Bringing pianos to the people’ in Long Island City. ‘Play me, I’m Yours’ NYC.

Tickle those ivories, Long Island City. ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ NYC 2010. –photo

Well it’s not good news about LIC’s senior center, nor is it any word on potential closing of local firehouses, but Mayor Bloomberg has dropped an outdoor interactive art exhibit on us instead. Fair enough.

“Play Me, I’m Yours, by British artist Luke Jerram who has been touring the project globally since 2008, involves leaving pianos all over NYC public spaces so people can just sit down and play them. Long Island City’s Gantry Park is the site of one of the pianos, and also the site of the obligatory press conference held for our politicians to ceremoniously commence the event, which starts today and coincides with performances from Make Music New York, which will only be held today.

“… “Play Me, I’m Yours,” a two-week citywide music program that will feature 60 public pianos in public spaces throughout New York City. The program kicks off on June 21 at [Make Music New York](http://makemusicny.org/), a one-day festival featuring more than 1,000 free musical performances at locations in all five boroughs, and will run through July 5. The pianos are artworks as well as instruments and will be individually decorated by local artists, students and volunteers, and New Yorkers and visitors from around the world will be encouraged to play them.”

There’s lots of music going on these days in Gantry Park, considering we’re just at the beginning of QCA‘s summer music series ‘Live at the Gantries‘, which is happening tomorrow evening, with Pass Kontrol, a Brooklyn based city rock band. Upcoming performances include a harmonica-ist, Afro-Cuban Jazz, and a Gospel Choir. Exciting stuff. Can’t wait to hear what LIC’ers play on the street piano. Some virtuosos in the house!

• Play me, I’m Yours in Gantry Park, LIC [website]

• Pianos dropped all over NYC [USA confidential]

• Make Music New York LIC events June 21st, 2010 [website]