CONSERVATOIRE WINS ANOTHER AWARD.

Having won the title of Piano of the Year at the Classic FM sponsored Music Industry Awards (2006), our Kemble Conservatoire has been awarded a “ Diapason d’Or” (Gold Award) by the leading French music magazine Le Diapason.

The independent band of experts found it “enjoyable to play... with a shining temperament and the most immediately gratifying sonority of all the pianos on test. An elegant instrument and one that was very reassuring”.

Coldplay's piano gift for school

Pop giants Coldplay have bought a £3,000 Kemble piano for a Gloucestershire primary school that lost its musical instruments during the floods of 2007. reported by the BBC

Kemble and Co Ltd are delighted to announce that they have today been appointed the exclusive representative of Bösendorfer pianos in the UK and Eire.

Mr Brian Kemble, Joint Managing Director of Kemble and Co comments “Bösendorfer is an iconic and much loved brand - we are delighted to represent this famous manufacturer of hand built pianos. Focused as we are on the acoustic piano, with our specialist piano staff, we believe that we are well suited to represent this brand. In the last year or two it has been under-represented here - we aim to rectify that quickly. Indeed, Harrods - seen by many as a showcase to the world, will be stocking Bösendorfer again from June.

Bösendorfer has a beautiful and unique Viennese sound; its resonating case construction system for the grand piano rim produces extraordinary tonal results. The company’s ability to make limited volume special designs and finishes make it especially attractive to the customers in search of a unique product. We are very excited about Bösendorfer and look forward to developing its market in the UK and Eire.”

Mr Yoshichika (Mike) Sakai, Managing Director of Bösendorfer said “Kemble and Co are piano specialists and have intimate knowledge of the UK and Eire piano market. We are confident that they will do an excellent job representing our pianos. They were the obvious choice for us.”

Contact:
Brian Kemble, Kemble and Co Ltd,
Mount Ave,
Bletchley,
Milton Keynes
Bucks MK1 1JE 01908 371771
or
David Halford, Kemble and Co Ltd 07967 708765

Kemble Classic T is voted "un Maestro" in its price class by "Pianiste Magazine, France” September 2005.

A maestro is defined by them as a piano that in its category distinguishes itself by exceptional quality or by an excellent quality/price combination.

The text in full :

" This instrument of small size (116cm) possesses an astonishing richness of sound throughout. Its treble is open and luminous without ever being aggressive. The middle sings naturally. The bass astonishes by its depth and power. The sound palette of the instrument is large and its reserve of power is very satisfying. It is an excellent instrument with very good musical possibilities at an affordable price.”

Kemble Cambridge 10 voted "choc” ( surprisingly good ) by "Le Monde de la Musique” September 2005.

Following 2 Days of tests by 2 leading French pianists of 10 family pianos our Cambridge 10 was voted "choc”.

The text in full :

" As its name indicates, the Cambridge 10 comes from England, which already distinguishes it from the other pianos in the test…..the Kemble distinguishes itself with a very marked and very refined European sonority….Despite a size of only 110cm, this instrument opens up a sonority that is both vast and full of richness…..With the Kemble Cambridge 10 we are in the presence of an instrument which allows a pianist beautiful possibilities. Here is a class of piano that we would like to find more often at this price point.

For more information please contact Brian Kemble , Kemble and Co Ltd 01908 371771

Kemble Piano Company have announced plans to host the British Piano Month in January , the month will represent a celebration of British piano manufacturing and Customers buying a Kemble piano during British piano month will be offered something special from an appetizing range of extra incentives at participating dealerships including free piano lessons, accessories such as piano stools , sheet music vouchers , subscriptions music vouchers , subscriptions to PIANIST magazine and free piano tunings !

According to Brian Kemble the aim is to make British Piano month an annual event, he told us " Kemble and company is a genuine British manufacturing success story , our factory in Milton Keynes houses one of the most modern piano production facilities in the world and we continue to expand both our domestic and export sales, British Piano Month is about adding extra value for our customers and raising awareness of the Kemble heritage and British Piano manufacturing ."

Kemble & Company Ltd is now the only UK based piano manufacturer and has been making pianos since 1911 when the company was founded in Stoke Newington by the Grandfather of the current Joint Managing Director Brian Kemble . At the time there were over 200 companies manufacturing pianos in the UK.

In 1968 the Kemble Company moved to it current headquarters in Milton Keynes where it was able to both streamline its production process to improve efficiency and output and enhance its underlying philosophy of crafting high quality instruments at affordable prices.

The ' heritage and 'Britishness' of the Kemble brand and its history of craftsmanship and quality is increasingly proving an important factor with overseas customers and the company plans to continue to further build on this unique attribute in future plans .

Today the Kemble factory is one of the most advanced and efficient production facilities in the world and the company continues to build domestic and export business , a number of recent highlights include the Queens Award For Export and the critically acclaimed design collaborations with The Conran Partnership which resulted in a number of special limited edition models , still highly sought after today .

So, if you've been thinking of buying a piano , British Piano Month might be just the time to take the plunge! For details of your nearest participating dealer please call us on 01908 371771

"We are delighted to announce that the Kemble Vermont, designed for us by Conran and Partners, was  voted to be "The most innovative piano 2003" in the recent MIA (Music Industry Association) awards.

Kemble and Co was visited in June by the CBeebies programme Tikkabilla who are making a programme on "Building a Piano" which will be transmitted early in 2004

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Kemble and Company were pleased to welcome Jools Holland, the celebrated jazz pianist and TV presenter to their factory. Jools is currently working on a programme- "The history of the jazz piano" for the BBC and wanted to visit the largest and most modern factory in Western Europe. He is pictured here with Joint Managing Director, Brian Kemble, in the tuning area of the factory.

Click for larger image

Our K121 has been judged as “Maitre-Achat” or “ Best Buy” by Conseur , an independent European Consumer Association: September 2001 issues of the consumer magazines in Belgium (Test Achats – No. 446), in Italy (Altro Consumo), in Portugal (Deco Pro Teste), and in Spain (Ocu Compra Maestra) for its quality/price performance. In terms of overall acoustic performance, the K121 came second only to a larger Steinway model of nearly 4 times its price.

An in depth comparison of 22 pianos (115cm and higher) manufactured in Europe and Asia, and including many famous brands, was commissioned by Conseur. The “playing” panel was composed of 37 well known pianists from different countries. The test was divided into 3 sections- 1) a blind test where the pianos were played behind a curtain to the panel 2) a test where each pianist spent a day testing all the pianos whose names were hidden 3) a test in a laboratory that specialises in the tests of musical instruments. In each of the three stages elements like the sound character, the attack, the volume, the dynamics, the sustain, the piano action and the pedal system were evaluated.

The pianists included experienced concert performers as e.g. : Claude Coppens, Dominique Cornil, Olivier Gardon, Paolo Giacometti, Guillermo Gonzalez, Andre De Groote, Luc Devos, Leslie Howard, Geoffrey Madge, Tatsuya Nagashima, Maria Joao Pires, Dana Protopopescu, Eliane Rodrigues, Johan Schmidt, Vladimir Sverdlov, Alexander Toradze, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynde, and many others.

All details on this comparative test and on an eight-country satisfaction & reliability piano survey are available on a double CD (CD-Rom + audio CD). Information on this double CD can be found on the internet: www.piano.conseur.org

"You stop anybody in the street and ask them if they regret not persevering with a hobby in earlier life and the likely answer will be that they wished they had stuck at their piano lessons!" So says Brian Kemble, joint managing director of the Kemble Piano Company in launching a unique nationwide campaign to encourage more people to try the piano by taking a free first lesson sponsored by the company.

Whilst that sentiment might be a touch over optimistic there is no doubt that most people harbour a desire to be able to proficiently play a musical instrument and in many cases that instrument is the piano. As people have more leisure time many are turning to playing an instrument and musical instrument manufacturers report strong increases in sales to first time buyers, bringing a much needed boost to the industry.

Kemble and Company are the UK's most successful piano company and are celebrating 90 years of piano making by offering a free introductory lesson to anyone who cannot play, can play or simply wants to play. The campaign aims to promote piano playing amongst people of all ages. The free lessons are on offer during October at selected Kemble and Company's dealerships nationwide and are subject to availability, so don't miss your chance. To locate a dealership in your area simply call 01908-371771 or visit the company’s website at www.uk-piano.org/kemble/.

There’s no better way to get started as you will have the opportunity to learn on one of the finest pianos in the world and for those not wishing the embarrassment of being heard or needing to practice without annoying the neighbours, check out the Silent pianos that can be played using headphones.

The company offers Professional, Designer and Family models to suit a variety of budgets and each instrument reflects the heritage of uncompromising commitment to craftsmanship, design and value that is associated with Kemble pianos. The award-winning pianos are made in England using a unique blend of traditional piano making skills combined with the latest technology that has made the UK plant the most advanced in Europe. Kemble is the best selling British piano in the world and the company is the largest piano manufacturer in Western Europe, and has been a recipient of the prestigious "Queen's Award for Export".

The company was established in 1911 by Michael Kemble. Joint Managing Director, Brian Kemble MBE, grandson of the founder, told us, " Pianos are our passion and what better way to celebrate 90 years of making pianos than to help a new generation of musicians to get started? We hope that as many people as possible of all ages will take advantage of the offer and discover hidden musical talent , we believe that given the opportunity most people would love to play a musical instrument and taking the first step of a free lesson could be the start of a lifelong musical journey."

Diapason, the leading French classical music magazine , in their October 2000 issue, invited 2 professional pianists to test 6 pianos in the £5500 to £6000 price range from Germany, UK and Japan.. The Kemble Quantum scored the highest overall .

Their comments were as follows:

The touch : 6 stars = excellent

The “tour de force” of this piano action is its ability to make you forget that it is an upright piano. It gives the feeling of playing a small grand piano. The response is excellent, the precision is absolute.

The nuances : 6 stars= excellent They are extraordinary. Their natural equilibrium allows you to perform subtle interpretations of complex works. No correction is necessary to make the most of all the layers of nuances.

The sonority : 5 stars = very good
This is really a professional piano. No major defect alters the ample, round, generous and particularly vibrant sonority. The final trump card is that each note is long and supports superb harmonic reflections.

Strong point:    Superb design and sonority
Weak point:    Limited edition

A unique collaboration between Conran and Partners and the UK's leading piano maker, Kemble and Company has resulted in the 131cm high Quantum piano, a striking blend of design and function.

The limited edition Quantum (only 60 will be made) is the ultimate in music making excellence for those who demand style and performance in equal measure. The instrument has a larger soundboard area than many baby grand pianos, this ensures a rich and resonant tone across the entire keyboard register and at all volume levels. The Kemble / Conran partnership has also resulted in the development of a brand new feature, when the piano lid is opened the top door of the Quantum automatically opens thereby delivering a volume increase normally only associated with grand pianos. The piano also comes with a sostenuto pedal as standard.

For those of us who can still remember the pain caused by the piano lid falling on our fingers the Quantum incorporates a clever function "soft open & soft close", a sophisticated mechanism that gently dampens the opening and closing of the piano lid.

The year 2000 marks the 300th year of piano manufacturing and Kemble and company based in Milton Keynes is Western Europe's leading piano maker and earned the Queens Award for export in 1992.

Joint Managing Director, Brian Kemble MBE commented "The Quantum is a perfect example of form and function. It represents the absolute state of the art in piano design and manufacture and will also help us promote British piano manufacturing and Kemble and Company in particular to overseas markets. We have a number of high profile customers and have already received calls enquiring about availability"

The company, originally based in Stoke Newington London and founded by Brian's grandfather now employs 112 People.

The Kemble Oxford model was voted the "Best Upright Piano of 1998" by members of the Music industry today in the Music Business/MIA (Music Industry Association) annual Music Industry awards. Shortlisted by music industry specialists selected by "Music Business" magazine, the Kemble Oxford went on to win the top prize in the largest poll of music retailers, manufacturers and distributors that has ever taken place. Joint Managing Director Brian Kemble commented " we saw the demand in the market for a small Traditional styled quality piano at an attractive price- the Oxford is it. Its specification is high with features like a solid German spruce soundboard and our world class Kemble action. Its warmth of sound and responsiveness of touch combined with its styling has made it a winner in its class."