Yamaha Designs Million Dollar Piano for Elton John

Namesake Show Premieres at Caesars Palace in Vegas this Fall

NASHVILLE, TN. (April 20, 2011) World-renowned singer, songwriter and Yamaha pianist Elton John will return to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace this fall with an all new show, The Million Dollar Piano, named after a stunning, one-of-a-kind instrument made exclusively for him by Yamaha.

A team effort between Yamaha Entertainment Group and Elton John, the million-dollar piano has been 4 years in the making and is called such because it cost $1 million to create. The designers and engineers from Yamaha Pianos in Hamamatsu, Japan worked with Elton John to bring his vision to life. The result is a spectacular, highly modified CFIIIS grand piano, representing a marriage of tremendous technology and art. There will be only 2 made in the world: one for Elton John and one that Yamaha Entertainment Group will help auction off for charity at the end of the Las Vegas engagement.

"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."

The Million Dollar Piano debuts Sept. 28 and will run for 16 shows, marking the beginning of a three-year residency at The Colosseum and Elton's second as a Caesars Palace headliner. The first was for his production The Red Piano, based on another collaboration between him and Yamaha.

"Caesars Palace is just a perfect, idyllic place to play, and the show will be a gargantuan feast of music and imagery," said Elton. "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.'"

Tickets for the first sixteen performances of The Million Dollar Piano go on public sale on Monday, April 25 at 10 a.m. PST. These 16 dates are Sept. 28, 30, Oct. 1-2, 6-9, 13-15, 18-19, 21-23. Tickets may be purchased in person at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office, open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST, as well as online at Ticketmaster, keyword Elton John.

For more information on Yamaha artists or Yamaha Entertainment Group, please visit www.yamahaartists.com or www.facebook.com/yamahaentertainmentgroup.

Media inquiries, please contact Tiffany Napper, tnapper@yamaha.com.