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The
East Room’s mahogany concert grand piano, with
supporting eagles of gold leaf, was presented to
the White House in 1938.
The roster of prominent artists who performed for
President Herbert Hoover at the end of the 1920s
and into the early 1930s includes Grace Moore, Rosa
Ponselle, Jascha Heifetz, Vladimir Horowitz, and
many others. President and Mrs. Hoover were the
first to invite an artist to play for a head of
state (a tradition that continues today) when on
April 29, 1931, harpist Mildred Dilling played for
King Phra Pok Klao Prajadhipok of Siam. With the
performance of the Hampton and Tuskegee choirs,
the Hoovers also became the first to bring black
choirs to the White House since the Fisk Jubilee
Singers sang for President Arthur. During the long
administration of Franklin Roosevelt, from March
4, 1933 to April 13, 1945, more than 300 concerts
in the White House reached out to every corner of
America. They included women’s musical organizations,
black performers (notably Todd Duncan and Marian
Anderson), ballet and modern dance (Martha Graham),
and children’s opera (Hansel and Gretel).
In 1938 Steinway & Sons replaced the 1903 concert
grand with a new 9’7" instrument, which
is used often in the White House today. Elise
Kirk, Musical Highlights from the White House,
112-118.
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