There are many signs that summer’s practically upon New York City, but one of the most colorful — and creative — is the annual rollout of the Sing for Hope Pianos, which can now be found at dozens of locations across the five boroughs.
This year, Sing for Hope partnered with Mini USA for the installation, which began Monday and continues through June 24 and welcomes anyone and everyone to sit down and tickle ivories that have been painted by a diverse mix of artists. The automaker even created a unique piano-on-wheels by outfitting a Mini Countryman with a keyboard, sound system and vibrant exterior.
“We founded Sing for Hope with one goal: Making the arts accessible to everyone in every community. The arts enable neighborhoods to thrive by positively impacting those who live there and enriching the community as a whole,” Sing for Hope founders Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora said in a statement. “These 51 one-of-a-kind Sing for Hope Pianos will not only provide music for three weeks in June; they will also, in alignment with our mission, serve 15,000 New York City students annually after the pianos are delivered to their permanent homes at our ‘Citizen Artist Schools,’ sparking inspiration as a tool for future artists for years to come.”
The 51 Sing for Hope Pianos can be found at high-traffic areas that include Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in the Bronx, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Coney Island Boardwalk, Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan, Unisphere Flushing Meadows in Queens, Greenbelt Nature Center on Staten Island and more locations that you can find at singforhope.org/pianos.
New Yorkers can also find the locations on the Craver-created Sing for Hope Pianos app, which is available on iOS and Android devices. They can also use the app to schedule a special visit from the #MiniPiano as it traverses the city and find performance schedules for each piano.
In the fall, the 2018 Sing for Hope pianos will get permanent homes at the organization’s “Citizen Artist Schools” in all five boroughs, which benefits more than 80,000 city students annually.
For more info, visit singforhope.org.
