Morris Rousse
March 23, 2007Harold Fuselier
March 30, 2007
Sitting on the empty auditorium stage in one of Terrebonne Parish’s oldest high schools, it’s hard to believe the grand piano was once a prized, valuable possession.
The victim of vandals in the 1970s and years of neglect since, the 1954 Steinway B concert piano has seen better days.
And it Terrebonne High School talent vocal instructor Ginny Medina-Hamilton and choral instructor Andy Messina have their way, the instrument will be returned to its original luster. The two instructors have set out to restore the Steinway to concert-worthy status.
Although beaten and barely able to hold a tune, the instrument is still valuable. As part of the Steinway and Sons’ Ebony Grand and Verticals collection, the piano retails for $85,000.
What the parish paid for the piano when it was originally purchased no one knows. But that it’s virtually irreplaceable everyone agrees.
After closely inspecting the instrument, Thibodaux piano tuner Nolan Zeringue said the Steinway’s soundboard had been cleaned and repainted, which means the model and serial numbers are missing.
Medina-Hamilton and her class have spent countless days in the auditorium, armed with flashlights, searching for the missing numbers.
“Mr. Zeringue called the Steinway and Sons manufacturers in New York and gave them all the information about the piano. He said it dates back to 1954,” she said.
The instructors researched the background of the piano dating back to 1955, when it made its debut in Louisiana at Werlein’s Music Company in New Orleans. The store has since closed.
Little is known about the Steinway’s legacy at Terrebonne High School. The piano made its first appearance in the school’s 1960 yearbook, but both Medina-Hamilton and Messina believe it arrived at the school long before that.
“We would like for anyone who knows anything about the piano to come forward and help us find out how this piano got to Terrebonne Parish,” Messina said.
According to Steinway and Sons manufacturers, the piano was designed for spacious homes, smaller recital auditoriums n like the one at Terrebonne High, and broadcast recording or professional studios.
Sadly, the grand piano has suffered damage over the years.
Noted vocal instructor Robert Smith recalled the most jarring incident in 1970. Vandals broke into the school and wreaked havoc, including pouring cane syrup over the Steinway’s genuine ivory keys.
Today, plastic look-alike keys have replaced the originals.
Next year, Terrebonne High will reach a milestone, its 100th birthday. And many of the school’s departments have made it their mission to improve the facility and programs offered. Toward that end, Messina and Medina-Hamilton have taken on the project of restoring the Steinway to its full splendor.
The instructors are seeking the support of Terrebonne Parish residents to help restore the one-of-a-kind concert piano.
“There is no other high school in the parish or surrounding parishes with a Steinway piano of this caliber. And if we restore it and keep it maintained, it will have continued longevity,” Medina said.
Although a repair estimate has not been completed, Zeringue said the piano is in need of some major work. But the good news, he said, is that the piano is not “too far gone” to repair.
For the former International Association of Piano Builders and Technicians president, watching the great instrument slowly die is heartbreaking.
“Residents should really take note and try to become a part of the rebuilding effort,” Zeringue said. “It’s one of the finest pianos in the parish. There are no more than 12 to 18 pianos in the surrounding parishes that can stand up to the Steinway B, and most of them are privately-owned by residents or owned by Nicholls State University.”
If fully restored, he said the Steinway could be worth $45,000 to $60,000.
“Funds are tight for the music department,” Messina said. “We want to start a Steinway fund where interested parties can donate money toward restoring the piano.”
Time, however, is of the essence, he said.
Over the years, music teachers have come and gone at Terrebonne High. Many of them, Messina theorizes, never realized the caliber of piano they had before them. But failing to repair the Steinway within the next few years could mean the end for the instrument.
And that would be a hard blow.
Messina likens the decaying grand piano to having a Rolls Royce and letting it dry-rot in one’s garage.
“At one point, the parish thought enough of the [music] program to buy a Steinway piano. We are fortunate enough to have a top-notch piano here… We just need to get it up to par with the help of the community,” he said.
A workhorse even today, the piano is used on a daily basis. During musical warm-ups, some of the students have had the opportunity to play the Steinway. And Messina uses it during mini-concerts and choral performances at the school.
To instill a sense of pride about the Steinway and the music program itself, the instructors have their students researching the piano.
Ninth grade talented vocal student Joshua Martin is among those who’ve developed a greater appreciation of the Steinway.
“We would have lost hope of what type of piano this was if it had not been for Mrs. Medina-Hamilton and Mr. Messina. The students have researched the piano and have grown to care about it deeply. We would love nothing more than to have it restored,” Martin said.
For more information, contact Terrebonne High’s music department at (985) 879-3377.
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