Phoenix Pianos will supply several instruments for the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, London, in summer of 2019.

Several rooms, including the rebuilt 1800-capacity Phoenix Concert Hall, will be equipped with three grand pianos and several upright pianos.

Phoenix has joined forces with BH Live to supply Fairfield Halls with a range of its finest instruments when the venue opens later this year. This includes upright and grand pianos, including the flagship Model 272 concert grand, to be situated in what will become known as the venue’s Phoenix Concert Hall.

Phoenix Pianos Founder and Chairman Richard Dain established a strong working relationship with Steingraeber & Söhne as a UK dealer for their pianos over a decade ago. Steingraeber are now contracted to build the acoustic body of Phoenix instruments, which otherwise feature Phoenix-patented technologies, including agraffes and unique carbon fibre soundboards made in the UK.

As such, Phoenix are creating the world’s most technologically–advanced pianos, utilising quality materials and superior craftsmanship in their Kent-based workshop. Their pianos have been played in concerts all over the world including by the internationally-acclaimed Anton Lyakhovsky and Oliver Poole.

During 2019, BH Live will be launching the Phoenix Piano Academy at Fairfield Halls led by Fred Scott, Associated Artist for Music & Education. Its inaugural term starts in September with registration available later this year.

London Mozart Players (LMP), the UK’s longest-established professional chamber orchestra, will be returning as the venue’s resident orchestra. The new concert grand piano will be played at a gala performance during September 2019. LMP will also be curating a lunchtime concert season in the venue’s Arnhem Foyer, providing free classical music for all.

“The quality of Phoenix pianos and the passion of its local team is unparalleled” says Neil Chandler, BH Live’s venue director at Fairfield Halls.

“To partner with an award-winning company, that has such a rich history and is at the heart of piano technology, perfectly aligns with our vision for musical excellence.”

Councillor Oliver Lewis, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, adds, “We have 93,000 young people in Croydon and are proud of every single one of them. It’s fantastic that our young people will be able to learn and play on these wonderful instruments in an iconic venue, Fairfield Halls. It’s also great to hear London Mozart Players are returning to Fairfield Halls as our resident orchestra and I can’t wait to see them perform for the people of Croydon.”

Julia Desbruslais, CEO London Mozart Players and Artistic Associate for Classical Music for Fairfield Halls commented, “For the past three years during the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls, the LMP has seized the opportunity to develop and build a new audience in Croydon for classical music, exploring venues, devising projects with diverse collaborations and reaching out to the whole community.”

“We are very excited to be bringing our audience back to a ‘state-of-the-art’ concert hall which has been the home of the LMP for nearly thirty years, to deliver a programme of world-class soloists and music-making to delight the people of Croydon.”

More details about the London Mozart Players programme and Phoenix Piano Academy at Fairfield Halls will be announced at fairfield.co.uk in the coming months.