North Shore residents may recall hearing live piano music resonating from North Vancouver Civic Plaza or Lonsdale Quay Market last summer as aspiring and experienced musicians of all ages banged out tunes on outdoor keyboards.
This year, visitors to Lynn Valley Village will enjoy the same impromptu musical entertainment. An upright piano was placed outside the library on July 13 as part of the annual Pianos on the Street program, which invites members of the public to take a seat and tickle the ivory for the pleasure of passersby. The Lynn Valley instrument, which is painted with a mountainous landscape and expansive sky, was decorated by Grade 8 Waldorf School students under the direction of their art teacher Lori Johnston.
Pianos on the Street is installing a total of 24 public pianos throughout the Lower Mainland this summer and five of them are on the North Shore: Lynn Valley Village, North Vancouver Civic Plaza, the HOpe Centre at Lions Gate Hospital, Parkgate Community Centre, and Lonsdale Quay Market. Each instrument was decorated by a different community group.
According to a press release, Pianos on the Street was founded in 2009 as part of the Piano Teacher’s Federation and focuses on connecting communities through music and giving local non-profit associations and community groups the chance to participate in creating public art. The pianos are supplied by Pacey's Pianos.
This summer also marks the return of a photo and video contest. To enter, users are invited to upload a photo or video of themselves playing a piano and post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #PianosOntheStreet. Videos and photos with the most votes, or that are selected by a panel of judges, could win up to $500.
All of the public pianos will be in place until early September.
