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Odessa College on Monday gained the distinction of an All-Steinway Spirio Institution. Faculty and staff joined members of the administration and representatives from Steinway at the news conference held in the foyer of the Saulsbury Campus Center. Attendees were also treated to a demonstration of the Steinway Spirio virtually from Director of Customer Experience Michael Case and in person by OC music student Arabella Abrera who played the Chopin Waltz in C- sharp minor. A Steinway Spirio costs $135,000, said Bryan Elmore, director of Institutional Sales and Educational Services at Steinway. “Odessa College is already an All-Steinway school, but today we celebrate a major distinction on our campus and region as Odessa College will become one of the few institutions credentialed at a higher level as an All-Spirio technology school,” Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Education Pervis Evans said. “This distinction demonstrates Odessa College’s forward vision and commitment to the performing arts and to music education. We’re so grateful for each of those who have invested in this opportunity. It will expose students across our service area and abroad to world-class, high quality multifunctional instruments and musicians and will enhance distance learning opportunities,” he added. “Imagine for a moment students who are at our extension sites, being able to take classes, or take lessons from our main campus instructors in real time. Imagine students who are in music appreciation class, not only hearing about musicians … like Duke Ellington and Hazel Scott or or Van Cliburn, but actually being able to see their recorded videos and to be able to see instruments like this play what they were playing in the 1950s in real time.” It will also enable the college to pull together a group of students for a master class with a master musician from across the country or across the globe and then being able to hear and see what that master musician is playing as if they were in the classroom. “These are the kinds of things that we’ll be able to do as an All-Steinway Spirio Institute. We’ll also expand those boundaries beyond with our partnership with Steinway and Sons,” Evans said. He noted that the Steinway Spirio will start off in Pecos and travel to OC’s satellite campuses. CJ McBride, district sales manager for Steinway in New York, noted the number of people who turned out for the presentation. “This isn’t normal. This is incredible,” McBride said. “… Spirio itself is first and foremost a Steinway piano. Everything about this instrument is indistinguishable from any other styling that you would play with the exception of course, that it has Spirio technology. What’s unique is that the technology is fully integrated during construction into the instrument,” McBride said. That allows you to “play, record, cast and you can edit on the instrument,” McBride added. President Gregory Williams, reiterating Elmore’s words, said Steinway builds to a standard not a price. Evans said OC has about 20 Steinway pianos and the Spirio introduced Monday is the college’s third. He added that OC was fortunate to receive contributions from the community to help support funding for this initiative and from partners like the Rea Charitable Trust. “What we have here is an instrument that gives us the opportunity to expose students to master classes with live musicians in real time. It also allows us to expand our learning opportunities beyond just the classroom,” Evans said. “For instance, if a student is taking a class in one of our rural sites, they’re able to also join in a class or take a music lesson with a main campus faculty instructor. So it provides us with that opportunity to be able to expand opportunities for students,” he added. Evans said OC is about working in excellence in whatever it does — whether it’s athletics, academics or the fine arts. “Odessa College is really committed and dedicated with a vision to expand fine arts opportunities for students in music education. Being connected wit a partner like Steinway and Sons just demonstrates that commitment of excellence,” Evans said.

MIDLAND Cinergy Cinemas & Entertainment present two nights of comedy April 25-26 with its Live Comedy Showcase — “Cinergy is Funny” — featuring Jon...