The Journey Begins for our Steinway Piano
A careful restoration now underway
In August 2025, Siamsa Tíre was awarded €30,000 in funding under the Music Capital Scheme, supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The grant will be used to refurbish our Steinway Model C grand piano, a valued and long-standing part of our venue’s musical life.
The Music Capital Scheme supports organisations that run year-round music programmes, champion professional musicians, and demonstrate a strong record of audience development and community engagement. Other recipients of funding under the scheme include Cork Opera House, the Irish Institute of Music and Song (Dublin), and The Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire.
The investment will ensure that Siamsa Tíre’s Steinway Model C piano continues to support artists and audiences at the highest level for years to come. We look forward to sharing updates on the restoration journey and to welcoming the piano home, renewed and ready for the next chapter of music-making at our theatre.
Discover more about our Steinway Model C piano below, including the technical details of the restoration process and the most recent updates as the work progresses.
About Siamsa Tíre’s Steinway Piano
The Steinway Model C piano has been a central part of Siamsa Tíre’s musical life for many years, supporting countless performances, artists, and audiences.
Made in 1970, Siamsa Tíre’s Steinway Model C-227 piano #463143, measures 227 cm in length, this handcrafted concert grand offers a large variety of sound and touch from soft piano to strong forte, from clear treble to deep bass, dynamic and full of character, a guarantee of musical delight.
Now in need of careful refurbishment, the piano will travel to the Steinway factory in Hamburg, where it will undergo a careful and comprehensive restoration to ensure it continues to serve future generations of musicians.
Why Germany? The replacement of structural elements such as the soundboard, soundposts, or the cast-iron plate with original Steinway parts can only be carried out in the restoration centre at the Steinway factory in Hamburg, as they are not shipped to third parties.
2026 Refurb – The Journey Begins!
15th January 2026 – The piano has been collected by Jeffers of Bandon to begin its journey to the Steinway factory in Hamburg where it will undergo a careful and comprehensive restoration. We expect to welcome it back to Siamsa Tíre by the end of March 2026. In the meantime, a replacement piano will be used for performances, ensuring that our music programme continues uninterrupted.
August 2025 – Siamsa Tíre is awarded €30,000 in funding to restore the piano under the Music Capital Scheme.
January 2025 – An assessment of the condition of the piano and restoration quote was provided by Jeffers of Bandon and a number of other experts throughout the year.
Restoration Process
The piano will be transported to Germany in a specially designed wooden crate to undergo refurbishment including:
Dismantling, attachments and fitting, removing old action parts, strings, tuning pins, removing frame and cleaning of the soundboard.
High gloss or satin finishing of the casework.
Acoustic elements – Sound board repairs and refinishing, bronzing the frame, replacing the agraffes, replacing all felt pads and bearings, new strings and new tuning pins, tuning and stretching the strings 3 times.
Keyboard – Replacement of all felts, cleaning keys, sand, clean and level key frame, regulate and weight.
Lyre – Recondition, clean and replace felts.
Final work – Regulation, tuning and voicing.
Aftercare
To ensure years of reliable performance, our piano is housed in an insulated wooden casing and comes with a custom piano sock that protects it from dust, accidental spills, and humidity fluctuations. The housing also includes a heat bar that maintains a consistent room temperature, safeguarding the instrument against environmental changes.
Vocalising and tuning stability will be carefully adjusted by a technician to maintain a consistent tone. Regular professional inspections by a Steinway-certified technician will be conducted to ensure comprehensive maintenance and optimal performance.
About Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons has been renowned for producing the finest pianos since 1853. Passion and commitment, perfection and quality, reliability and – of course – an inimitable sound are just some of the characteristics people all over the world associate with these high-quality instruments.
From master to pupil, from generation to generation – each STEINWAY is made with decades of experience by passionate craftsmen who lovingly put the instrument together and breathe soul into it, incorporating their uncompromising expertise. With over 135 patents, STEINWAY is considered a pioneer of modern piano manufacturing.
Time is valued highly at Steinway & Sons: the wood used must first be left to dry and mature over an average of two years until it can be optimally worked, followed by almost another year until the Steinway is allowed to leave the workshop. Every grand and upright piano made by STEINWAY & SONS is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and an artwork in itself. Each STEINWAY has its own musical character, making it as unique as the person playing it.
Find out more at https://eu.steinway.com/
