Help Stephen Lewis Afford A Piano!

The building of my career and artistic profile as a pianist, piano teacher, and composer in Portland, Oregon so far (since 2017) has been made possible by the use of a Petrof grand piano on a long-term loan from a friend. My friend now needs her piano back in the next year or two, so I need to find and purchase a piano of my own. It has been a dream of mine for decades to finally have my own piano, and now my entire livelihood and creative practice also depend on it!

Can you help me afford a new piano for my home studio?

The exciting (and time-sensitive) news is that I recently suddenly—and somewhat unexpectedly—found my “forever piano.” There is a retired piano teacher in Portland who is moving to Ireland and needs to sell her 1925 Steinway model B grand piano. I went to try it out, and it’s a beautiful instrument with the kind of sound and keyboard touch that I’ve always wanted. Its keyboard action has a perfect balance of control and ease, and its sound is amazing. I am a picky pianist when it comes to Steinways, and this piano checks all my boxes (literally—I made a rubric). I played everything from Bach through Stockhausen, and it makes everything sound superb. There are a few issues to fix with it, which I have a technician working on, but it is an amazing find.

I'm looking for immediate help to finish raising the rest of the amount I need to afford this piano. The seller wants to complete the sale very soon, as early as next week (week of May 19), so if you would like to support me, it would be really helpful to donate as soon as you can. I already have $15,000 saved, and I need at least another $10,000 to buy this piano and a few important companion items (new duet artist bench, new piano cover, and a new rug that is large enough to fit under a Steinway B).

There are some other interested buyers, so there IS a chance that this piano will be sold to someone else. But if that happens, I will still put your donation towards my purchasing of a piano—just a different piano, hopefully as amazing as this one—that I would find in the coming months. Either way, your donation will go towards helping me sustain my livelihood and buy my own piano at last.

I hope you can support me by donating! I am so grateful for your support, in any amount you can give me.

Here's a video of the seller performing a duo with a double-bassist so you can hear and see the 1925 Steinway in action: