General Features

Do you have an old piano to donate to a community music project?

Fierce!, are working with international artist Luke Jerram on a unique community music project titled 'Play me, I'm Yours'. In order to make the project happen right across Birmingham, Fierce! are looking for people wishing to donate old, playable, pianos. Fierce! will collect any donated pianos for free.

Grand piano

Play me, I'm Yours

Between 10 and 24 March 2008 around twenty pianos will mysteriously appear in streets, parks and public places across Birmingham. Each will have a small plaque attached stating 'Play me, I'm Yours'. The pianos are free for anyone to play, at different points professional musicians will be invited to show their talents alongside members of the public who fancy giving piano playing a go!

Perfect pitch?

Fierce! are inviting members of the public to nominate places within their communities for the pianos to be sited - from Bournville to Erdington, Aston to Northfield, is there a local meeting point, laundrette or supermarket that would make an interesting location for a piano?

Members of the public recommending locations are invited to help Fierce! and Luke Jerram document the community’s responses to the pianos by taking pictures of people playing them or wondering why they are there, stories, films and photos can be posted at www.streetpianos.co.uk once the website is live.

Through placing pianos across Birmingham the project will explore how communities access and participate in music making in a variety of settings. How long will the pianos remain in place? Who will play on them? Will each piano become a local meeting point as well as a talking point? Where will they end up? In someone’s home, in the river, burnt out, sold on ebay?

Piano keys

Piano impact

Talking about the project Kevin Isaacs, Executive Producer of Fierce! said: "We hope to make a real impact with the project with pianos appearing across the length and the breadth of the city in all sorts of locations. To achieve this we need more pianos and are asking people if they have an old playable piano they are looking to get rid of. We would be happy to collect their piano for free and invite them along to see their piano played in situ."

How to donate a piano

Anybody with a piano in a playable condition, that they would like to get rid of for free should contact Fierce! no later than Friday 29 February. Anyone wanting to suggest a location for the pianos should contact the Fierce! office on 0121 244 8080.

Fierce! Festival

Fierce! produces the annual Fierce Festival across the West Midlands. The eleventh festival will take place in May and June 2008. Previous public projects have included 'Name in Lights' with a resident’s name appearing in lights on top of Birmingham Library and the nest, complete with bird man, on the side of the Rotunda.

Together with Luke Jerram projects have included hot air balloons and musicians floating above Birmingham and Stratford Upon Avon at dawn and the subterranean Tunnel Vision taking people underneath the city.