Joseph Rackers and his wife Marina Lomazov, both associate professors of piano at USC, have joined the Steinway Roster with the greats of the black and white keys. Rackers was recently named a Steinway piano artist joinig his wife who was honored June 14, 2009. The couple is one of two musician–couple Steinway artists in the nation. Earlier this year a group of supporters purchased the couple a Steinway grand piano.

The Steinway Concert and Artist Program was first developed in 1865 under the leadership of William Steinway. For more than 140 years, Steinway Artists have been heard and seen every day in concert halls and through mass media.

The Steinway Roster includes such luminaries as Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Feinstein, Billy Joel, Evgeny Kissin, Diana Krall, Lang Lang, Allen Toussaint, and Roger Williams. Immortals include Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Glenn Gould, Josef Hofmann, Vladimir Horowitz, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arthur Rubinstein, and Richard Wagner.

A group of internationally recognized concert pianists, Steinway artists are chosen on the basis of their international careers and prominence in the field of piano performance. To qualify, a pianist must own a Steinway piano and also promote the instrument.