Lofoten Folkehögskole
Lofoten Folkehøgskole is often used for lectures during the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival. The school has a suitable auditorium with its own concert grand piano, which is frequently used. At the festival's concerts in the Lofoten Cathedral - just a few hundred meters away - it is common for the artists to warm up right there.
STEINWAY & SON'S MODEL B, 2013
The prehistory of the instrument is actually about a fire in Easter 2013. Admittedly, there was no major damage to the building, but smoke and water damage still significantly affected the inventory. In the auditorium there was, among other things, an old Petrof grand piano with major damage.
The principal Brynjar Tollefsen, who is interested in music, was tasked by the insurance company with finding an expert who could give an opinion on the damage. Brynjar - who is also chairman of the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival - contacted Knut Kirkesæther. After an inspection, it was found that the instrument had to be condemned.
A SUITABLE INSTRUMENT OF GOOD QUALITY
The value of the older grand piano was set by the insurance company at NOK 250,000. At the same time, Trond Hellstrøm had on Hellstrom Piano in Oslo fully restored a Steinway & Sons model B from approx. year 1920. The grand piano looked confusingly like a new one. Here too, Christian Ihle Hadland was used as a consultant. He just sighed in relief at this instrument's qualities.
The price of the newly renovated instrument was set at NOK 260,000. In other words, Lofoten Folkehøgskole replaced its older Petrof with a newly renovated Steinway & Sons model B for a deposit of NOK 10,000. Talk about a bargain!
The instrument arrived in Kabelvåg before the school had been fully renovated, and was therefore first used in Henningsvær Church during the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival 2013. The instrument spent the rest of the waiting time at home in Brynjar Tollefsen's living room.