Downbeat for the third annual Piano Day Pittsburgh is Sunday at noon and kicks off the most ambitious version of the event to date.
Local piano dealers Fort Pitt Piano and Modern Piano have donated the use of four Steinway and Yamaha concert-grade pianos that will be placed in Heinz Hall, Katz Plaza, Market Square and PPG Plaza, all Downtown.
More than 100 musicians will perform either solo or in ensembles involving other instruments from noon to 8 p.m at Heinz, Katz and Market Square. The piano at PPG Plaza will be open to any members of the public that are feeling particularly virtuosic this weekend.
“Nothing is ticketed, and everything is totally free,” said Peter Stumpf, a Pittsburgh piano technician and the founder of Piano Day Pittsburgh. “We’ve had more demand the last couple of years than we’ve been able to accommodate, and we’re thrilled that this event is gaining traction and getting such a positive response.”
Heinz Hall will feature Pittsburgh amateur and professional ivory ticklers including Tina Faigen, James Iman, Jack Kurutz, Nanette Kaplan Solomon and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra pianist Rodrigo Ojeda.
“It’s a way to celebrate this wonderful instrument, the musicians, the composers, the technicians,” Mr. Ojeda said. “It’s a platform to share the love of piano and music between professionals and amateurs and anyone interested.”
Katz Plaza features a lineup of local jazz artists, and Market Square players range from experimental to singer/songwriter to the piano-driven Pittsburgh rock band Wreck Loose.
Piano Day celebrations are common in cities around the globe — including Phoenix, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., in the U.S. The majority take place on the 88th day of the year (because a piano has 88 keys), or March 29 this year. Mr. Stumpf wanted the event to be outdoors, so he waited until August. To raise awareness for Sunday, he loaded a grand piano in a flatbed and drove around the city with various performers on Aug. 8 (eighth day of the eighth month) for the second year in a row.
For a full schedule and lineup for Piano Day Pittsburgh 2018, go to pianodaypgh.com.
Jeremy Reynolds: jreynolds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1634; twitter: @Reynolds_PG. Mr. Reynolds’ work at the Post-Gazette is supported by a grant from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Getty Foundation and the Rubin Institute.
First Published: August 23, 2018, 1:00 p.m.
