Steinway & Sons Presents Free Piano Festival to Benefit CHOP This Week

From today, June 3 through Saturday June 6, 2015, a free piano festival will transform the stages and streets of Cape May. "Steinway & Sons Comes to Cape May", sponsored by Jacobs Music Company, the region's exclusive representative for new and authentically restored Steinway & Sons pianos, has been planned to benefit The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Classical, jazz and pop piano music will be performed on the 9-foot Steinway & Sons concert grand piano owned by legendary virtuoso pianist Vladimir Horowitz. On Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6, there will be three upright pianos placed in locations throughout Cape May's downtown for anyone who is inspired to play them. These events have been planned to benefit CHOP and to demonstrate what Al Rinaldi, the late chairman of Jacobs Music Company, always said, "A Life without music is a life without meaning".

The four-day event includes a showcase for hundreds of South Jersey music students of all ages, from 7 to 85 years of age. They have all participated in a performathon pledge drive, created to bring the healing gift of music to families at CHOP through the donation of a Steinway grand piano for the hospital lobby. The students who have raised funds will have the privilege of performing throughout the week, many of them playing the Vladimir Horowitz piano in Cape May Convention Hall. All concerts and performances taking place this week are free of charge, and voluntary donations will be dedicated to the Jacobs Music Piano Fund for CHOP.

Mayor Edward Mahaney of Cape May is overwhelmed by the generosity of Jacobs Music Company. He said, "The City of Cape May is thrilled to be associated with Jacobs Music Company and Steinway & Sons to produce a piano festival that has so much value. It is promoting lifelong music education while generating revenue to purchase a grand piano for the benefit of the children and families being treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We are honored to be a part of this."

Cape May's oceanfront Convention Hall will echo with the piano music of student performers beginning Wednesday, June 3 at 7 p.m. The festival will culminate on Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. with Saturday Night at the Steinway Piano in Memory of Al Rinaldi, a showcase of piano greats who will gather to perform to honor their friend and advocate, who passed away in 2014. Artists will include classical pianists Bill Carr, Igor Resnianski, and Veda Zuponcic as well as jazz and pop entertainers Dominic Cicchetti, Andy Kahn, Peggy King and the All-Star Jazz Trio and Stormin' Norman Seldin.

"This festival brings together so much that matters deeply to our family and our company," said Robert Rinaldi, Senior Vice President Sales, Merchandising and Customer Service of Jacobs Music. "At a personal level, my daughter Giulianna's life was saved by the world class care at CHOP. Almost seven years ago, my daughter Giulianna was born with Down Syndrome with severe heart defects and received several procedures including open-heart surgery there. I recall the long walk from the Wood Center garage through the lobby to the surgical center when my wife and I had to hand off our daughter to the surgical team and hope for a positive outcome." Our hope now is that families taking that same walk and living similar experiences will be uplifted by beautiful, live piano music playing in the lobby performed by patients, their families and the doctors and nurses at Children's Hospital."

When asked why his Jacobs Music Company chose Cape May, Rinaldi continued and said, "Cape May is where our family vacationed and it was here that my dad developed a life-long friendship and musical relationship with one of this city's legends of jazz, the late Steinway artist George Mesterhazy. We are proud that our events take place the same week as the 4th Annual George Mesterhazy Tribute Concert. It's as if my dad and George are side by side in the celebration of music. "

Here is a list of key venues and performers for "Steinway & Sons Comes To Cape May." All events are free and open to the public.

· Wednesday, June 3, the festival officially launches at 7 p.m. at Cape May Convention Hall with the first performathon recitals by music students who have raised money by receiving sponsorships for their practice time. Music studios will include the students of Barbara Kornbluh of Pittsgrove, whose classes have already raised over $10,000, and those of Hammonton teacher Susan Leiser.

· Thursday, June 4, at 7 p.m. two local choirs will perform at Convention Hall accompanied on the Horowitz piano by Dr. Richard Stanislaw.

· Friday, June 5 in the afternoon, the West Chester University Faculty Jazz Band, under the direction of Dr. Chris Hanning, will perform open air on the deck of Cape May Convention Hall.

· Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6, the public is invited to perform on three Steinway upright pianos that will be located throughout town. They will be at: The Inn of Cape May at 7 Ocean St, on Washington Street Mall at 415 Washington St, and on the deck in front of Cape May Convention Hall.

· Saturday, June 6, 7:30 p.m. at the Cape May Convention Hall, "Saturday Night at the Steinway Piano" features artists Bill Carr, Domenic Cicchetti, Andy Kahn, Peggy King & The All-Star Jazz Trio, Igor Resnianski, Stormin' Norman Seldin and Veda Zuponcic, in a showcase of classical, jazz and pop artists performing in memory of Al Rinaldi, late Chairman of Jacobs Music Company.

Jacobs Music Company is the area's exclusive representative for new and authentically restored Steinway & Sons, Steinway's Boston and Steinway's Essex pianos. Jacobs also represents many other quality piano manufacturers from around the world, including Yamaha, Disklavier and Clavinova. Jacobs Music Company has six showrooms, including its flagship location at 1718 Chestnut Street in center city Philadelphia. Other regional piano showrooms are located in Willow Grove and Whitehall, PA, Lawrenceville and Cherry Hill, NJ and Wilmington, DE. Further information is available on their website www.Jacobsmusic.com or by calling 215-568-7800.

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