Public Pianos in Portland
While it’s still warm out, we at Michelle’s Piano encourage you to stop by our store and browse our extensive inventory of new and used pianos. At the same time, if you are running errands throughout the Portland Metro area, you may still be able to get a few minutes of practice in anyway! That’s because there are currently ten pianos around Portland put in place for anyone who wants to play. We saw one ourselves over at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Live music certainly has become a lost luxury this year, but it’s with small projects like this that we’re able to collectively discover the sounds of the piano in even the most unlikely places.
“I have to say after six months of being at home and playing for myself this feels amazing,” said Asher Fulero, a world-class pianist and keyboardist.
You can see more of the pianos in action HERE.
“It’s a connectedness that is really easy and deep, and I can have fun with it or be really serious about it,” he said.
Megan McGeorge is the person who developed Piano. Push. Play. They are the masterminds behind actually finding these old pianos, restoring them, and then placing them throughout the city.
“I truly believe in the power of people seeing the beauty and talent within others, and for a lot of musicians and pianists, it’s hard to have an outlet these days,” McGeorge said.
Each of the ten is given their own unique name. For example, the piano at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Wednesday is called the “Black Love,” decorated by Donovan Edwards.
“It’s a community-making machine, this instrument. That’s what I like to say,” said McGeorge.
Another interesting feature of the project is the inclusion of passports. In each piano’s bench, there is a unique stamp for you to mark your visits across the city. It presents the player with a challenge to find all the other instruments. Sort of like a combination of hide and seek mixed with busking.
