Rachmaninoff quickly dealt with business, hiring Dagmar Rybner, daughter of the Professor of Music at Columbia University, as his secretary, interpreter, and aide in dealing with American life. He reunited with Josef Hofmann who informed several concert managers that the composer was available and suggested to choose Charles Ellis as his booking agent. Ellis organised 36 performances for Rachmaninoff for the upcoming 1918–1919 concert season; the first, a piano recital, took place on 8 December at Providence, Rhode Island. Rachmaninoff, still in recovery from a case of the Spanish flu, included his arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in the program. Before the tour he had received offers from numerous piano manufacturers to tour with their instruments; he chose Steinway, the only one that did not offer him money. Steinway's association with Rachmaninoff continued for the rest of his life.