BILLINGS — The corridor that connects the library and the liberal arts building at MSU-Billings will have a new addition this upcoming school year.
A grand piano, donated by Billings resident Casey Page, is now expected to bring a bit of musical joy to students, professors, and university visitors as they traverse through the university's busy campus.
Learn 40 years of history behind the piano below:
Once the new school year at MSU-B begins, the sweet sound of music will now fill the halls of the university.
"It's a good story. It's a great place for it. We're just happy to have it be part of our home here in this building," said Tami Haaland, the liberal arts dean at the university.
While the piano now sits in a well-lit busy hallway, it's the last place you may expect to find a Young Chang G185 piano.
According to John Roberts, the chair of the music department, the piano is at the perfect place to be played by passersby who may not be a part of the music program.
"It brings a touch of class... to the room it's played in," Roberts said Wednesday. "I hope it brings some life to the space here and the students that play it," he said.
On Wednesday, Roberts brought music to the corridor, giving visitors a taste of the upcoming school year.
"I just think that it's a good opportunity for people to have receptions and concerts in a different part of the campus," he said.
While the piano's beauty may enchant anyone who walks by it, the story behind the piano is the star of the show.
"I loved the idea of bringing it somewhere that it would be played. I always felt guilty that it was in my house not getting played," said Casey Page, the piano's donor.
Page is a creative at heart. She's a photographer, the marketing director at RiverStone Health, and she comes from a musical family.
"My grandmother was really passionate about volunteering and giving back to her community," she said Wednesday. "I came from a very musical family."
The piano's story begins in Sandpoint, Idaho.
The Festival at Sandpoint is a nonprofit organization that hosts various concerts throughout the summer. In the 1980s, the music festival included a summer music education program, the Schweitzer Institute of Music. The institute was run by world-renowned musician and composer, Guenther Schuller, who would host other musicians to teach the program, including trumpet player Wynton Marsalis.
According to Page, her grandparents, who lived in Idaho, would host some of the musicians throughout the summer, including Marsalis.
During the summer of 1989, Page's grandparents grew fond of Marsalis when they hosted him. It was during a fundraiser for the institute when the piano was auctioned to Page's grandparents. When Page's grandparents purchased the piano, both Marsalis and Schuller signed the inside.
Marsalis even addressed his signature to Page's grandparents as "Mom and Dad," proving the depth of their relationship.
"If I remember correctly, one of the fundraisers was auctioning off some of the instruments used, and this piano was one of them," said Page.
Page eventually inherited the piano from her grandmother in 2012. Page said while she knows how to play the piano, as the years went on, she started playing less and less. Rather than the piano collecting dust, Page decided to give the piano away in hopes of bringing musical education back to the community.
According to Page, her grandparents purchased the piano in the 1980s for the same reason.
"She really enjoyed giving back, and I think this really honors that, and really honors the educational legacy of that instrument," said Page.
Now Page and Haaland at MSU-B hope the piano's legacy will continue to bring joy to any who plays or listens to its music.
"I think it's just a beautiful venue to be able to sit and play piano, or sit and listen to someone else play piano," said Page.
"To me, it's very exciting. I am happy to have this instrument in the building," said Haaland. "The story continues now."
To learn more about the piano's journey and musical legacy, visit this link.
