That sound that Staten Islanders are not hearing this June is that of the Sing For Hope street pianos. The pianos are a great combination of music and art and appear for three weeks each year, late spring into early summer. Every person can sit and play.
Each piano has a different subject matter (fish, flowers, Jackie Kennedy, Broadway, etc.) Each piano is painted by a different artist. Several have had Staten Island themes.
Six pianos have popped up on Staten Island during each of the past several years. Some of the locations include Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Historic Richmond own, Clove Lakes Park, Greenbelt Nature Center, Kivlehan Park, Piece A Cake, the St. George Ferry Terminal, Conference House Park and the Midland Beach Boardwalk.
Some have a piano every year. Some have them less frequently. But it’s always a joy to meet Staten Islanders who are playing the pianos, as well as folks who are standing around and enjoying listening to the music. It also is great talking to people who work at the various locations, who are kind enough to uncover a piano that may have been covered up due to threat of rain, just long enough for me to get a photo.
It’s always a challenge to see how many of the pianos one can get to in a day. Having no car, I use the MTA buses and the Staten Island Railway, a bit of an “adventure” to be sure (and lots of subway lines in the other four boroughs).
There used to be 88 pianos on display each year during the event. That has been cut to approximately 50. It is quite a trek getting out to remote parts of the Bronx and Queens. I came within one piano of seeing them all on display two years ago.
Last year I only made it to 40, as rain and the threat of rain caused the pianos to be closed for six or seven days.
After the three weeks, the pianos are donated to NYC schools. I was pleasantly surprised to see one in the auditorium of my old alma mater, Curtis High School, when I was there last December.
So why no street pianos this year? COVID-19 claims yet another cultural event.
Hopefully the street pianos will pop up again on Staten Island and throughout NYC next year. In the meantime, practice your piano and start thinking up unique designs and themes for the 2021 Sing for Hope event. You can get all of the info you need at www.singforhope.org
(Richard Richman is a Sunnyside resident.)
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June 29, 2020 at 06:18PM
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