The Arlington ISD has formed a partnership with Dan Dipert to provide $135,000 in funding for a piano to be located at the AISD Fine Arts Center, scheduled to open in fall 2020.
The Steinway Spirio Model B Grand Piano will be located in the pre-function space of the Fine Arts Center. The Steinway & Sons Spirio is the world's finest high resolution player piano. It enables you to enjoy performances captured by great pianists - played with such nuance, power and passion that it is utterly indistinguishable from a live performance. The Steinway Spirio remains a fully functioning Steinway & Sons piano, with the same level of craftsmanship, so students and special guests will also be able to use the piano for live performances. The AISD is the first district in the country to order a Spirio Model B Grand Piano.
"We are pleased to partner with the Dipert family to bring this outstanding piano to our new Fine Arts center," AISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos said. "The world-class instrument will greet guests as they arrive to our facility and will allow our students to experience the piano themselves and hear recordings featuring everything from Bach to Irving Berlin to Billy Joel."
The Fine Arts Center will serve the entire district, prekindergarten through 12th grade, with world-class performance and demonstration venues, along with classroom and gallery space. It will include a 1,250-seat concert hall, 450-seat theater, art and dance studios, classroom space, instrument repair center, and gallery space.
"As a strong supporter of the arts and education, I'm excited to partner with the district to provide this unique opportunity for students and visitors," Dan Dipert said. "To experience playing on a Steinway piano in high school is a tremendous opportunity."
This is one of several strong community partnerships that support the district and its programs - $13 million from Tarrant County College for the Arlington Collegiate High School facility; nearly $2.1 million from Raise Your Hand Texas, the Meadows Foundation, American Express and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Sid Richardson Foundation, and the Rainwater Charitable Foundation for the Emerging Leaders Program; full funding from the Holdsworth Center for leadership training; $1.1 million from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington for an after-school center within Peach Elementary; $500,000 from Texas Trust Credit Union for an outdoor performance area at one of the district's fine arts/dual language academies; more than $200,000 from Moritz Dealerships for the automotive technology program; $75,000 Perkins Reserve grant for an Anatomage table; nearly $100,000 from the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Arlington Youth Foundation for programs including the AISD Back to School Kickoff, a character training initiative for secondary coaches and athletes and funding for all fifth graders to take part in the art tour at AT&T Stadium; and $1.85 million from the Gene and Jerry Jones Arlington Youth Foundation, NFL Foundation, and Hellas Construction to replace the current grass on the field at Workman Junior High School with a synthetic turf surface, as well as upgrade and replace the lighting and scoreboard.
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