This weekend, the sound of spring comes alive in our community. The Devils Lake Community Orchestra is preparing a concert filled with music that will lift your spirits—and at the heart of it all is something we often take for granted: the piano. As the music begins, the DLCO is also beginning something new—a campaign to ensure the orchestra has an instrument worthy of the music and the moments we share together.
In 1957, Leo and Alma Studness donated a 7-foot Steinway grand piano to the Devils Lake Schools. Nearly 70 years later, this extraordinary instrument has been played by renowned concert pianists, as well as generations of students and teachers. Its power, touch, and beautiful tone still wow us today!
After decades of use, however, the piano is now ready for reconditioning. A dedicated and resourceful DLPS choir teacher, Ms. Val Ekstrand, secured a $20,000 grant from the Devils Lake Area Foundation to begin the process. The total cost to fully restore the 1957 Steinway Model B at the Steinway factory is estimated at $70,000, leaving $50,000 yet to be raised. A committee has been formed to help the community orchestra with this undertaking.
Some may ask, why not purchase a new piano? The answer lies in Steinway’s unmatched craftsmanship, precision, and use of the highest-quality materials. In the restoration process the committee will evaluate the costs of restoring and purchasing and will take care to make sure our community orchestra has the finest quality instrument possible. The committee believes that restoring this instrument will be more economical and also preserves an instrument of exceptional quality.
This is also a heritage instrument—one that continues to outperform many newer pianos because of how it was originally built. A Steinway expert noted that during the era in which this piano was made, the company used Sitka spruce up to 900 years old for its soundboard, contributing to its rich, resonant tone and structural consistency. Today, such materials are far more limited. Additionally, Steinways refurbished with non-Steinway parts often lose both value and integrity, underscoring the importance of factory restoration.
Alma Mehus Studness herself holds a distinguished place in North Dakota’s musical history. She owned the first Steinway in the state and was a celebrated concert pianist from Brinsmade, N.D., who at the age of 21 was the youngest American to perform a piano solo concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic. She was also the younger sister of Belle Mehus, who founded the Belle Mehus Studio and for whom Bismarck’s Belle Mehus Auditorium is named. Alma studied in Europe with Adele Oster-Auer, one of Franz Liszt’s 13 pupils, and performed widely as a featured soloist.
Before donating this piano to the former Devils Lake High School (now Central Middle School), Alma had provided her personal Steinway for performances, ensuring that visiting musicians with the Lake Region Community Concert Association had access to a world-class instrument. Her strong belief in the importance of quality music in our community led the Studness’ to donate this piano so that concerts could always benefit from its beauty.
The Steinway Reconditioning Fund Committee will launch its fundraising efforts in conjunction with upcoming Devils Lake Community Orchestra (DLCO) concerts on Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 19 at 2:00 p.m. At these events, donors will have the opportunity to “purchase” a key, a chord, an octave, or another symbolic part of the piano—helping sustain music in the Lake Region for generations to come, just as Alma and Leo Studness envisioned.
The concerts will feature talented student musicians, including high school string players Betty Fang and Livia Nelson (violin) and Ishavel Nelson (cello) on Saturday evening. Sunday’s performance will include Ben Bergstrom (Alma and Leo Studness’ grandson) and Jeremiah Johnson performing Bach’s Double Violin Concerto.
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