Play Me Again Pianos Installs Public Piano in Brookhaven

Play Me Again Pianos announced today its newest public piano will open in Brookhaven's Ashford Park, on Redding Road, Sunday, June 4th. The public is invited to attend the ribbon cutting and join in the festivities at 1:30 p.m.

Play Me Again Pianos, a Georgia non-profit charity, is working to install and permanently maintain 88 free public pianos throughout the Atlanta Metropolitan area for the community to play and enjoy.

"Street pianos and public pianos inspire people to connect with each other in ways that were once common, but seem increasingly rare. By adding our pianos to the landscape throughout the city, we hope to nurture that connection into an evolution of Atlanta's culture, community and the arts," said Jason Brett, co-founder of Play Me Again Pianos.

In keeping with the Play Me Again Pianos' tradition of naming each piano, this one will be called 'Aragon'. The name was inspired by the design, and suggested by a resident in the local community.

Doug Smith, a Visual Arts Instructor at Midtown International School (MIS), designed a colorful dragon theme for the piano in Ashford Park, and the MIS Arts Department and students worked with him to bring the design to life. "Aragon," said Smith, "symbolizes the magical, creative bond between visual artists and our fantastic musical cousins."

"The MIS Arts Department is thrilled to be involved with such a wonderful project," said Sherilyn Taylor, Visual Arts Instructor. "We love the idea of bringing visual and musical arts together with this interactive installation, and hope that Aragon brings joy, excitement, and curiosity to everyone in it's presence."

Play Me Again Pianos and the City of Brookhaven Parks and Recreation Department will officially unveil the piano at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 21st with a ribbon cutting ceremony, which will feature a performance by local young pianist and MIS student Nico Brett, age 11. At the end of the performance, the piano will be open to everyone.

"We are thrilled and honored to add a piano by Play Me Again Pianos to Ashford Park," said Brian Borden, Director of Parks and Recreation in Brookhaven. "We're pleased to offer a musical outlet to the patrons of our park."

Play Me Again Pianos has already placed pianos at the Chastain Park Playground, two at The Woodruff Arts Center, in the plaza at Colony Square (near the MIDTOWN letters), the Dunwoody Nature Center, and the Chamblee Rail Trail. Additional pianos are in various stages of planning and development.

Founded as a Georgia non-profit charity in 2016, Play Me Again Pianos installs and permanently maintains free publicly accessible pianos throughout the Atlanta area for the community to play and enjoy. Play Me Again Pianos is a registered 501(c)(3) corporation. For more information, visit www.PlayMeAgainPianos.org.

Local artist, Doug Smith, is a graduate of Michigan State University. He's an experienced art teacher for elementary, middle, and high school, and is currently a Visual Arts Instructor at Midtown International School. Doug focuses on acrylic, watercolor, pastel and fused glass as his chosen media.

Brookhaven is a city in the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta. Home to about 51,029, it is located in western DeKalb County, Georgia, directly northeast of Atlanta. On July 31, 2012, Brookhaven was approved in a referendum to become DeKalb County's 11th city. For more information visit, www.BrookahvenGA.gov.

Midtown International School serves gifted and academically superior students who thrive in small class environments. The globally minded curriculum and problem-based instruction create a community of engaged global leaders dedicated to the values of respect, responsibility, citizenship and justice. For more information visit, www.MidtownInternationalSchool.com.

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