Piano project strikes a chord at Glendale Community College
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Some cast a curious glance as they strode by. Others paused for closer inspection, cracking open the keyboard cover, and then the lid, to peer at the strings and hammers.
And then student after student sat down at the upright piano just outside the administration building at Glendale Community College and did exactly what the instrument was there for — they made music.
“It is great,” said 20-year-old music major Joe Mehrabians as he tickled out a few jazzy notes. “If there was a piano like this on every street corner, there would be a lot less crime.... It is therapeutic.”
The instrument is one of 30 pianos installed at locations throughout Los Angeles County last week by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, which is celebrating 15 years under music director and pianist Jeffrey Kahane.
The project, titled “Play Me, I’m Yours,” will run through May 3 and is designed to recognize Kahane’s leadership and engage the community in music making, said Rachel Fine, executive director with the orchestra.
“We approached the location of the pianos very intentionally, and we wanted to make sure they were in communities where the orchestra performs,” Fine said. “One of our major venues, and a hub of a lot of our activities, is the Alex Theatre in Glendale and the community college.”
Other locations include the courtyard at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena and the Santa Monica Pier.
Each of the pianos — painted by Los Angeles-based artists and art organizations — are being tended to by tuners and technicians during the nearly three-week project.
“That was a really important part of the project — making sure people have the chance to experience the piano they way it should sound,” Fine said.
The response from the community has been fantastic, she added.
Some music organizations have planned performances around the publicly displayed pianos, and the orchestra’s Twitter account and website have been inundated by photos from people who have taken the time to play the instruments.
During a meeting Monday, Glendale Community College President/Supt. Dawn Lindsay said she has loved having the piano right outside her office.
“It has been wonderful to hear people play,” Lindsay said.