Narrow Piano Keys Celebrated at International Stretto Piano Festival

The annual festival aims to make piano-playing more equitable for all hand sizes and will see its closing night celebration streamed on The Violin Channel on Saturday, July 22 at 7 PM ET

Created in 2021 by the New York City-based pianist, educator, and singer Hannah Reimann, the International Stretto Piano Festival is featuring over 35 international pianists playing on pianos with narrower keys than the conventional piano.

Hosted by Reimann’s Stretto Piano Concerts and entering its third edition, the festival is a celebration of the Stretto Piano and its aim in giving pianists a choice of piano key size. 

Stretto Piano Concerts is currently raising funds to create the premiere unique, piano-centered concert hall in downtown New York City where pianists from all over the world can have a choice of piano key size, especially where pianists with small and medium-sized hands can play pianos with narrow “stretto” keys.

"Reach a tenth when you usually reach a ninth! Reach an octave when you usually reach a seventh! Raising money to create this hall will be world-changing, " Reimann said.

The festival is being held from July 15-23, 2023 — through free, online concerts from stages, universities, and studios worldwide and ticketed, in-person concerts at Baruch Performing Arts Center’s Engelman Recital Hall in New York City. 

The in-person festival concerts will take place between July 18–22, 2023, featuring international pianists, including Christopher O’Riley, Roger Lord, Ran Feng, Steve Sandberg, Luiz Simas, Anna Arazi, and renowned composer, David Amram. 

Programs will include solo piano works, chamber groups, and music from Bach to Joni Mitchell. A Music Lover’s Concert and a Children & Teens concert will be held for the community of pianists wanting to try out the Stretto Piano.  

The online concerts will also feature students, professors, and friends of the Chetham's School of Music, in Manchester, the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, in Germany, and the University of Auckland, in New Zealand.  

“I would like [audiences] to be interested in trying Stretto pianos,” Reimann told The Violin Channel in a recent interview. “I'd like their curiosity to be piqued and for them to see that this is not a joke. This is not a toy piano, this is not something that’s ‘less than’ or ‘inferior to.’ 

“I want them to feel its empowerment and experience it for themselves, wherever they can, all over the world,” she continued. “If they are interested in joining our community and trying a Stretto piano, no matter their location, we will do our best to connect them with our community.”

“I tried this piano in 1998 and used the Schumann Toccata as my first test piece,” reflected Swedish pianist Roland Pöntinen. “This is a particularly taxing piece for normal-sized hands and I was amazed!” 

For the full festival schedule and to purchase tickets, click here.

Following the standardization of the piano in the mid-to-late 19th century, pianists with smaller hands, especially women, have found the conventional size of the keys challenging to play and have even experienced playing-related injuries. There is now a growing community of pianists around the world that believe that one size does not fit all, and are working to make piano playing more equal. 

In 1997, Reimann independently rebuilt her own Steinway piano with narrow keys to accommodate her hand size. Her endeavor was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, which described her as a “musician on a mission to make the world safe for small pianists.”

The International Stretto Piano Festival features the collaboration of fellow pioneers and Stretto Piano experts, including classical virtuoso and Southern Methodist University piano professor, Carol Leone; and the coordinator of Pianists for Alternately Sized Keyboards, Australian Rhonda Boyle.