Go Play Multi-Colored Pianos Scattered Throughout the Five Boroughs
Although you normally wouldn’t find many musical instruments scattered throughout the parks and public spaces of the five boroughs, the community non-profit Sing for Hope is in the midst of its annual Pianos project–an endeavor that sees artistically crafted pianos placed in neighborhoods across New York City with the intent of public use.
Sing for Hope, which was started by opera singers Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus in 2006, champions the ethos of making the arts a public necessity. The organization partners with various different community and charity groups throughout New York, and brings musicians, artists, dancers and other performers to entertain crowds at schools, hospitals and nursing homes.
While the Sing for Hope Pianos project is in its fourth year, the mission and overall goal behind it hasn’t changed. It still is reflective of the organization’s broader scope, which is “making the arts accessible for all,” according to Stephanie Martinez, Director of Youth Arts at Sing for Hope.
“The pianos are really a symbol of that,” she says. “They’re in all five boroughs, all throughout New York City, in all different communities.”
This year’s fifty pianos, which have all been painted and or illustrated by several local volunteer artists, are now locatable through an app, which can help people track their locations from Harlem to Staten Island.
The pianos are later donated to the same community organizations that Sing for Hope partners with, “where they can continue to live on and where we can plan events around them,” says Martinez.
The pianos, which you can see in map-form here, will remain at their various locations until June 21st.