As Elton John prepares to begin his residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace this autumn, Yamaha has announced the completion of a very special one-of-a-kind instrument.The new show, named The Million Dollar Piano, will see the culmination of four year’s hard work between artist and manufacturer and is so called because the unique instrument cost $1 million to create.
A team of designers and engineers from Yamaha Pianos in Japan worked with Elton to bring his musical vision to life. The result is a highly-modified CFIIIS grand piano, joining both technology and art.
“Caesars Palace is just a perfect, idyllic place to play, and the show will be a gargantuan feast of music and imagery,” said the Rocket Man signer. “I’m going to have a fabulous piano that Yamaha has been working on for four years, and that’s the reason why the show is called The Million Dollar Piano”
The Million Dollar Piano debuts September 28th and will run for 16 shows, marking the beginning of a three-year residency at The Colosseum.
It will be his second spell as a headline act there, with the first for his production The Red Piano – another collaboration made between him and Yamaha.
“A major visual component of the overall experience, this custom-made, state-of-the-art piano will be a stunning addition to Elton’s show,” said Chris Gero, vice-president and head of Yamaha Entertainment Group.
“We think you will be blown away when you see the entire production on stage.”
Meanwhile, Yamaha fans will have the opportunity to see the company’s piano in action closer to home when Jamie Cullum takes to the stage in this year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
The pint-sized artist will perform at the show on a special S6 handcrafted piano.