Rancho Dominguez, CA • July, 2010 - Wheaton College, one of the nation's premier Christian colleges, has selected a Shigeru Kawai concert grand for its primary performance venue, Edman Memorial Chapel. The selection in May of 2010, made possible by a generous alumni gift, is the capstone purchase in a series of piano acquisitions that has placed Wheaton College among an elite and growing group of music schools designated as Kawai EPIC Institutions.

The selection process for Wheaton College's piano decision was quite unique for a college setting. Normally, piano selection committees travel from store to store to evaluate various pianos from different makers. In this case, Wheaton College invited three major piano brands—Shigeru Kawai, Fazioli and Steinway—to provide a concert grand to participate in a rigorous side-by-side evaluation and comparison conducted by members of the piano faculty and other important stakeholders.

"It was not an easy decision, as all three pianos were of high quality," said Daniel Paul Horn, professor of piano and chair of keyboard studies at Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. "However, as the morning progressed, we all kept coming back to the Shigeru Kawai. Its tone is quite distinctive; although mellow and dark-hued, the sound seemed to carry very well in the space. It felt very comfortable under the hands, and we found ourselves enjoying it more and more as we got better acquainted with it. We all came to a clear consensus by the end of the morning, and are pleased with the outcome of this process."

"We are working very hard to make Wheaton the place for 21st century Christian education in music," said Tony Payne, Director of the Conservatory of Music. "We demand the highest possible level of technical and artistic achievement in performance, composition and teaching. By demanding the same high standards from our musical instruments, we can be certain that our students have the finest tools available to achieve their potential."

Wheaton College is a top-ranked, academically rigorous Christian liberal arts college located west of Chicago in Wheaton, Illinois. The Conservatory of Music has nineteen full-time faculty members and approximately 200 undergraduate music majors, and is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.