Public Piano Performances

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A quick search tells me that quite a few countries have ‘public pianos’. These are pianos placed maybe at railway stations or other public places where people gather. Anyone who wants to can sit at the piano and play to their heart’s content. A new program has started on our national television station simply called The Piano. Obviously those appearing have been selected somehow. Some are brilliant, some not quite so brilliant, some play and sing, and one played piano with her right hand and accordion with her left. On the first program, one man wowed everyone by a masterful performance using only his left hand. He had been well on the way to becoming a concert pianist but had a stroke and had lost the use of his right arm and side. One played for her non-verbal autistic son. All had unique stories. What the performers didn’t know was that Andrea Lam, a renowned classical pianist, and Harry Connick, Jr,, were watching the performers and choosing one from each session to be mentored but being presented at a public performance later in the year. We watched two episodes last night and will watch more in the future. You’ve been the photo before of a piano sitting in an empty paddock at one of our house-sits.