NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — The sound from 60 colorfully painted pianos playing a Johann Sebastian Bach prelude filled a New York City plaza on Monday (June 5).
To kick off the “Sing for Hope Pianos” event, Jon Batiste, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” bandleader and Sing for Hope board member, conducted a performance of “Prelude in C” by Bach, with amateur and professional piano players playing the prelude simultaneously inside 28 Liberty Plaza in the Financial District.
The public art project for pianos, now in its 6th year, showcases 60 pianos that have been painted by various artists and will be placed at high pedestrian traffic areas throughout the city.
“What’s so great about this is you have all these great artists painting these beautiful pianos and the great thing is, they’re for all the people,” said Billy the Artist, who sat and played at the piano he painted. “So there’s beautiful art, beautiful music put together and then the pianos get donated to schools all around New York City. So it’s a really great cause and it’s a way to get your art and your vibe out there and it’s so nice having seen people play your artwork.”
When the installation runs its course on June 25th, the pianos will be donated to New York City schools.
