Sing for Hope will celebrate the fifth anniversary of its legendary community arts program, The Sing for Hope Pianos, with a public unveiling of all 50 pianos on June 6(th) at 28 Liberty Plaza in New York City. The event will feature Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, Tony Award- and Drama Desk-nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega, former Late Night with David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer, the dynamic Anderson & Roe Piano Duo, cast members from On Site Opera's acclaimed Figaro Trilogy, saxophonist/composer Ted Nash, singer/songwriter Pete Muller, and other stars of the New York music scene, along with student musicians from Sing for Hope's programs.
The collection of pianos has been lovingly hand-painted by local and international artists, including a number of well-known celebrities, all of whom have volunteered their time and talent for the project. The public will have a chance to see, play, and enjoy the Sing for Hope Pianos between June 9(th) and 19(th) when they will be on display in high-traffic locations across the five boroughs.
New York City Public Schools to Benefit
After the public installation, the 2016 Sing for Hope Pianos will be placed within New York City Schools through a special partnership with the New York City Department of Education, benefiting an estimated 15,000 school children.
"From the South Bronx and the Rockaways to Staten Island and Times Square, the Sing for Hope Pianos have become synonymous with summertime in New York City," said Sing for Hope Co-Founders
Monica Yunus and
Camille Zamora. "We are thrilled to bring these pianos to life at 28 Liberty as we prepare to fill our city with music, art, and community for a fifth year. We also are delighted that, after their time in the parks, the 2016 Sing for Hope Pianos will go on to permanent homes in our city's public schools, opening creative doorways for students for years to come."
Schools interested in applying to receive a Sing for Hope Piano may do so by June 1, 2016 at
https://singforhope.formstack.com/forms/piano_donation2016.
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to raise the $25,000 needed to cover all transportation, insurance, permitting, tuning, and coordination costs associated with moving the pianos into schools throughout the five boroughs. The campaign will run through June 19 at
www.singforhope.org/keychange.
Sing for Hope Pianos App
Those interested in enjoying the pianos from June 9 to 19 will have the opportunity to locate the pianos through the Sing for Hope app, which allows people to discover, visit, and play all 50 artist-designed outdoor Sing for Hope Pianos. The iPhone app, created pro bono by the New York City-based company Culture Craver, is available for free in the app store at
http://apple.co/1FH5AcZ (SFH Pianos). The app maximizes New Yorkers' interaction with The Sing for Hope Pianos, creating new opportunities for social engagement around the artist-created instruments.
Each piano has its own page in the app, which includes photos, location details, the artist's bio, and information on the design itself. With the app, users can explore the latest social buzz about the pianos, schedule their own "pop-up concerts" on individual pianos, alert their friends about events, and compete to win "piano prizes," including a chance for one lucky musician to create a studio recording with an acclaimed producer.
"We hope the app allows New Yorkers to discover pianos -- and explore our beautiful city -- from Castle Clinton at the tip of Manhattan to the Van Cortland House Museum in the Bronx," said
Julia Levy and
Ari Edelson, co-founders of Culture Craver. "We were excited to create this app to help people explore one of our favorite NYC art installations."
Contributions by Celebrities
As in previous years, celebrities are contributing their energy, talent, and time to design The 2016 Sing for Hope Pianos, including singer Jessie
James Decker and her husband, Eric Decker of the New York Jets,
Nathan Sykes (formerly of The Wanted), singer
Greyson Chance, photographer
Bruce Weber, the cast of the hit Broadway show Fun Home, and haute couture designer Georges Chakra. Artists and celebrities who have previously donated their time and talent to create Sing for Hope Pianos include fashion designers
John Varvatos,
Isaac Mizrahi,
Kate Spade, and
Diane Von Furstenberg; visual artists
Julian Schnabel and
Scott Taylor; and media mogul
Arianna Huffington.
Since the legendary community arts program began, 286 pianos have been placed throughout New York City for the benefit of schools, healthcare facilities and community-based organizations. On June 9th, Sing for Hope will place its 336th public Sing for Hope Piano in New York City since the project's 2010 debut, making NYC host to more street pianos than any other in the world.
An icon of Lower Manhattan, 28 Liberty, a Fosun Property Holdings building, has provided a full 34,000-square-foot floor to serve as a communal studio for the artists designing the pianos.
The 2016 Sing for Hope Pianos are made possible in part by the support of Fosun International and 28 Liberty, and by Sing for Hope's Founders' Circle, including The Arnhold Foundation in loving memory of Sissy Arnhold, The Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation, and
Ann Ziff. To download hi-res images, please visit
www.SingforHope.org/2016media.
