Enkei America made a major gift to the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic this week — a world-class Shigeru Kawai grand piano.
David Bowden, the music director and conductor of the orchestra called it a breathtaking gift, astonishing in its generosity.
The aluminum-wheel manufacturer has a factory in the Walesboro area. Enkei America CEO Junichi Suzuki said that the company is impressed by the community’s focus on arts and music and means for the gift to be available for generations to come.
According to the Philharmonic, the instrument will be available for use by the community for appropriate musical events. A home for the instrument hasn’t been finalized but The Commons is a likely place, said Margaret Powers, the philharmonic’s executive director.
The nine foot long piano weighs more than 1,100 pounds and fewer than 20 are produced a year.