Yamaha
Pianos Enhance
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Palm Beach Atlantic University, named one of 2002 America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, offers one of the finest choral music programs in the United States.
|
When the beautiful new Vera Lea Rinker Hall School of Music and Fine Arts opened at PBA last spring, an exciting program expansion ensued. The four-story building is dedicated solely to music, and PBA keyboard performance students now have much easier access to pianos. Last July, 27 new Yamaha pianos arrived at Vera Lea Rinker Hall, including a selection of C1 and C3 conservatory grands, P22 acoustic uprights, Disklavier® DC7A Mark III grands, and Disklavier MX1 professional uprights. These joined the school's eight Yamaha upright acoustic pianos, one C7 conservatory grand and one CFIIIS concert grand piano. Eight full-time and 23 part-time music faculty, 84 music majors and 300 non-majors use the pianos.
 |
 Students
rehearsing in Persson Recital Hall in Vera Lea Rinker Hall at
Palm Beach Atlantic University |
"Our music school has built its reputation on the choral tradition," says Dr. Lloyd Mims, dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts, "and the addition of these new instruments allowed us to expand our instrumental emphasis. The entire piano faculty was impressed by the quality of these instruments. Yamaha's reputation and service from Ray Morgan Piano Company were very strong factors."
The PBA Department of Music uses the pianos to present and prepare for a wide range of performances, including faculty and guest recitals, concerts by chamber ensembles, and concerts by the PBA Symphony, the Symphonic Band, and Jazz Ensemble. The school's esteemed choral ensembles, Concert Choir, and the Oratorio Chorus offer numerous concerts on campus and around the world, and often collaborate with professional orchestras. Last year, the Concert Choir traveled to Poland to perform; in March, they will serve as chorus for the Music Festival of Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. Private lessons are also offered to young musicians in the Palm Beach area.
"We could not be happier with these incredible pianos," says Mims. "The greatest advantage is that students now have practice rooms with great instruments in the same building where they have classes and rehearsals. It is a delight to walk down the hall and see the practice rooms thriving with students practicing."
