It’s that time of year again in New York City — when residents have a chance to spot, and even play, a piano in their local park.
The public art installation is part of the annual Sing For Hope Pianos project from Sing For Hope, which is celebrating 25 years of using the arts to create community and connection.
What You Need To Know
Sing For Hope has placed colorful public pianos in parks across New York City through June 7
The organization was founded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by two Juilliard students looking to serve the city through music
More than 750 artist-designed pianos have been donated around the world since the project launched in 2010
After their park residency, the pianos are permanently donated to schools, hospitals and community centers
“Until June 7, the pianos willbe open for everyone and anyone to play. People often ask us what happens when it rains. Well, each piano is equipped with a little raincoat that we roll out to keep them protected,” said Camille Zamora, a soprano who co-founded the organization in 2001 with fellow soprano Monica Yunus.
The pair were students at The Juilliard School at the time and launched the organization in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
“Juilliard shares a city block with a firehouse that was a first responder that day, and they lost 12 of their 13 men,” Zamora said. “We wanted to serve in some way, so we shared our music on the street and really realized there’s a role for the arts in times of crisis.”
The organization continued expanding its outreach across the city and launched Sing For Hope Pianos in 2010. Since then, the nonprofit has transformed and donated more than 750 pianos around the world in 33 countries.
“Each one of these is a masterpiece by an artist who was chosen by an outside panel of adjudicators,” Zamora said. “People submit their proposals, and their beautiful visions come to life here in our studio at 28 Liberty Street in Lower Manhattan. Each one, I think you’ll see, is just as individual as every New Yorker.”
This year’s 25 pianos will spend a day at Fosun Plaza in Lower Manhattan for a public celebration before being moved to parks across the five boroughs for a three-week residency. Afterward, each piano is permanently donated to a school, hospital or community center.
Designs range from birds and bodega cats to pianos inspired by the Broadway casts of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.”
Studio manager and artist Christopher Spinelli completed his 10th piano this year, featuring monarch butterflies and milkweed plants that are critical to the species’ survival.
“I’m a native Brooklynite, and there are a lot of beautiful gardens in Brooklyn. I just want to make sure they are filled with butterflies,” Spinelli said.
For more information on the pianos and where they will appear around the city, visit Sing For Hope Pianos NYC.