Chamber group given Steinway grand piano

MACHIAS – A Steinway grand piano has been presented for use by Machias Bay Chamber Concerts.

Wilma Ingalls, president of the chamber group, said the group took delivery of a Steinway B concert grand on June 4.

The 7-foot piano is a gift from Norma B. Marin of Addison and New York City. Marin donated the money to buy the piano in memory of her husband, John, and Ingalls’ husband, Hollis.

“It is a 1929 piano that has been completely rebuilt and is in excellent condition,” Ingalls said.

Ingalls said Marin, a former trustee of the Machias Bay Chamber Group, attended last fall’s free concert by Keith Lockhart and saw the need for a new piano.

The chamber group had a 1970 5-foot Steinway that had been rebuilt, but the instrument never stood up, she said.

When Marin offered to buy a replacement, the chamber group asked Thomas Wolf, a Massachusetts piano technician who plays flute for the chamber concerts, to find the perfect instrument. Wolf searched three New England states before finding the piano in Providence, R.I., Ingalls said.

The piano was delivered to the Centre Street Congregational Church and will be used by the Rev. Gini King’s congregation, Ingalls said.

This year’s first Machias Bay Chamber Concert will take place at the church on July 10.