Pearl River is both a place (also known by its Chinese name Zhujian) and the name

of a piano brand now sold in more than 120 countries worldwide. The brand  established a reputation for good value in a highly competitive marketplace. Pearl River Pianos has grown from humble beginnings, producing a few acoustic pianos a month in 1956 to becoming the world’s largest piano factory. Today this company is building 400 pianos a day and has a global share of over 30%.

The goal at Pearl River is to continually improve and perfect the piano. Pearl River has not only patented a wide array of technological innovations, but has sought the expertise of Europe’s and United States’ most talented piano designers. David Campbell, the former technical manager for American piano manufacturers, Kimball & Aeolian Corporation of America has been a company consultant. Legendary German piano designer Lothar Thomma has consulted for Pearl River for several years. They have worked tirelessly at incorporating expert design with hand craftmanship and quality components. Simply put: Pearl River produces pianos of great quality for a great price.

The Pearl River Piano builds pianos under the Pearl River, Ritmüller, and Kayserburg names, as well as under a few other names for OEM contracts. OEM means  original equipment manufacturer (OEM), this piano manufacturer produces pianos that are marketed by another manufacturer. In the mid 1990s they formed a joint venture with Yamaha producing pianos. Pearl River also manufactures all models for Steinway & Sons’ Essex brand piano line, including grand pianos and uprights, in their China based factory.

Why we like them:

They Innovate
Their collaboration with world renowned piano manufacturers and their employment of technical experts.

They Care
Their corporate responsibility to the environment. Pearl River was awarded ISO 14001 environmental certification. Pearl River is the first manufacturer in China to receive this award.

They are Trustworthy
Their pianos are acclimatized for worldwide markets. Both before and after the kiln drying, woods are expertly cured to specific moisture contents, which reduces the natural tendency for wood to swell and contract with humidity fluctuation. With over 8,000 moving parts, a piano’s woods must be “seasoned” to ensure reliability wherever the piano ends up living!

They are of Like Mind
They use the best technology available but understand there is more to manufacturing pianos than machines. “When a job was best done by a machine, the machine was bought; those jobs best done by hand were left to workers. The final finishing and sanding of the piano plate, for example, was still done by hand by a team of dozens of workers”.

Store owner, Carmen Papalia along with Store Manager Mitchell Wright at NAMM alongside Stephen Mohler, Pearl River’s highly esteemed industry lead expert in piano engineering and design.