FIT grad Nina Allen chose a floral design for her piano, which can be found in front of the Old Stone House in Brooklyn (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Multiple locations in all five boroughs
Through June 16, free
www.singforhope.org
You can tickle the ivories in some unusual places through June 16, as Sing for Hope Pianos dot the landscape of the city in both color and, of course, black and white. Founded in 2006 by Juilliard-trained sopranos Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus, Sing for Hope “activates artists as agents of transformation in underserved areas and promotes the ideal of art for all.” There are eighty-eight specially designed pianos across the five boroughs, in parks and public spaces where anyone can just take a seat and play, amateur or professional, first-timer or Carnegie Hall veteran. As opposed to three years ago, when all the pianos were designed by multidisciplinary British artist Luke Jerram for what he called “Play Me, I’m Yours,” this year’s pianos are by such artists as Paolo Pecchi (Central Park Tennis Center), Maxine Nienow (Times Square), Michael Scoggins (Little Red Square), Jennie Booth (Jackson Heights Post Office), William Raynolds (Soundview Park), Arianna Huffington and the Huffington Post Team (Thomas Jefferson Park), Stefan Sierhej (Brooklyn Bridge Park), Laura Ricciardi (South Street Seaport), Brenda Hyungyung Bae (Governors Island), Care Bonewitz (Grand Army Plaza), and Nina Allen (Old Stone House). You can read about each artist and piano on the official website, which also has a map so you can track down keyboards near wherever you are. Among the special events still to come are a Beaches and Barbeques party in Prospect Park’s Grand Army Plaza on June 8 at 2:00, a Trains, Boats, and Automobiles Tour at Brooklyn Bridge Park on June 8 at 4:00, a Manhattan Borough Tour meeting at Riverside Park’s Pier 1 on June 13 at 5:00, and the River View Photo Challenge at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on June 14 at 4:00, among other local gatherings. At the end of the program, the pianos will be donated to public schools, health-care facilities, and community organizations.