I am Opus the Octopus and I Love Music - #NYCPianoParty

I am Opus the Octopus and i love Music

New York city has more than its share of public art -- both permanent and ephemeral -- and a couple of weeks ago I decided that I would get out and see as much of it as I could this summer.  I chronicled my first expedition in Art. Sofa. Rope. (a temporary installation in Madison Square Park) and Expedition Keith Haring (a permanent piece of Haring's work up at 128th & 2nd Avenue).

Opus Keys

Those excursions sandwiched a detour to see the Duke Ellington Memorial (nice, but why are there naked women (er caryatids) holding up the Duke and his grand piano?) and a quick dip into the Conservatory Garden to escape the city heat and visit my beloved gardens.

This past weekend saw me out and about looking for the artistic creations that comprise the 2013 version of the Sing for Hope pianos.  The mission of Sing for Hope is simple -- to make art accessible to all (#artforall).  Once the exhibition is over, each of the pianos will find a home in a school, community center, or health care institution.  For the two weeks they are on display (through June 16th), New Yorkers and visitors alike may hear the sweet sounds of a piano drifting softly through the air.

I am Opus the Octopus and I Love Music by Izabel Lamb isn't the first piano I saw but it is (so far) one of my favorites.  Much to my surprise, for a well-traversed section of Central Park (it is outside the Dairy), it was a fairly lonely little piano in terms of folks stopping to play.  For the most part, there were just a few tentative touches of the keys and a couple of photo ops but the piano wasn't  seeing much action.

That is until the arrival of one small boy who wanted to play.   The thing you have to know about this particular small boy is that he did not have mad piano playing skills.  In fact, he didn't know how to play the piano at all!  He was a joy to watch and list to all the same.  He had the dramatic flair of the greatest concert pianist and he moved up and down the keyboard trying out different sounds as if he were a composer testing out new melodies for his next opus.  He was quite engaging and I think he would have played all day if given the chance but, alas, a play date or errands called and off he wandered with his mother in tow.  Not before receiving an ovation from the crowd -- some of whom were standing!

Piano Prodigy

The tales of more pianos to follow in the coming days....

Opus the Octopus:  A 2013 Sing for Hope Piano