Pictured with a promotional print of the Steinway & Sons Spirio | r piano are, from left: College of Education Development Director Molly McNulty; College of Education supporters Carol Crabbe and Mary Jean Sanspree (flanking Trey Clegg, a You Might Be for Auburn member and Crabbe’s son-in-law); Associate Professor of Music Education Jane Kuehne; Music Education students Joy Xu and Lauren Fuller; You Might Be for Auburn members Jason Harkins and Dan Lovell; and Auburn College of Education Dean Jeffrey Fairbrother.
Dedicated members of the Auburn Family are helping bring one of the world’s most advanced pianos to Auburn University’s College of Education.
A donation from the You Might Be For Auburn Foundation and matching gifts from longtime College of Education supporters Mary Jean and Danny Sanspree and Carole and Charles Crabbe are supporting the purchase of a Steinway Spirio | r piano— an investment that will set Auburn’s Music Education Program apart nationally and help establish a long‑term, collaborative partnership with Steinway & Sons.
“These gifts bring world-class musical technology directly into the hands of our future educators,” said Jeffrey T. Fairbrother, dean of the College of Education. “The Steinway Spirio | r will allow our students to experience, analyze and create music in ways that were simply not possible before. We are deeply grateful to the You Might Be For Auburn Foundation and to the Sansprees and Crabbes — members of the Auburn faithful whose generosity continues to strengthen our college.”
The Spirio | r, introduced by Steinway in 2019, is the world’s only high-definition, re-performance piano capable of recording, editing, broadcasting and playback while preserving the iconic tone and touch of a handcrafted Steinway.
First launched as Spirio in 2015, the technology has rapidly grown in popularity and now represents nearly half of Steinway’s total production.
With this gift, Auburn’s College of Education becomes one of the few education programs in the nation to integrate a Spirio | r directly into its curriculum. This distinction places Auburn in rare company among peer institutions and signals a bold commitment to preparing future music educators with the most advanced tools available. While more than 100 institutions across the country now own Spirio pianos, the vast majority are housed in performance or piano-major settings. Auburn’s decision to embed the Spirio | r within a music education program is both innovative and unique.
“I’ve worked with universities across the region, and Auburn’s integration of the Spirio | r into a music education curriculum is exceptionally forward thinking,” said Steinway representative Robert Klingbeil. “The Spirio preserves the full fidelity of a handcrafted Steinway — its tone, touch and artistic integrity — while adding capabilities that push the boundaries of what a piano can do. Auburn is giving its students access to the future of music making.”
The Spirio | r offers capabilities that extend far beyond those of a traditional acoustic piano. The instrument can broadcast and receive live performances from other Spirio pianos around the world, access an extensive library of performances by renowned artists (both living and historic), and store personal recordings through the Spirio Cloud. Its ability to convert recordings to MIDI or MP3, connect to DAW software and integrate with video systems makes it a powerful tool for pedagogy, composition, rehearsal and research.
In addition to the instrument itself, Auburn’s acquisition establishes a strong partnership between the College of Education and Steinway & Sons. Through this collaboration, Auburn faculty and students will have access to Steinway’s Spirio Engagement Team, opportunities for remote master classes with artists across the globe and participation in Spiriocasts — live, high‑definition performances broadcast from Steinway locations in New York, Hamburg, London and beyond. The partnership will also support faculty development, student research and expanded programming that leverages the piano’s advanced capabilities.
“This is more than a piano purchase — it’s the beginning of a relationship,” Klingbeil added. “Steinway will work alongside Auburn to help faculty integrate Spirio technology into teaching, connect students with world‑class performers and bring global musical experiences directly into the College of Education. Auburn is stepping into a new tier of opportunity, and we’re excited to be part of that journey.”
The You Might Be For Auburn Foundation, which supports initiatives that strengthen Auburn’s mission and community impact, played an important role in making the acquisition possible.
“We are thrilled to help bring this extraordinary instrument to Auburn’s College of Education,” said David Pursell, representing the You Might Be For Auburn Foundation. “The Spirio | r is not only a remarkable piano — it’s a gateway to global musical experiences. Auburn students will now be able to learn from performances happening in New York, London, Hamburg, or anywhere a Spirio is played.”
Each year, the You Might Be For Auburn Foundation determines an Auburn project to support, and an outside matching gift must accompany each such selection. The gifts of the Sansprees and Crabbes, paired with that of the You Might Be for Auburn Foundation, are propelling into reality the College of Education’s idea to purchase the Steinway, which will be located in the college’s Frech Family Instructional Music Education Laboratory in Auburn’s new College of Education Building. That lab is named after Susan Frech Schmitt (class of 1969), Carole Frech Crabbe (class of 1966), Mary Jean Frech Sanspree (class of 1974), Sherry Frech Starr (class of 1974) and Barbara Frech Nevins (class of 1975), so the involvement of the Sanspree and Crabbe families in helping secure the Steinway for Auburn furthers their already strong and established support of the College of Education’s Music Education Program.
Remarking on behalf of her family and that of the Sansprees, Crabbe explained that the idea for securing a Steinway piano began during a visit to the music lab in Auburn’s new College of Education Building, where she noticed the absence of a piano. Crabbe later learned that the You Might Be For Auburn Foundation was interested in supporting needs within the new building — through matching funds. And in a remarkable coincidence, the You Might Be For Auburn group turned out to be one that her son in law belongs to in Birmingham, creating an unexpected personal connection to the project. As a member of a four-generation Auburn family and a Music Education graduate herself, Crabbe expressed her great pride in contributing to a gift that she said will enrich the college’s Music Education Program and support future educators for years to come.
“What a treat it will be for current and future Music Ed students to enjoy the Steinway Spirio!” she said. “And what a privilege to know that Auburn University owns such a prestigious instrument that surrounding communities and performers can enjoy as well. We would like the future generations to know that we value teacher education, the provision of arts in the classrooms and that an Auburn Tiger learns to teach others with the love and care of the education alumni who have celebrated excellent experiences at Auburn.”
For Auburn’s Music Education Program, the Spirio | r will now open new possibilities for teaching methods, rehearsal strategies and student creativity.
“This instrument will allow our students to study performance practice, observe and interact with world-class artists and rehearse with recordings created through the Spirio Cast collaborative as well as outstanding musicians across our region,” said Jane Kuehne, associate professor of music education in Auburn’s College of Education. “It enhances what we can do in the classroom, what our students can envision in their own future classrooms and studios, and it gives Auburn’s future music educators tools they will carry into their own careers. We are grateful and excited about the innovative possibilities our students will have. This is truly a game changer.”
Steinway Piano Gallery Birmingham and Nashville have long supported Auburn’s musical initiatives, primarily through the Department of Music in the College of Liberal Arts. The addition of the Spirio | r to the College of Education marks a new chapter in that relationship and expands opportunities for collaboration, master classes and engagement with Steinway’s Spirio programming team.
“This gift reflects the passion of Auburn alumni and friends who believe in the power of music education,” Fairbrother added. “It will enrich our program for years to come.”
