Play Me Again Pianos Welcomes New Piano to at Alpharetta Arts Center

Play Me Again Pianos, a nonprofit aspiring to make metro Atlanta more musical through 88 public piano installations, will cut the ribbon on its newest donated piano Saturday, Aug. 24, at 1:30 p.m. at the Alpharetta Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public and everyone is encouraged to play the piano, named "Ekphrasis," after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"We are so excited to be a part of the City of Alpharetta's vision of a community filled with music and arts. The new arts center is a powerful testament to this commitment," said Jason Brett, co-founder of Play Me Again Pianos. "We're proud to continue our amazingly successful partnership with this 22nd piano in the Play Me Again Pianos family, and our very first public baby grand piano! It's a beautiful design and we can't wait to hear the music the community creates here."

The eventual 88 pianos represent the 88 piano keys. Ekphrasis joins four others, Flannery (at Cogburn Road Park), Oscar (at Rock Mill Park), Morgan (at the Wills Park Equestrian Center) and Barry (at Webb Bridge Park) as neighborhood pianos in Alpharetta. Originally donated to the City of Alpharetta by Sam Bennett of PianoWorks in Duluth, the piano was then donated by the city to Play Me Again Pianos to help grow the public piano program in the city.

Deanna Sirlin, artist of note, is mentoring participants of the City of Alpharetta Cultural Services High School Apprenticeship Program through the design and paint process for the piano. The city sponsors the program as part of their overall vision for integrating art throughout the city. There have been six art apprentices involved in the project, Kayla Barbee, Cole Gabriel, Thea Genet, Ellie Hegwood, Aaila Khan and Kaia Lee. "It has been my pleasure to mentor the Art Apprentices for the City of Alpharetta," said Sirlin. "I am proud to have these young artists be part of my studio."

The name Ekphrasis was chosen by Sirlin for its inspiration. Though typically ekphrasis refers to a written work inspired by visual art, great works of art inspire creativity of all sorts and all involved in the project anticipate beautiful music to be inspired by the artwork on the new public piano.

Morgan Rodgers, the City of Alpharetta recreation, parks and cultural services director is pleased with the growth of the arts in the city. Rodgers noted, "Having the baby grand at the arts center is fitting because the architectural style of the building has always been described as looking like a grand piano."

With the increasing rarity of home pianos, public access to them enriches the entire community. For more information about volunteer opportunities and the impact of Play Me Again Pianos, visit www.PlayMeAgainPianos.org.

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