DITMARS — Steinway & Sons' pianos are regarded as among the best in the world — and all of the company’s instruments sold in the U.S. are made right here in Queens.
NYC & Company, the city's tourism arm, spotlighted the famed piano-makers with a special tour of the Astoria factory on Tuesday with renowned pianist Lang Lang, the city's cultural ambassador.
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Lang was walked through Steinway & Sons' 440,000-square-foot factory space, located on Steinway Place off 19th Avenue near the East River, one of just two factories where the company makes its famous pianos (the other is in Hamburg, Germany.)
See the Facebook live video of the tour below:
Steinway started manufacturing in Queens during the second half of the 19th century, moving all of its production operations from Manhattan to Astoria by the early 1900s, according to spokesman Anthony Gilroy.
Today, the factory makes about 1,100 grand pianos and a few hundred upright pianos a year — what Gilroy says averages to about six pianos a day — in addition to restoring about 200 old pianos annually.
Building each new instrument takes about 11 months to complete, not counting the time that Steinway ages the wood, which can be for up to two years, he said.
"These are handcrafted instruments. Each one is not the same," Gilroy said.
Since each Steinway is unique, a customer selecting the piano they want to buy can often take hours, as they test out each instrument to find the one that’s right for them, he said.
Pianos aren't sold out of the Queens factory but at Steinway Hall, a retail center and performance space on 6th Avenue and 43rd Street in Manhattan. There are also nearby retails showrooms on Long Island and in New Jersey and Connecticut, according to Gilroy.
Workers at the factory are trained in their craft through what Gilroy described as an "old-school apprenticeship," where they start out with simple jobs, like sweeping the floors, and move up to more skilled departments throughout their careers.
"There's many people that have worked here many decades," he said.
Steinway & Sons offers public tours of its Astoria factory every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., though demand is high, so it can take months to score a spot. To request a reservation, email tours@steinway.com.
