Florida Keys Concert Association Acquires Second Steinway Concert Grand, Elevates Live Classical Music in the Keys
Community-funded campaign brings a 1998 Model D to Coral Shores High School for the 2027 season
Pictured: Shipping firm specializing in delivery of pianos arrives in Coral Shores with FLKCA’s Steinway grand and reassembles it on stage.
ISLAMORADA, FL, November 9, 2026. — The Florida Keys Concert Association (FLKCA) has acquired a nine-foot Steinway Model D concert grand piano, the same class of instrument found on the world’s most prestigious stages, for its Upper Keys concert series. This acquisition marks the second Steinway grand for FLKCA and a three-year, community-funded campaign that raised the money to acquire it.
The 1998 Steinway Model D, purchased from a wholesale dealer in New Jersey, arrived at Coral Shores High School ahead of the 2027 season. The instrument spent its life in a private estate and appears to have been rarely played. It joins a second Steinway Model D already in service at the association’s Marathon venue, acquired in 2010, making the 2027 season the first in the organization’s history in which both concert venues will feature a Steinway concert grand.
“We have always worked to bring world-class artists to the Florida Keys,” said Norman Werbner, Program Director of the Florida Keys Concert Association. “Now we are giving those artists the world-class instrument their art deserves and giving our Upper Keys audiences an experience they will feel from the first note.”
The acquisition traces its origins to a single moment after a February 2023 concert where FLKCA President, Pat Key, noticed that the Upper Keys performance using a six-foot Petrof piano felt less vibrant than concerts in Marathon, where a nine-foot Steinway was in use.
“I asked whether the difference might be the piano,” said Key. “The answer was a resounding yes. So, I said, let’s raise the money and get another Steinway. The community made it happen.”
The search for the right instrument took time. The association evaluated multiple pianos, including a candidate in Fort Lauderdale that was ultimately passed over for sound below FLKCA standards. The organization notes that because Steinway pianos are hand-made, no two Steinway pianos sound alike, making the search more art than transaction. A tip about the New Jersey instrument led the association to arrange an independent evaluation before considering purchase. The assessment was unambiguous.
“His words were, ‘This is an amazing piano — don’t let it get away,'” said Werbner. “We booked a flight to Newark two days later.”
FLKCA has now engaged Karl Roederer, a former Steinway technician who spent his career preparing instruments for major national and international concert artists, who will prepare the newly acquired instrument for concert use, performing a full regulation and any additional servicing required to bring the piano to peak performance.
The Steinway Model D, at nearly nine feet in length, is the largest piano Steinway & Sons manufactures and is the standard instrument for professional concert performances worldwide. A new Model D carries a list price of approximately $230,000; FLKCA’s campaign targeted a used instrument at roughly half that cost.
“FKLCA wishes to acknowledge the many donors who made this exceptional acquisition possible with special thanks to Dr. Sally Bauer, John and Sally Eaton for their exceedingly generous donations and an anonymous angel who funded the remaining balance needed,” Key emphasized.
The 2027 FLKCA season line up has been announced, at least four of the six Upper Keys concerts will feature the new Steinway. Season tickets and single-concert tickets are available now at https://floridakeysconcerts.
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