The late Gordon Lightfoot’s piano, one that he used to compose his music, has found a new home. The sale of the Steinway once owned by the iconic singer-songwriter was announced by the Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy.
The historic instrument has found a new home with the Russell family, known for their support of music and the arts.
Dr. John Holland, the Academy’s Director of Fundraising and Community Programs comments, “When we think of the musical storytelling that was Lightfoot’s hallmark, we realize that it had its origins in this instrument, especially with East of Midnight, one of Lightfoot’s most personal and favourite albums. This piano represents not just the artistry of Gordon Lightfoot, but is a cornerstone of Canadian music history.”
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot’s musical career began with singing, and he became known as a boy soprano until about the age of 13.
Lightfoot was self taught as a pianist. He learned the instrument as a teenager, along with percussion, and was already playing in bands and bars throughout Orillia when he taught himself the folk guitar. He’d go on to study jazz composition and orchestration for two years at Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles.
While the acoustic guitar, and his distinctive vocals, defined his sound as he rose to fame, he would often write his songs initially on the piano. While his own recordings were well received, it’s probably as a songwriter that he achieved much of his international fame. Many of his songs were covered by a wide range of artists.
The Piano
Gordon bought the Steinway Grand Model A11 in 1974 from Paul Hahn & Co. The shop itself is a part of Toronto history, located on Yonge Street since 1913. The piano was manufactured in 1910 at Steinway’s Long Island factory, and it wouldn’t be the last time that Lightfoot would visit the venerable shop.
It’s a piece of Toronto — and Canadian music — history.
Lightfoot donated the piano to the Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy, and signed it. The instrument was moved directly from Lightfoot’s Toronto home. The Academy facilitated the recent sale with a view to finding it an appropriate home.
“We are honoured to have played a role in preserving this instrument,” said Dr. Ruth Corbin, Chair of the Board for the Academy. “Gordon Lightfoot’s piano has been treasured by students and performers at the Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy, and we are gratified to see it moving to the home of a special family in his childhood neighbourhood close by. Gordon Lightfoot’s confidence in the future of the Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy continues to lift the spirits of everyone who visits the Academy’s Gordon Lightfoot Concert Hall.”
New owners Daniel J. Russell and Tanya DeAngelis plan on keeping the keys busy. “Our family feels both honoured and privileged to be the caretakers of an iconic instrument once owned and cherished by Gordon Lightfoot. Gordon is a true icon of his era, a modern Beethoven or Miles Davis, and the joy he brought to his audience will continue to resonate through our daughters, Danya and Charlotte, as they embark on their own musical journey with his beloved Steinway grand piano.”
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