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1784steinpiano-scaled
1775 Berent grand piano first American commercial piano

Instrument Adoption Program

Adopting an instrument helps ensure the maintenance, storage, study, and display of the Museum’s collection.

Why Adopt an Instrument?

A special way to support the collection is through our Instrument Adoption Program. By adopting an instrument, your donation ensures proper display, maintenance, and use of the instrument. Your name will be prominently displayed with the instrument, and you will remain a permanent part of the instrument support catalog.

There are several different tiers of adoption packages, so you can find an instrument that fits you and your giving goals! Tier 1 is the highest level of adoption package, occupied by Queen Charlotte’s 1761 Jacob Kirkman Double-Manual Harpsichord. Each instrument has a corresponding tier listed when you hover over or click on it. The instruments listed below are currently on display in the Museum.

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How it Works

Adoption Tiers

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Info 2

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Info 3

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Example of Name Recognition Plaques

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Individuals

Companies

Instruments Available for Adoption

1769 Pascal Taskin Double-Manual Harpsichord

Among the finest harpsichords in the world and recorded many times, this Taskin was the former property of Mlle Guerville, Paris. It was restored in the mid-twentieth century when the keyboards, lid, and legs were replaced.
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1660 Anonymous Italian Harpsichord

This instrument features the inner-outer construction as with the Baffo virginals, with an outer case painted dark green and a large lock on the cheek, which are thought to be contemporary to the rest of the instrument. The inner instrument case is unpainted as usual, with a square tail.
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  • Adopted by: Alex & Victoria Trepetin, in honor of their daughter Yelena Trepetin

Johan Berent Piano, 1775, First piano commercially made and sold in America

When this Johan Berent piano re-emerged from its 246-year seclusion, mostly spent within the original family, it created an immediate sensation. The advertisement for this particular piano in the Pennsylvania Packet in early 1775, is among the best-known notices from colonial times in America.
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Currently Adopted

We are grateful for the generous support of persons below for their contributions to support the maintenance, storage, and display of these fine instruments.

1859 Steinway Grand Piano
  • Adopted by: Their friends at The Woodlands of Furman, in honor of Don & Doris Ferguson

1859 Steinway Grand Piano

This grand, which would later become the Steinway Concert D style, is an enormous achievement to have been brought forward in only three years. It is the very last Steinway ever made without the overstrung design, and one of only two surviving pianos with Henry Steinway’s original action, in this case unaltered in any way.
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Begin the Adoption Process
1863 Erard grand piano
  • Adopted by: Ruby Morgan

1863 Erard Freres Grand Piano

The firm of Erard was a pioneering enterprise, first established in Paris before the French Revolution, and then in London in the mid-1790s. During the 1820s, they developed the double escapement that is the model for all modern piano actions, and their pianos were among the very finest in the world in the mid-nineteenth century. The London branch focused on fancy cases, and this piano is a shining example of their work. Veneered in burl walnut, only the book match pattern gives a clue as to where the seams were located. Sonically, it is among the finest pianos in the world for an instrument of this period.
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Storytone electric piano
  • Adopted by: Jeff Whitehead

1939 "Storytone" Electric Piano, Story & Clark / RCA

The StoryTone piano made use of the Benjamin Miessner patents and RCA electronics to create a durable instrument that has become highly regarded by period curators. A radio and phonograph are fitted into the bench that plays through the electronics inside the piano. It uses electric pickups similar to an electric guitar in lieu of a soundboard, and without the soundboard to dissipate the energy, the vibration of the string can continue for far longer than any conventional piano.
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Begin the Adoption Process
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There's More to be Inspired By

The Sigal Music Museum is home to hundreds of historically significant instruments by some of the most iconic makers of the past 400 years. Plan your visit to visit Sigal Music Museum today.

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