Piano restoration update
Tony and a friend sanding the piano in Tim’s barn, getting it ready for the artwork.
It is hoped the piano will be installed in a public place for anyone to use, perhaps Reading station so do keep a lookout.
Well the piano has now been fully restored, appears to have been painted with a unique style and is now ready to be moved to a central location where, after tuning, members of the public can demonstrate their skills a nd others appreciate some wonderful music!
Finally the piano will be officially presented and open to the public at 3:00 p.m. on 24th April on the concourse at Reading Station. All welcome. The piano will be moved into position a day or two earlier and be professionally tuned. So if you fancy a chance to perform please turn up and enjoy.
The new addition, which was unveiled last week (Thursday 24th April), is already proving a hit with passengers at the station, which is celebrating 185 years since it first opened its doors as a terminal for Brunel’s Great Western Railway in 1840.
The piano was donated to the Reading Library of Things by Highwood School in Woodley, but as the library don’t take musical instruments it was offered to The Rotary Club of Reading who agreed to take it. Their intention was to renovate it and repurpose it to be used as a ‘public piano’, offering a free and accessible way to play for the people of the town.
The piano was then fully-restored and given a fresh design named ‘The Musical Forest’ by Commando Jugendstil, a Solarpunk collective who also designed the mural for the Reading Hydro turbine house close to the station.
Bernadette Sachs, said: “We’d like to give a huge thanks to The Rotary Club of Reading for the donation of this beautiful piano, which we are delighted to have on the concourse at Reading station.
“We’ve seen how appreciated pianos at some of our managed stations in London have been by passengers and staff alike, and we hope this will help brighten people’s journeys at Reading for years to come.”
Reading Rotary Club quote: “We are delighted that the piano now resides in Reading station and that it has been such an instant success”
Wow! Shortly after the official opening of this piano the public were entertained with this amazing talented young person....
More photos...
