NYC to plant 60 pianos at parks, bus stations
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Shakespeare gets the credit for coining “all the world’s a stage,” but it’s Luke Jerram who’s trying his darnedest to make it come true.
The British artist’s worldwide concept, called “Play Me, I’m Yours,” brings 60 public pianos to outdoor locations around New York City for two weeks starting Monday.
Donated for the cause and decorated by a host of artists, pianos will reside everywhere from the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge to Lincoln Center and the St. George Ferry Terminal. The installation opens on the same day as the free citywide outdoor festival Make Music New York, which features more than 1,000 concerts at outdoor locations around the city, but “Play Me, I’m Yours” continues for two weeks.
“There’s going to be a huge amount of talent here,” said Jerram in an interview. “The piano’s actually a blank canvas for everyone’s creativity, really, so I just hope the city enjoys it.”
Whether you’re looking to be the next Liberace, Ludwig, or just rock that piano part from Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” here’s your chance to do it. Whether the pianos will draw true entertainers or noisy wanna-bes remains to be seen.
“Is it a good piano? I can’t play a horrible piano,” said jazz pianist Hiroshi Yamazaki, who performs regularly at Lorenzo’s Cabaret at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomfield. “I think if you put a public piano in a place, somebody will play, definitely. There are so many amateur players, and people really enjoy playing the piano.”
Jerram already shares stories about a couple meeting for the first time at the pianos, and a mother hearing her daughter play for the first time after years of buying lessons, because the family couldn’t afford an instrument of their own.
The New York City installation is the largest of the project, which since 2008 has brought pianos to London, Sydney and Sao Paulo. Manhattan will get 27 pianos, Brooklyn 10, Queens five, and four to both Staten Island and the Bronx. Besides the ferry terminal, the Staten Island Zoo, the Children’s Museum at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden and the South Beach Boardwalk all will get pianos.
The 60 pianos coming to New York, installed by artists’ public service organization Sing for Hope, will in most cases be available to ivory-ticklers from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to July 5. When the installation is over, the instruments are slated for donation to schools and hospitals, according to the organization, which coordinated the citywide project.
Sing For Hope is still looking for “buddies,” to take care of the instruments, unlocking and locking them at morning and night, and covering them with a heavy tarp in case of bad weather — interested parties should consult www.singforhope.org.
Belly and strings:
Refinishing the case:
