Sing for Hope to Place 60 Pianos Across NYC

Sing for Hope Pianos, the country’s largest annual public arts project, will return to the streets of New York City June 5-25. For the sixth annual summer event, 60 Sing for Hope pianos, which were all decorated by artist volunteers, will be placed in parks and public spaces across the five boroughs for anyone to play and enjoy. This summer will also mark the 400th piano placed in NYC, making the city host to more street pianos than any other city in the world, according to a Sing for Hope press release.

The 2017 Sing for Hope Pianos were designed by artists including Kate McKinnon of Saturday Night Live fame; the Broadway casts of Waitress, The Lion King, Cats, School of Rock, and Phantom of the Opera; Lady Jday, a street artist who promotes the place of women and people of color in the arts; and Joseph Meloy, whose murals can be found across the Lower East Side.

On June 5, a public unveiling of all 60 pianos at 28 Liberty Plaza in the Financial District will kick off the public installation. Plus, Jon Batiste, Sing for Hope board member and bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, will perform at 12pm, and he will lead the unison playing of all 60 pianos at 12:30pm.

Sing for Hope connects local artists with under-resourced schools, hospitals, and community centers to bring the power of art to those who need it most. In keeping with the charitable organization’s mission, 50 of the 2017 Sing for Hope Pianos will be donated and placed in public schools in New York City, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education, at the conclusion of the public installation. Each piano delivery will be complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebratory concerts from Sing for Hope Artist Partners and students within the schools.

For a full list of piano locations, as well as a schedule of pop-up performances, visit singforhope.org/pianos.

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Main image: A previous Sing for Hope Piano, designed by Marc Evan, at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Jessica Stack