STEINWAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, through its operating subsidiaries, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of high quality musical instruments. The Company has one of the most valuable collections of brands in the music industry. Through a worldwide network of dealers, Steinway Musical Instruments' products are sold to professional, amateur and student musicians, as well as orchestras and educational institutions. The company employs a workforce of over 2,200 and operates 14 manufacturing facilities in the United States and Europe.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

1/2/08 – Conn-Selmer Introduces SMART Parents Program: This reward program generates points for a school for each instrument registered by a parent.  Points can be redeemed by the school for free band & orchestral instruments from Conn-Selmer.  The program also provides parents with information about how they can support their school’s music program.  Topics include Knowing and Working with Your Director, Buying or Renting an Instrument, Giving Your Child the Best Chance For Success, and more.

1/1/08 – Thomas Kurrer, Managing Director of Steinway-Germany, promoted to President of Steinway & Sons Worldwide:  Mr. Kurrer, who is an 18-year veteran of Steinway, filled the role left vacant by the retirement of Bruce Stevens.  Mr. Kurrer has also been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors. 

1/1/08 – Ron Losby promoted to President Steinway & Sons-Americas: Mr. Losby previously served as Managing Director of Steinway UK and Steinway’s Director of European Retail Operations.  In his new position, he has relocated to New York and is responsible for all of Steinway & Sons’ business in North and South America. 

12/31/07 – President & CEO Bruce Stevens Retires After 22 Years with Steinway & Sons:  Mr. Stevens retired from his position as President and stepped down from the Company’s Board of Directors effective December 31, 2007.  During Mr. Stevens’ tenure, Steinway & Sons revitalized its distribution network and improved product quality.  Steinway also launched several new piano categories, including the Crown Jewel Collection, Limited Editions, Art Case pianos and the Legendary Collection.  Under Mr. Stevens’ leadership, the company also designed two new piano lines under the Boston and Essex brand names, creating the Family of Steinway-Designed Pianos business model.  In addition, Mr. Stevens and his team developed the innovative All-Steinway School program to generate a growing number of sales to schools of music and other institutions. 

12/31/07 – All-Steinway School Roster: As of December 2007, the All-Steinway School Roster included 85 institutions.

12/17/07 – Ludwig Drums and Sticks Featured in Award-Winning Rock Band™ Video Game:  Developed by Harmonix, the worldwide leading developer of music-based games, and published by MTV Games, part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, the Rock Band video game features Ludwig drums in gameplay and the Rock Band Special Edition Bundle includes a set of Ludwig-branded drum sticks.  The drum outfits featured in-game will be modeled after legendary Ludwig models, including Vistalite, Stainless and Glitter sets, some of the most enduring and iconic models of drum outfits in the world.

12/7/07 – Conn-Selmer Introduces Avanti Flutes Designed by Bickford Brannen:  Crafted in the company’s Elkhart, Indiana woodwind facility, the Avanti flutes feature a sterling silver Avanti-Brannen headjoint and upgraded finishes not normally seen in step-up models.

11/14/07 – Henry Steinway Receives National Medal of Arts from President and Mrs. Bush: In a ceremony held in the East Room of the White House, a National Medal of Arts was presented to Henry Steinway.  The medal is considered the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence.  The nomination process was managed by the National Endowment for the Arts.

11/07 – Ed Shaughnessy Honored at PASIC: Ludwig Drums honored Ed Shaughnessy and his thirty year commitment to Ludwig with a special presentation at the 2007 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Columbus, Ohio.  During the celebration, Ed was presented with a one-of-a-kind Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum, extensively hand engraved with Shaughnessy’s well-known caricature.

9/27/07 – “Walden Woods” Art Case Piano Auction: The custom Steinway Model D was auctioned by Christie’s at a New York fundraiser to benefit the Walden Woods Project.  The piano’s exterior was designed and crafted by the renowned marquetry artist, Silas Kopf, who utilized more than 20 woods, including historic wood from fallen or pruned trees near Walden Pond.  The plate of the piano was signed, and the piano has been played, by an extraordinary group of artists including Billy Joel, Elton John, Emanuel Ax, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Hornsby, Barbara Nissman and Evgeny Kissin.

8/31/07 - The Crane School of Music Takes Delivery of 142 Steinway Pianos:  The Crane School of Music at the State University of New York - Potsdam took delivery of the largest single order in Steinway’s 154-year history with the purchase of 142 Steinway pianos.

8/31/07 - Oberlin Dedicates Its 200th Steinway: Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Steinway's oldest continuous customer, dedicated its 200th Steinway at a concert in August.  Oberlin has been an All-Steinway School since 1877.

8/22/07 – Selmer Paris Pro Shops Open in U.S.: Conn-Selmer, the exclusive North American distributor for Henri Selmer of Paris, has announced the opening of the first Selmer Paris Pro Shops in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, and Bloomington, IN.  These specially outfitted music stores have a large selection of hard to find Selmer Paris instruments and accessories and have direct communication with both Conn-Selmer and Selmer Paris technicians, management and artists.  The list of Selmer Paris Pro Shops includes Rayburn Music in New York City and Boston, PM Woodwinds near Chicago, Washington Music near Washington, D.C., Kessler and Sons in Las Vegas, and Pro Winds in Bloomington, IN.

8/1/07 – Conn-Selmer’s “Kings of the Field” Program Well-Represented at DCI Competition: Seven of the corps that participated in the 2007 Drum Corps International competition, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA , represented the Kings of the Field program.  These corps have chosen the King “Ultimate” Marching Brass from Conn-Selmer as their exclusive brass line.  The King line features six different instruments, specifically designed for marching field application: the King Marching Trumpet, Mellophones, French Horn, Baritone Horn, Euphonium, and the new model 1151 King Ultimate Marching Tuba. The corps include Phantom Regiment, Denver Blue Knights, Boston Crusaders, Spirit from JSU, Blue Stars, Southwind and the Sacramento Mandarins.

7/27/07 – Ludwig Launches Legacy Classic Drums:  Developed to create a new range of drums that incorporate the features and benefits of today’s most advanced drum making processes and recreate the classic tone of the world’s most famous drums, the Ludwig Drum Co. introduced the Legacy Classic line. With their exceptional combination of tone, consistency, tuning range, quality and versatility, Legacy Classic drums are recommended for all live and studio applications and designed to provide players with the superior sound, spectacular looks and cutting-edge performance they have come to expect from Ludwig.

6/1/07 – Conn-Selmer Teams Up with Bands From Vans Warped Tour: In an effort to showcase the popularity of Conn-Selmer instruments within current pop music culture, Conn-Selmer joined with popular music groups, The Toasters and The Fabulous Rudies, to promote band instruments on the wildly successful 2007 Vans Warped Tour last summer.  Both The Toasters and The Fabulous Rudies play King Brass, Selmer saxophones and Ludwig drums, exclusively.

5/15/07 – Steinway Lyngdorf Introduces The Model–D Music System:  Steinway & Sons joined forces with Peter Lyngdorf, Europe’s preeminent developer and manufacturer of high performance digital sound systems, to produce The Model-D Music System.  The product launch was the culmination of painstaking research and development in both electronics and in the acoustic performance of amplifiers and loudspeakers.  The Model-D Music System incorporates an advanced version of Mr. Lyngdorf’s revolutionary RoomPerfect™ technology, which enables the system to be adapted to the acoustic characteristics of any environment in order to ensure unsurpassed audio performance.  The Model-D Music System was selected as the winner of the home audio category by the Robb Report in its 19th annual "Best of the Best" issue in May 2007.

5/10/07 – “Madison Bluestone Steinway” Art Case Piano: Commissioned by James Madison University benefactor, Elisabeth Swallow and painted by 1992 JMU alum Mia LaBerge, the "Madison Bluestone Steinway" is the first piano ever built to honor a university or All-Steinway School.   The piano was displayed at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts and Steinway Hall in New York City in 2007. Designed for JMU’s 2008 Centennial celebration, LaBerge's work features the hallmark buildings of the campus quad and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountain landscape.  At the end of the school year, the piano will be auctioned to the highest bidder and proceeds given to the music department for scholarships.