Pop Up Piano is a stroke of genius. (See below for piano locations.)
It's like a dream: you are walking through a park in Brooklyn, and suddenly you happen upon a fully tuned, wildly decorated baby grand piano, waiting for you to play. You sit down, and tickle the keys. You play on. Nobody asks for money. Nobody calls the cops. Like a gift, it's there for you to simply play, whether you're a three-year-old playing "Twinkle Twinkle" or a concert quality, boogie-woogie jazz artist. And that's just what's happening in twenty one locations, from East New York to Shore Road in Bay Ridge to Prospect Park to Fort Greene to Williamsburg.
Its the Pop Up Piano festival, a New York City-wide free music and DIY festival organized by the non-profit Sing for Hope. In collaboration with the parks department and many volunteers and musicians, they place 88 pianos, decorated and painted by artists, celebrities and community groups, in public spaces. People can use them at any time of day or night.
Where To Hear A Free Pop Up Piano Concert in Your Brooklyn Neighborhood
And, you can catch a concert, too. See the Brooklyn Pop Up Piano concert schedule.
Note: This program will return, after a one year hiatus, in 2013. Locations TBA.
2011: Where To Find a Pop Up Piano to PLAY in Your Brooklyn Neighborhood
Here's a list of where you can find free access to baby grand and other pianos throughout Brooklyn from mid-June through July 2nd.- Bay Ridge at John Paul Jones Park, 4th Ave. and Shore Rd.
- Bay Ridge at Shore Road Park, at Narrows Rd. and Shore Rd.
- Bedford-Stuyvesant at Von King Cultural Center at Lafayette Ave. and Marcy Ave.
- Clinton Hill at Washington Ave. and Park Ave
- Brooklyn Bridge Park - along riverfront
- Bushwick, Wilson Ave. and Bleecker St.,
- Brooklyn Heights at Columbus Park, corner Remsen St. and Court St.,
- Coney Island on the Boardwalk, at W. 15th St.
- DUMBO at the Archway, at Adams St. and Water St.
- East New York at George Walker Jr. Park at Wyona St. and Jamaica Ave.
- Fort Greene in Fort Greene Park, at Washington Park and Willoughby Ave.
- Fort Greene at Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park
- Greenpoint at Newtown Creek Nature Walk, Greenpoint Ave. and Humboldt St.
- Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center at Avenue U and 33rd St.
- Prospect Heights at Brower Park, at Kingston Ave. and Park Place,
- Prospect Park at the Prospect Park Carousel, at Flatbush Ave. and Ocean Ave.
- Prospect Park - Park Slope at Grand Army Plaza (in a gazebo at the entrance to Park) at Flatbush Ave. and Eastern Parkway)
- Red Hook at the Red Hook Park Recreation Center at Henry St. and Bay St.
- Sunset Park, at Sunset Park near 44th St. and 6th Ave.
- Williamsburg McCarren Park, Bedford Ave. and N 12th St.
- Williamsburg East River State Park , at Kent Ave. and N 9th St.
Some of the people who've painted Pop Up Piano include Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Spade, Diane von Furstenberg, and actor B.D. Wong.
After, each piano will be donated to the schools and hospitals that Sing for Hope serves year-round.
The 2011 event ends on July 2nd.
