In a move that lives up to its motto of ‘Consulto et Audacter’ (purposefully and boldly), St Anne’s College has become the first in Oxford to achieve ‘All-Steinway School’ status. This prestigious designation means that now every piano used for teaching and performance is a Steinway & Sons instrument, whose unparalleled craftsmanship and rich tonal quality have made them concert pianists’ instrument of choice for generations.
The announcement marks a defining moment, not only for music students, but for the entire College community. Professor Martyn Harry, Tutorial Fellow in Music at St Anne’s, told Cherwell: “We are so proud and thrilled… a year ago, this really wouldn’t have seemed possible.”
Unlike many Oxford colleges, St Anne’s doesn’t have a chapel or choral foundation: the former all-women’s College had to decide during its early development between financing either a chapel or a dining hall. Yet, over the past decade, its music culture has quietly become one of the most dynamic in the University. Student success has played no small part. Music undergraduates at St Anne’s have won the University’s prestigious Gibbs Prize, awarded for the highest final-year mark, five times in the last ten years. With its Camerata (a 15-player string orchestra) serving as an alternative to the traditional college choir, St Anne’s has truly leaned into instrumental music and composition.
The momentum has been quietly building, but two shifts provided the final push. Firstly, the opening of the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in 2025 will move the Faculty of Music physically closer to St Anne’s. Harry has already noted a consequential increased interest this year from prospective students.
Secondly, the College’s existing collection of pianos had long been due for an upgrade. “If you’ve ever walked through Hartland House to the dulcet strains of somebody playing the piano in the Danson Room [the St Anne’s JCR], you may have noticed that the quality of the piano has long failed to match the musical talent of our pianists,” Principal Helen King wrote in a College-wide message. With appraisals classifying the College’s pianos “no longer fit for their purpose”, it became clear that these instruments had served their time, and the College began exploring a partnership with Steinway & Sons to replace all seven.
The idea of becoming an All-Steinway School came from Professor John Traill, Director of Music at St Anne’s, and a proposal was made to the governing body jointly with Professor Harry. Their vision was not just about instruments, but cultural identity and, as Professor Harry explained, “not just classical music, but any kind of music-making”. That wider vision proved crucial. Speaking to Cherwell, Harry recalled their proposal receiving “a warm reception”, adding that many STEM professors were particularly supportive, being themselves passionate musicians in private.
When it came to selecting the pianos, a group of ten (including Harry, Traill, and Senior Tutor Dr Shannon McKellar) travelled to Steinway’s historic Hamburg factory to hand-pick the instruments. “The factory hasn’t changed how it makes pianos since 1880,” Harry relayed. Indeed, this is what gives Steinway & Sons pianos their illustrious reputation; a reputation in which St Anne’s may now share.
In the showroom, three St Anne’s pianists (one undergraduate, one master’s student, and Emeritus Fellow, Prof. Jonathan Katz) auditioned five grand pianos. After two hours of playing, one resonated above the rest: so much so that even Steinway’s staff called it “unusually good”. That piano now sits proudly in the Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre, alongside its six Steinway sisters placed across the College.
All-Steinway School status brings far more than the instruments themselves. It provides access to Steinway’s global performance halls, opportunities for masterclasses with Steinway Artists, and links to international music communities. At St Anne’s, however, the greatest benefit may be its accessibility. With seven brand-new Steinway pianos now installed across performance venues, practice rooms, and even social spaces, the College is deepening its commitment to music as a shared, creative and inclusive force. As Harry put it: “Piano playing will become a feature of the College”, with performance opportunities available to all students by arrangement.
The new era was marked in June with ‘A Concert for Seven Pianos’, a sold-out event held in the College dining hall. The programme brought together students, alumnae, and Fellows – including Professors Harry and Traill – to perform across all seven pianos.
Highlights included Traill’s arrangement of the College’s The Gardam Grace for seven pianos and Harry’s Digging Deeper, originally composed in the 1990s for six pianos and now featuring a new part, written for the occasion and performed by Dr McKellar. The programme also saw premieres of two original works by St Anne’s undergraduates: Heptalogue by Nick Samuel and Carillon Dream by Daniel Reynolds, the latter written for an ensemble of fourteen pianists.
So popular was the event that the dining hall’s many glass doors were thrown open, the music spilling into the quad, filled with audience members. It was Reynolds’ piece that closed the evening on a particularly striking note. “It was so ambient and resonant,” according to Harry, “you could hear the birds joining in through the open doors.”
The All-Steinway designation comes at a time of national uncertainty for music education. In February 2025, the Musicians’ Union called on the government to reverse cuts and reinvest in the arts. Against this backdrop, St Anne’s decision feels especially significant. In Harry’s view, it is not just about instruments, but principles: “Steinway themselves really believe in advocating for music, not in an elitist way, but in a way that creates new opportunities for people.” That philosophy mirrors the identity of St Anne’s – long known as one of Oxford’s most inclusive Colleges, with a proud commitment to access and community.
As the Schwarzman Centre opens and St Anne’s steps further into its role as a musical hub within Oxford, the All-Steinway status feels like both a milestone and a statement of intent. “It’s an incredible honour,” Harry concluded. “There are a lot of amazing musical colleges around Oxford, but we are the first All-Steinway school.”
By aligning itself with a name like Steinway & Sons – synonymous with excellence, but grounded in accessibility – St Anne’s has done more than upgrade its pianos. It has affirmed what kind of college it wants to be: one that acts purposefully, and boldly.
