Over the week, the group filmed scenes in various locations around Cobham’s historic building and grounds. The resulting one-hour long Genshin Concert 2023 “Melodies of an Endless Journey” premiered on Friday 22nd December and already has over 5.8 million views worldwide.

Cobham Hall features in clips throughout the video. The entire London Philharmonic Orchestra can be seen performing on the East Court, with areas of the grounds also used for a range of solo performances. Other scenes include the orchestra playing in the Gilt Hall and a soloist in the Old Library.

The Gilt Hall was originally built as a banqueting hall in the 17th century and was converted to a music room for the third Earl of Darnley in the 1770s. As well as being home to the Steinway Model B, its northerly gallery supports a rare Snetzler organ, the only one of its kind in the UK to have remained in its present form and still be in working order.

Cobham Hall's facilities are available to hire. For further details about this or music scholarships available, please contact: enquiries@cobhamhall.com.