Victorian company, Exclusive Piano Group has been appointed as the national distributors for the iconic Steinway & Sons pianos in Australia.
Considered the ‘Rolls Royce’ of pianos, the Steinway take up to a year to create and are priced up to $285,000 – is a favourite of pianists the world over, including stars Harry Connick junior, Diana Krall and Billy Joel.
Among the Steinway artists are the cream of Australia’s professional musicians and young, up-and-coming classical artists, while Steinway concert grands can be found in many Australian institutions, such as universities, arts centres and performance venues.
Chief Executive Officer of Exclusive Piano Group and now Steinway Galleries Australia, Mark O’Connor said the business was delighted to have the national distributorship, expanding on its role as the agent for Steinway & Sons in Victoria, South Australia and the ACT, which it has held since 2008.
“Steinway & Sons make the best pianos in the world; nothing comes close to a Steinway,” said Mr O’Connor.
A keen pianist since childhood, Mr O’Connor entered the industry as a musician in the 1980s and ’90s before working as a manager with high-profile music businesses, including the Brashs retail chain and Allan’s Music.
Exclusive Piano Group was established in 2008 by Mr O’Connor in partnership with trucking magnate Lindsay Fox – a proud Steinway owner – offering customers the highest level of support and service expected from a company representing Steinway & Sons.
“Earning the national distributorship for Steinway & Sons in Australia follows a lot of hard work from a great team and we couldn’t have achieved this without the effort and support of Lindsay Fox,” said Mr O’Connor.
“We are expecting sales of approximately $15m in the next financial year. Lindsay and the Fox Family will be donating profits they receive from the business to charity, supporting Music and the Arts in Australia.”
This Christmas, the Exclusive Piano Group’s Essendon showroom will have more than $2 million of pianos on display – the largest number of Steinway pianos ever in one location in Australia.
As well as providing a venue for concerts and events, the Essendon showroom also provides piano and keyboard sales; tuning, repairs and maintenance; piano moving; and Piano hire. There are also teaching rooms where students can learn on Steinway & Sons pianos.
The group will open new showrooms in Melbourne and Sydney to showcase the collection as well as appointing representative agencies in other States around Australia. The first new store, due to open early next year, will be the Steinway Gallery on High Street, Armadale.
For more information, visit: www.steinway.com.au for details.
Image: Exclusive Piano Group CEO Mark O’Connor