Lyad Sughayer plays Beethoven Third Concerto
Peregrine's Pianos was pleased to again provide a Schimmel 280 concert grand piano for the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra performance last night. Soloist Lyad Sughayer's magical performance of the Beethoven third Concerto was well received. (24th March 2024)
Little Peregrine Inspires Customers
Since June last year Little Peregrine - the bright new home of preowned and hire pianos - has won the affection of many customers. Numerous high quality instruments, often at highly competitive price points, have left here for new homes. (28th February 2024)
Our Pianos going in all Directions
Our transport team has been out in the London traffic. Over the last seven days our grand and upright pianos have gone out for music events into Battersea Arts Centre, The Stationers Hall, Morley College, Kings Place and the British Library. (30th November 2023)
Schimmel Event piano in the BBC Proms
The Aurora Orchestra (BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall) attracted wide-spread acclaim for its performances from memory of the notorious The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky). The two concerts also included a staged introduction to the work for which Peregrine's Pianos supplied a Schimmel Event upright piano - something greatly appreciated by the pianist! (5th September 2023)
Schimmel Dealers in Kalisz 2023
Peregrine's Pianos was pleased to attend the International dealers meeting in Kalisz, Poland and Braunschweig on 11th to 14th June. We were kept informed of new developments in products and finishes, and shared experiences with about one hundred dealers from around the world. Full story here. (15th June 2023)
London's Bright New Home of Preowned and Hire Pianos Opens
A capacity crowd, with many volunteering to present their music, attended the Little Peregrine Opening Party on Sunday. The afternoon included much discussion about the range of second hand pianos and was attended by special guest Annekatrin Förster. London's bright new home is now open for business! (5th June 2023)
Little Peregrine Launch Party
Work has started on a new piano showroom on Grays Inn Road for Peregrine’s Pianos. The premises, previously a restaurant, are adjacent to the present building and will be called “Little Peregrine.” An event to mark the “Little Peregrine” project, attended by a capacity of over fifty customers and trades people, was held in Grays Inn Road on Sunday 5th February. (5th February 2023)
Ariel Lanyi plays Brahms First Concerto
The Maidstone Syphony Orchestra (conductor Brian Wright) performed the Brahms First Concerto with Ariel Lanyi on Saturday at the Mote Hall. Peregrine's Pianos supplied a 280 Schimmel grand piano for the occasion. (28th November 2022)
Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
The Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (staged by The Royal Horticultural Society) is the world’s largest flower show. To compliment that wonderful experience with some music, the Society asked for one of our grand pianos! We think our piano (in the picture attached) looked just perfect in this setting and we were pleased to be involved in such a lovely event. (9th July 2022)
Overnight Filming
Peregrine's Pianos welcomed a massive filming team at the weekend: filming a scene through the night. The actor ambles up the dark street, sees a piano shop, stops and deliberates on the playing he did as a child, comes into the shop and sits at a piano... "Playtime" subsequently won awards in London, Paris and New York (13th June 2022)
Mesmerising performance of Rachmaninov’s 2nd Concerto
Saturday saw a mesmerising performance of Rachmaninov’s 2nd Concerto which built in intensity as it proceeded. Hungarian pianist Daniel Lebhardt played with the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra and Peregrine's Pianos supplied the Schimmel 280 grand piano. (23rd May 2022)
Sing along with Schimmel!
The music room at St Paul’s Cathedral School is used for performances, examinations and voice trials. The piano here must be reliable and its tonal quality is highly important, and the Director of Music has selected a Schimmel Konzert K122E from Peregrine’s Pianos. Since Westminster Choir School also have a Schimmel piano from us we can truly invite all our customers to “Sing along with Schimmel!” (26th August 2021)
Getting back to normal with Trinity Exams
After a long and very difficult year Peregrine's Pianos is pleased to welcome Trinity College back for a full day of music examinations tomorrow. Candidates tomorrow include clarinet, trumpet, flute, cello, oboe, classical guitar, piano and singing. This will be the first of a long summer season and is to be conducted with Covid-safe procedures in place. (25th June 2021)
Celebrating Ten Years Trading
A free bottle of Champagne with every piano sold during the month of September, to celebrate ten years of trading! Over the years, the business has not changed its core beliefs even through the difficult time of the Coronavirus pandemic. The staff at Peregrine’s Pianos are musicians committed to moving forward with the same sense of purpose. (3rd September 2020)
CoronaVirus Shutdown
Peregrine's Pianos closed on 21st March. During the CoronaVirus shutdown new electric designer radiators, cupboards, storage facilities and an instantaneous hot water heater were installed. The rooms were reorganised and given a fresh coat of paint. Our administration was changed to paperless and the website was rebuilt. On reopening yesterday, to give a helping hand, all rooms are offered at half price. (16th June 2020)
Renée Zellweger Vocal Coaching
Congratulations to Renée Zellweger on winning Best Actress award at the BAFTAs! Renée was here at Peregrine's Pianos for the vocal coaching involved in the making of 'Judy'. We very much enjoyed having her and are full of admiration for the hard work and commitment with which she undertakes her work. (4th February 2020)
International Schimmel Dealer Meeting 2019
The meeting in Braunschweig brought together several hundred dealers from around the world. Of course, we were all kept informed of developments at Schimmel pianos; and there was much socialising and sharing of ideas. Pictured is Dawn relaxing with Director of Marketing and Sales at Schimmel, Lothar Kiesche. (25th September 2019)
Alberto Reyes on Schimmel Pianos
Wonderful article in International Piano Magazine - October 2019. International pianist Alberto Reyes played the entire range of Schimmel instruments at Peregrine's Pianos last month and music journalist Claire Jackson has woven his wise and honest observations into a very readable and interesting story! (20th September 2019)
Penelope Blackie in Fulham
Pianist Penelope Blackie, pupil of Vlado Perlemuter and finalist in an earlier Clara Haskil Piano Competition, presented a superb Classical recital of Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven and Chopin last night at the Holy Cross Church, Fulham; the piano was a K230 Schimmel supplied by Peregrine's Pianos. (8th June 2019)
Elena Cobb Teacher Training Day 2019
We were delighted to welcome Elena Cobb's Star Prize Festival Teacher Training Day 2019 here at Peregrine's Pianos last week. The day included two workshops and a masterclass with the finest and best-loved piano teachers Vera Kameneva (Moscow), Tania Kozlova (Israel), and Irina Gorin (USA). (9th April 2019)
First Fridolin Arrives
As a result of the strategic alliance announced two years ago by Schimmel and Pearl River a new piano has been born! The Fridolin range - designed in Germany and built in China - is the new entry-level instrument. The first piano arrived in our showroom today, and at a price point under £5,000 it is certainly worth getting to know. (1st February 2019)
Record Sales of White Pianos
Peregrine’s Pianos have supplied gleaming white grand pianos regularly for television (The Voice), for Mayfair’s art galleries, and for London-wide wedding receptions. What might be more interesting however, is that white piano sales have recently reached record levels with instruments sold to customers throughout London, in Huntingdon and in Brentwood. (25th June 2018)
EPTA UK Corporate Day
Peregrine's Pianos hosted this event on 1st October for members of the European Piano Teachers Association. Speakers included Murray McLachlan, Christopher Norton, Linda Nottingham and Andrew Higgins. Dawn Elizabeth Howells talked about piano construction, and our subsequent video can be seen at Buying a Piano - a Question of Choice . (11th October 2017)
Schimmel Worldwide Dealers' Meeting 2017
We were again in Braunschweig for a special Dealers' Meeting - billed as the forum for the introduction of new models and also to explain the new strategic alliance between Schimmel and Pearl River. A full report is in Our Story. (6th April 2017)
John Lill performs Beethoven's stormy Piano Concerto
Concert pianist John Lill, President of the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra, performed Beethoven's stormy Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor on a Schimmel K280 supplied by Peregrine's Pianos on Saturday. (6th February 2017)
Artist Stephen Campbell Commission
We commissioned Stephen Campbell (b 1985) - one of the new wave of exciting new artists currently working in Manchester - to paint our shop. Stephen painted "en plein air" on Grays Inn Road and created considerable interest in the process! As with many of his paintings, a new (distorted) perspective gives a fresh feel to our building. (4th February 2017)
Scottish Opera invests in an August Förster Grand Piano
The pianos in Scottish Opera's busy Glasgow production studios have to work hard, they are used for everything from Mozart to MacMillan! When the instrument in the largest studio came to the end of its life, Music Director Stuart Stratford, Head of Music Derek Clark and Repetiteur Susannah Wapshott, selected a 215 August Förster Grand Piano from us. Pictured is Derek Clark putting the instrument through its paces. (8th November 2016)
Hong Kong Philharmonic Auditions at Peregrine's Pianos
Auditions for new players were held in June this year in Hong Kong, New York and in London - at Peregrine’s Pianos; the second-round auditions were held in Hong Kong. Dawn has very much enjoyed hearing their "Three Glorious Romantics" programme today in the Hong Kong City Hall and is pictured here with the director of Orchestral Operations, Kenny Chen. Story here. (4th November 2016)
First-hand Appreciation for Our Customers
On the 25th and 26th October, Peregrine's Pianos took a group of customers to the August Förster Piano Factory, and to see some of the musical background in Dresden. "Absolutely Stunning" - "Unbelievable Skills" - "Amazing Experience" were some of the observations from the group. (31st October 2016)
Alexander Panfilov: "Exciting and Convincing"
Russian pianist, Alexander Panfilov, gave an "exciting and convincing" performance of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto on a Schimmel Konzert grand piano supplied by Peregrine's Pianos on Saturday. The reviewer also praised the "enthusiasm of Maidstone Symphony Orchestra who seemed to have retained all the warmth and joy of the summer, in an evening full of romantic extravagance." Congratulations from us! (17th October 2016)
Now we are Six
Peregrine's Pianos celebrated six years of trading with a staff party joined by the Schimmel Pianos sales team yesterday. Recently, our music rooms have been very busy and numerous pianos have been sold to customers throughout the UK. Naturally, our staff presented vocal and instrumental music performances before we made our way to Kings Cross for a celebration dinner! (28th September 2016)
Visit to Dresden and August Förster Pianos Announced
The August Förster factory is one of the oldest established piano factories in the world and it thrives in a corner of Saxony steeped in rich musical traditions. Peregrine’s Pianos is pleased to announce a two-day visit (25th and 26th October 2016) for customers interested in learning more about this remarkable company and its culture. Full details available. (4th July 2016)
Schimmel Factory Visit - April 2016
The fourth visit to the Schimmel Piano factory organised by Peregrine's Pianos was a great success on 21st April 2016. It was attended by some twenty guests and filmed by a professional TV crew. The full video detailing the events of the day can be seen online here and interviews and demonstrations are also available on our YouTube channel. (3rd May 2016)
Schimmel Pianos on The Voice 2016 - BBC
The Voice, now its fifth series, continues to attract substantial numbers of viewers and we at Peregrine's Pianos are great fans! We supplied a Schimmel 169cm grand again and have received compliments both for how it sounds and how it looks. (23rd March 2016)
Martin James Bartlett plays Schimmel 280 Konzert
BBC Young Musician 2014 winner, Martin James Bartlett, played Mozart Piano Concerto no.12 K414 on a Schimmel 280 Konzert grand supplied by us last weekend. Conductor of the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra, Brian Wright, commented “the piano sounds lovely and mellow, perfect for Mozart.” (8th February 2016)
Trio Elegiaco give sensational Performance
Rhinegold LIVE was a packed house on Monday; it featured Trio Elegiaco in a sensational performance of Tchaikovsky's A minor Piano Trio. Pianist John Paul Ekins described the Schimmel Konzert grand piano supplied by Peregrine's Pianos as "stunning" and said that it "produced a wonderfully dulcet tone and afforded me so many colours and textural options." (9th December 2015)
Peregrine's Pianos visit to the August Förster Factory
Early on a cold Autumn morning, before the real cold weather arrived in Central Europe, we embarked on our trip to Löbau to see the August Förster piano factory. Our party of six included Peregrine’s Pianos staff, including a tuner and technician, and a guest dealer. Administrator Andrew Greenwood related the experience in Love, Pride and Passion. (7th November 2015)
BBC Young Musician of The Year 2016
Busy times at Peregrine's Pianos with many talented young pianists coming here for their auditions. BBC Young Musician of the Year 2016 is going to be something special and we are proud to be a part of it. (12th October 2015)
A Journey to Remember
Our piano delivery team arrived from Germany today. They were 24 hours late due to strikes and problems at Calais where they waited for many hours at the docks. The pianos arrived safely and will be delivered on time to our customers tomorrow! (24th June 2015)
Rhinegold LIVE Features Jennifer Pike
Violinist Jennifer Pike, the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year, gave an outstanding performance to a packed Conway Hall in the latest Rhinegold LIVE series. Peter Limonov played a Schimmel Konzert grand piano supplied by Peregrine's Pianos and the varied programme included Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending and works by Kreisler and Rózsa. (11th June 2015)
Alexandra Dariescu and the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra
A Schimmel 280 Konzert grand piano supplied by Peregrine's Pianos was well appreciated last night by the highly acclaimed Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu. She performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with the Maidstone Symphony Orchestra and it was clear that the audience found it both inspirational and exciting. We took this picture after Alexandra had rehearsed on the instrument. (17th May 2015)
Carolyn Sampson launched her Disc ‘Fleurs’
British operatic soprano Carolyn Sampson with pianist Joseph Middleton gave a 'stunning performance' last night in a programme of songs inspired by flowers. This was a RhinegoldLIVE performance in the Conway Hall using a Schimmel Konzert grand piano provided by us. (30th April 2015)
August Förster Pianos Promotion Event
Annekatrin Förster, the Director and fifth generation of August Förster Pianos, made her first visit to London last week. She was invited by Peregrine’s Pianos and was the special guest at the August Förster Pianos Promotion Event we held on Saturday. Peregrine's Pianos were presented with a certificate for one of the five best dealers worldwide in 2014 (27th April 2015)
The Voice UK 2015 - BBC
Peregrine's Pianos are proud again to have supplied the Schimmel 169cm grand piano seen in the working sessions of the Live Quarter Finals screened on Saturday. We are so pleased that the team like Schimmel pianos - and we love The Voice! (28th March 2015)
Music Education Expo 2015
Peregrine's Pianos exhibited a comprehensive selection of grand and upright Schimmel pianos at the third Music Education Expo, held again at the Barbican Exhibition Hall. The two busy days were enormously successful and generated a very positive response. A video telling the story can be seen on our YouTube channel. (18th March 2015)
Mary Bevan's Outstanding Recital
Mary Bevan - one of Britain's leading emerging artists, joined with pianist Richard Peirson in presenting "Stages Of Love" on Monday. This latest RhinegoldLIVE performance in the Conway Hall and using our Schimmel Konzert grand piano was a huge success - described as gorgeous, outstanding and wonderful. (13th November 2014)
Schimmel Factory Visit 2014
Peregrine's Pianos took a large group of pianists, piano technicians and media experts to the Schimmel factory in Braunschweig. A full report was written by our guest Melanie Spanswick. (6th October 2014)
"Sheer technical wizardry" by Charles Owen
Charles Owen played Mendelssohn, Bach, Debussy and Muhly at the RhinegoldLIVE performance at the Conway Hall on Tuesday. Owen's appreciation of our Schimmel Konzert grand was unequivocal, and critics described the performance as an "impressive recital" displaying "sheer technical wizardry." (11th September 2014)
New August Förster Grand Piano Installed Room 3
Bringing a new August Förster 215cm Concert piano from the factory in Germany and installing it in our largest studio - Room 3 - was not the easiest of tasks. We do know however that our customers will appreciate this unique and very special instrument that Dawn selected. (20th June 2014)
Andrew Litton 'blows the roof off the Conway Hall'!
The second RhinegoldLIVE performance was a huge success last night: Andrew Litton, playing piano transcriptions of Oscar Peterson at London's Conway Hall, was greatly admired. We are pleased to report that our Schimmel Konzert grand was also appreciated! (3rd June 2014)
The Voice UK 2014 - BBC
Peregrine's Pianos supplied the Schimmel Konzert grand piano used for all the working sessions filmed on Saturday's Live Quarter Finals. What a joy to watch these singers, and see them progress through the rounds! (24th March 2014)
Peregrine’s Pianos - Supplies Schimmel Grand Piano for New Concert Series
A new series of concerts organised by Rhinegold Publishing and presenting world-renowned performers starts on 3rd April in Conway Hall, London WC1, with a performance by Julian & Jiaxin Lloyd Webber, and Pam Chowhan. Peregrine's Pianos is providing a Schimmel Konzert Grand for the Series. (27th February 2014)
Peregrine's Pianos at Music Education Expo
Music Education Expo returned for the second year to the Barbican on 7th and 8th February and was attended by several thousand visitors. Peregrine's Pianos had a wide-ranging display of Schimmel grand and upright pianos which created a considerable amount of interest. (10th February 2014)
Christmas Event Hire 2013
What a lovely time of year! Peregrine's Pianos has been busy sending out pianos to festive events all over London. This Schimmel upright piano was just the thing yesterday for 'carols around the Christmas tree.' (12th December 2013)
Bloomsbury Festival 2013
The Festival this year sees John-Paul Muir, Jessica Zhu, Kristiina Rokaševitš, Jason Bae and the team of "Story of a Night Pianist" performing on our Schimmel Grand Piano at the Dairy Arts Centre. Also a unique performance of Giulio Cesare for which we have provided a harpsichord. For the Festival weekend we put a Street Piano in Russell Square - for spontaneous Music Making! (18th October 2013)
The Voice UK 2013 - BBC
A Schimmel Konzert series grand piano has been supplied by Peregrine's Pianos for "The Voice UK 2013" live audition rounds. We love having done our part in such an inspiring show! (15th June 2013)
Schimmel Factory Visit 2013
We have had some positive comments following the Schimmel Piano Factory visit yesterday; 'What a fantastic day' - 'The mini recital was very nice indeed' - 'It was both interesting and enlightening' - 'I was delighted and enthralled' - 'It was a great privilege and pleasure.' Included in the visit were introductions to senior staff at Schimmel pianos, talks about the history and development of the company and a comprehensive tour taking in all parts of the factory. Before a meal in the old town Dawn gave a mini recital on the K280 grand piano. (25th April 2013)
Schimmel Pianos Worldwide Dealers' Meeting
Dawn and Lucy were in Braunschweig 13th to 15th April for the exciting launch of a whole new range of Schimmel grand and upright pianos. At the formal Gala Dinner Lucy took centre stage with Vladimir Zaslavsky from the New York, USA dealership to sing the classic "Autumn Leaves." Read the full story. (18th April 2013)
Two Busy Days at Music Education Expo
Peregrine's Pianos was very pleased to be involved in Music Education Expo - the UK's largest exhibition and conference for music teachers. We displayed a selection of grand, upright and school-equipped pianos at the Barbican and our team was joined by representatives from Schimmel Pianos. A busy and exciting experience! (22nd March 2013)
Bloomsbury Festival 2012
"London piano dealer Peregrine’s Pianos has supplied five ‘Fantastical Pianos’ which are to be hidden around Bloomsbury for the Bloomsbury Festival, running 20-21 October in London. The five upright pianos have been donated to the festival by Peregrine’s before being decorated by artists group The Collectors. The pianos will be hidden in public locations around Bloomsbury over the coming weekend." Alex Stevens, News from Rhinegold Publishing. (18th October 2012)
The Voice UK 2012 - BBC
Peregrine's Pianos supplied a Schimmel K169 grand piano for the live audition rounds "The Voice UK 2012" - we also hired small white and black grand pianos for the earlier "battle rounds" in the series. (1st July 2012)
We make a Dream come true!
We now have numerous grand and upright pianos out on long term domestic hire. "Owning a grand piano was a long held dream. Peregrine's Pianos were able to make it a reality by offering us a lovely Toyo grand piano (pictured) on long-term hire. It has proved just perfect for the whole family to enjoy. Even though we live well out of London we have had a friendly service and it is good to know that we have the option to buy the piano at any time" James Bates, Colchester. (21st June 2012)
Visit to the Schimmel Piano Factory 2012
We took a group of prospective purchasers, piano technicians and press representatives to the Schimmel Piano factory yesterday. The one day visit, which involved an early start from Heathrow and a coach transfer from Hannover to Braunschweig, met with unanimous approval. "The Schimmel presentation and tour of the workshop was absolutely fascinating and truly inspirational. Thank you so much for organising the day and for being such lovely hosts." Janet Obi-Keller, Head of Music, The City Lit (25th February 2012)
BBC Young Musician of The Year
Peregrine's Pianos has seen a good deal of activity this week; the BBC chose our music rooms to listen to pianists competing in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2012 and we just want all those young people coming and going to do well. See the competition news here. (7th October 2011)
London's New Piano Shop
Belsize Music Rooms, which opened in 1997, was closed last month and the owners are now refurbishing new premises on Grays Inn Road, central London. The new business, called Peregrine's Pianos and due to open in September 2010, will offer three music rehearsal rooms and a substantial showroom to display high quality grand and upright pianos. (20th August 2010)