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Article: A Steinway Virtuoso.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Crain's New York Business
- Article date:
- November 9, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Hilary Potkewitz
when wally boot puts the finishing touches on a grand piano, the last thing he does is carve the serial number into the shelf below the keys, by hand. On this day, it's 586,554. That's also the number of pianos manufactured by Steinway & Sons, based in Astoria, Queens, since its founding in 1853. [paragraph] At 18, Mr. Boot followed his three older brothers onto the factory floor. "It was a neighborhood job, shrugs the 65-year-old craftsman. He was born about two blocks away, one of eight children, to a stonemason and a homemaker. "They moved on; I stayed. [paragraph] He worked his way up to ...