LOS ANGELES, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- World-renowned and groundbreaking
concert pianist/composer Carter Larsen is selling his piano collection of
twenty-five years to benefit the arts and humanities. Inaugurating the sale is
his 1876 Steinway, representing the flagship to an unparalleled collection of
the world's finest pianos. The $800,000 Steinway will be on display in the
Burgundy Room at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel June 23, 2008 and auctioned
through eBay, CraigsList, and OperationofHope.org starting tomorrow. The
composer will perform pieces created on this piano from his revolutionary
Fantasia Suite at 2:00pm.
Fifteen percent of the proceeds go to Operation of Hope after a birthday
wish to change his life, Larsen explains, "I wish to spread the fortune I have
received. This is a spiritual decision and my responsibility to humanity."
Operation of Hope is an international organization that provides free
reconstructive surgeries to individuals in Zimbabwe and Ecuador for the past
twenty years. PEOPLE will run an eight-page article on this amazing
organization in coming weeks. http://www.operationofhope.org.
Larsen's one of a kind, customized, 1876 Victorian Steinway commemorates
the centennial of America with a stunning New York Vintage Brazilian Rosewood
case in high-gloss, representing the quintessential instrument-a hybrid of
romance, fantasy and high-tech German Steinway's Renner-action sound board and
strings. The piano was exhibited in the 2003 Namm Show, displayed by Chateau
at the Pacific Design Center during 2004 in Los Angeles, and played on by
Pierce Brosnan and Sir Anthony Hopkins who came to the composer seeking
musical advice. Larsen's Steinway celebrates the 300th anniversary of the
piano and the 150th anniversary of Steinway.
Steinway's artist Carter Larsen says, "This piano goes beyond its
credentials. It has been a magical piano inspiring a continuous flow of
creativity." Larsen is renowned as a concert pianist in Europe with over
four-hundred concerts to his credit; performances include the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra as soloist with
television appearances on BBC and PBS.
Larsen's pianos also have a legacy of twenty years of composition, writing
for the major studios such as Fox, Paramount, PBS, BBC, and Discovery. He has
composed music for over thirty prestigious films including Paramount's Star
Trek, Nosferatu, Masterpiece Theatre, and the Mark of Zorro. The composer is
currently scoring Martin Scorcese's new film, Something to Believe In,
directed by Bonnie Palif.
Larsen is also offering a bonus to the buyer-a private performance of his
magnum opus Fantasia Suite, created on his Steinway piano. "Carter Larsen's
innovative artistry has universal appeal and promises to set the course for
the next wave in contemporary music" says Omega Medina, ten year head of the
classical Grammies, who will be present on the 23rd.
The composer just returned from a sensational tour introducing his music
to China's thirty million pianists. "Fantasia Suite is about projecting and
reflecting a brighter world," says Larsen whose sale will benefit nonprofits,
organizations both nationally and internationally, as well as the arts and
humanities. For more information visit http://www.carterlarsen.com.
SOURCE Carter Larsen
Andrea Sims of Lion's Share Communications, Inc., +1-703-589-7400,
Andrea@lionsshareinc.com, for Carter Larsen
