Luca Fazioli Visits Lewis & Clark College
Accompanied by Mitch Paola, owner of Portland Piano Company, and Music Department Chair Susan Smith, Luca removed the piano’s keyboard, and thoroughly inspected each hammer, as well as the piano’s soundboard. Luca also polished the brass emblem on the side of the piano, and then played the instrument and listened to its dynamic sound.
The Fazioli company produces around 140 highly-coveted pianos per year, showing great care and attention to detail with each instrument. The soundboard of the Fazioli piano is made with Italian Red Spruce, which grows very slowly and therefore straight, allowing the sound to travel smoothly through the grain of the wood.
In 2015, the Department of Music purchased the instrument from Portland Piano Company (which was the first 9’ Fazioli sold in Oregon), with the help of a generous gift by a trustee. The iconic concert grand piano has been played in countless recitals, ensemble concerts, and weddings, as well as masterclasses by Angela Hewitt (2019) and piano duo Stephanie & Saar (2022).
-
Lewis & Clark’s Fazioli piano -
Lewis & Clark’s Fazioli piano -
Lewis & Clark’s Fazioli piano -
Susan DeWitt Smith plays the Fazioli piano -
Luca Fazioli plays Lewis & Clark’s Fazioli piano in the Agnes Flanagan Chapel -
Luca Fazioli and Mitch Paola inspecting the instrument -
Luca Fazioli inspecting the instrument -
Luca Fazioli and Susan DeWitt Smith -
Luca Fazioli and Susan DeWitt Smith -
Luca polishes the Fazioli emblem -
Luca inspects each hammer -
Luca inspects the soundboard of the Fazioli -
Luca inspects the soundboard of the Fazioli -
Mitch Paola and Luca Fazioli -
Luca slides the keyboard back into the body of the piano -
Susan DeWitt Smith and Luca Fazioli
More Stories
Music Professor Cox Receives 2025 GRAMMY-Nomination
Visiting Professor of Music John Cox has received a GRAMMY® nomination for his work on the album Clear Voices in the Dark. The album features Francois Poulenc’s Figure Humaine—one of the most powerful anti-fascist artistic expressions from the 20th century—a seven-movement secular cantata written in 1943 during the German occupation of France.
Arts@LC
This (Anti)Valentine’s Concert Is Sure to Mend Any Broken Heart
The (Anti)Valentine’s Concert, an annual Lewis & Clark tradition, will feature the musical groups Cappella Nova, Kith & Kin, Community Chorale, Voces Auream, as well as several talented soloists. Come see this fun, lighthearted production on Wednesday, February 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Evans Auditorium.
Immersive Learning
Catching the Beat of Portland’s Music Scenes
Students in the Portland Music Scenes course connect directly with the city’s varied music communities—from country to jazz, punk to R&B, taiko to Irish trad—while learning to use the tools of ethnomusicology.
Watzek First Friday
Watzek First Fridays expand to more Arts Fridays in February! LC Chamber Music String Trio kicks off the First Fridays for the year.