Today marks the launch of this year's edition of Flower Piano, a 12-day installation of playable pianos in the San Francisco Botanical Garden, put on by Sunset Piano's Mauro ffortissimo and Dean Mermell.
Like last year's installation, Flower Piano will place pianos in 12 different corners of the Botanical Garden, with the goal of bringing beauty to people in surprising, unexpected ways.
There's a full roster of scheduled musical events, as well as open time for people to wander through and use the pianos themselves. In a fun twist, many of this year's featured performers are independent pianists who took their own sheet music to the park to play and practice last year, says Nina Sazevich, spokeswoman for the Botanical Garden.
"There will be professionals at the keys," Sazevich wrote in an email, "including classical powerhouses Allison Lovejoy and Serene Han, composer Alex Conde, the slightly naughty Kitten on the Keys, and new music specialist Sarah Cahill, who will be accompanied by violinist Kate Stenberg."
This year's scheduled recitals will also include appearances by the Awesöme Orchestra, a sing-along choir, piano duets, and costumed performers. (A full schedule is available here.)
The installation will run through July 18th, with a closing ceremony that will coincide with one of the garden's monthly full moon walks.
Entry to the garden is free to San Francisco residents with proof of residency; tickets for non-resident adults are $8.
