Random Pianos Will Be Placed All Around the City For Anyone to Play

Photo via Flickr.com/ALifeofCyn

The streets of Boston will soon be filled with the musical styling’s of complete strangers.

In celebration of their 75th season, the Celebrity Series of Boston is partnering with British artist Luke Jerram to bring his public piano installation, “Play Me I’m Yours,” to the city from Friday, September 27 through Monday, October 14, by setting up 75 pianos throughout Boston, making them available for anyone who wants to play to sit down and start hitting the keys.

This will be the first time the project—which has been featured in cities all over the world such as London, Sydney, Paris, New York City, Sao Paulo, and Barcelona—will be appearing in Boston.

Jerram, the “Play Me I’m Yours” creator, said the project brings life to areas that people may casually stroll past, and gives residents a chance to mingle while showing off their talents. He came up with the idea after going to the laundromat mat regularly, and noticing that no one ever interacted. “I saw the same people there each weekend and yet no one talked to one another. I suddenly realized that within a city, there must be hundreds of these invisible communities, regularly spending time with one another in silence. Placing a piano into the space was my solution to this problem, acting as a catalyst for conversation and changing the dynamics of a space,” he said.

According to the organization, here is how it works:

Who plays them and how long they remain on the streets is up to each community. Many pianos are personalized and decorated by artists or the local community. By creating a place of exchange ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ invites the public to engage with, activate, and take ownership of their urban environment.

City parks, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Arts Academy, Office for the Arts at Harvard, and the Prudential Center will host pianos in various spaces for people to play. “The public piano festival, Play Me I’m Yours, will give residents and visitors a chance to make music in the streets of Boston through this exciting public art installation,” Mayor Tom Menino said in a statement.

Not only will the pianos be free for pedestrians walking by to play, but they will also be painted up and decorated with the help of local artists, giving each instrument a unique look and style.

The pianos are currently being decorated at a space on Drydock Avenue in the waterfront district.

The group first announced that it would be making its way to Boston back in February, but at the time, details were not concrete.

Exact locations and a map of where the pianos will be located will be announced by mid-September. Both the artists behind “Play Me I’m Yours,” and the city, are encouraging passerby and piano players to share video and photos of the instruments strewn around Boston to generate public interest.