This  piano  was donated to Dorland by the late Ann Shlaudeman Stringfellow (1920-2015,) former student of Ellen Dorland. It now resides in Horton Cottage.

Photos below:

Top Row: Ann Shlaudeman Stringfellow's home with piano

Bottom Row: The arrival and installation of the Steinway in .. October 2015

The Steinway

Ellen Dorland’s imposing concert grand Steinway, favored by Rachmaninoff, was brought to Rancho Ticañu in the early 1930’s, and despite the vicissitudes of time and the environment, delighted visitors until its demise in the 2004 wildfire.  Of all the pianos left in the world, the instrument before you is surely its most worthy replacement.  Miraculously, it has come to Dorland through the generosity of her longtime student and friend, the late Ann Shlaudeman Stringfellow (1920-2015).  

All of Ellen’s students were devoted to her, and Ann was no exception.  Beginning her studies with Ellen around 1933, and continuing on-and-off for the next 50 years, Ann acquired this Steinway in 1951, for her and her husband’s new home, built on a secluded hilltop in Palos Verdes Estates, looking across to Catalina Island.  Upon entering the front door, the first thing a visitor would see was the elegant music room and this piano – a sign of the place music had in the lives of Ann and her family. 

The serenity and natural beauty of the surroundings at the Stringfellows’ home bear a striking resemblance to and kinship with the aesthetics of the Dorlands’ ranch.  The close ties between nature and music-making are evident in both places.  No less a resemblance is in the sonic character of the piano itself.  This is a piano which Ellen Dorland would, and no doubt did, heartily approve of.

Lovingly used and cared for all of Ann’s life, by herself and other finely-trained pianists, the extraordinarily good condition of this instrument is a precious legacy which all of us have a responsibility to preserve and extend for generations of artists at Dorland Mountain Arts. 

Use this instrument with the respect and sensitivity which it has experienced throughout its working life, so that its sound will continue to echo with the artistry of Ellen Dorland and the inspiration she provided to her students with her teaching and her way of life.

By Curtis Horton