News Release

BOISE STATE NEWS / October 6, 2008

Blue Piano to Play "Rhapsody in Blue" on Blue Field at Halftime of Hawai'i Football Game

A one-of-a-kind event will occur at halftime of the Boise State football game Oct. 17. A unique blue Steinway grand piano will perform Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium.

Mark Hansen, chairman of the Boise State music department, will be playing the piano at the 50-yard line and Jim Ogle, Boise State’s special assistant to the president and conductor emeritus of the Boise Philharmonic, will be leading the Blue Thunder Marching Band. The event is designed to promote Boise State’s All Steinway School initiative.

“This is way beyond the blue and could only happen in Boise,” Ogle said. “I can’t imagine that you will ever see anything like this again.”

The All Steinway School initiative will raise $2.3 million for the purchase of 56 new Steinway pianos, and will make Boise State one of only 63 all-Steinway schools in the United States and the only one in Idaho. The distinction will elevate the music department to the company of Juilliard, the Curtis Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music. Steinway has been making pianos since 1853 and is known as the premier manufacturer of the instrument worldwide.

“Becoming an All Steinway School will significantly elevate the educational experience we offer our students,” Ogle said. “It will put us among the ranks of the finest music programs in the world. It will also create significant opportunities to further engage the community, generate increased interest and support for our programs and provide a powerful recruiting tool for attracting and retaining outstanding students and faculty.”

Boise State plays the University of Hawai’i in football Oct. 17 in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. The blue Steinway is on loan to the music department from Steinway of New York through early November, and will be also featured at a performance for the Oct. 22 Boise State University Foundation board meeting.

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Media Contact: Frank Zang, University Communications, (208) 426-5391, frankzang@boisestate.edu
 
Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing research agenda. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu. 
 

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Last reviewed on Monday, October 06, 2008