Ratcliffe College celebrates prestigious ‘All-Steinway School’ status

We are delighted to announce that Ratcliffe College is an All-Steinway School. As a School with outstanding commitment to musical excellence, this prestigious accolade will enhance music-making for the College’s budding musicians, and Music Scholars.

Steinway & Sons has been crafting the finest grand pianos in the world for over 160 years. Steinway pianos are the epitome of elegance and excellence. Their uncompromising craftmanship demands the highest standards for sound, touch, beauty, and value.

With this new status, the College will lease fourteen new Steinway & Sons’ pianos, including four grand concert models. One 9-foot Model D Steinway Concert Grand is destined for the Music Hall and will stand as the centrepiece of all future recitals and performances at the College.

Students at Ratcliffe College can benefit from one-to-one masterclasses, meeting and playing alongside professional concert Pianists and Ambassadors of Steinway & Sons.

Max Harris, Director of Music, comments,

I am truly thrilled that Ratcliffe College will be joining forces with Steinway & Sons in our quest to provide simply the best musical experiences for our students – it is no coincidence that 19 out of 20 concert Pianists choose a Steinway grand piano. I strongly believe that every child deserves the right to an outstanding musical education, and our partnership underlines Ratcliffe’s commitment to excellence in the arts, and its dedication to nurturing the God-given talents of our students.”

Headmaster, Mr Jonathan Reddin, is delighted with the College’s new status,

We are delighted to have partnered with Steinway & Sons as we strive to create inspirational learning environments to support academic and co-curricular excellence. Our vibrant Music Department is blessed with so many enthusiastic and talented students and staff who are passionate about music. It is fitting that the College provide the very best resources for them to develop their talents. We believe that our partnership with Steinway & Sons will encourage our current students to even greater accomplishments whilst inspiring future generations to pursue their musical abilities.”

 Ahead of the new pianos arriving this month, four Ratcliffe College Music Scholars visited the Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg at the end of the last academic year to select the final collection. This trip was a memorable and rewarding experience for them.

Ratcliffe College will be donating some of their current non-Steinway pianos to local schools/organisations, to make room for the new pianos. If any schools / organisations are interested in purchasing a piano or would like to find out more, please contact mharris@ratcliffecollege.com

Ratcliffe College look ahead to an exciting launch event to mark such an occasion later this month.

Music Scholarships – applications open for 2025 entry

Are you a talented musician, composer, performer, writer, or artist? We are now taking Scholarship Applications (Year 7 and Year 12 only) for September 2025 entry. The deadline for applications is Saturday 30^th November 2024.

scholarships at ratcliffe

If you would like to find out more about the Scholarships programme, please contact our Admissions Team on 01509 817072 / admissions@ratcliffecollege.com.

Join us at our next Open Morning

Our Steinway & Sons piano collection will be on display at our next Open Morning, Saturday 21^st September 2024, 9.30am – 12.00pm. Come along to see these magnificent pianos on campus, speak with our Music department and discover the endless opportunities to study Music and the Arts at Ratcliffe College.

book your place