From experienced to Baby Shark, all are welcome to try Holland's painted piano
HOLLAND — A new and unique concert series is underway in Holland, and includes a hand-painted, colorful piano and performances from all ages and skill levels.
The Painted Piano Project Summer Concert Series began when leadership at Holland Chorale sought new ways of engaging the community, while promoting education, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Enter the painted piano.
Sarah VandenBrink, community engagement chair for Holland Chorale, said the series was inspired by the "Sing for Hope" pianos stationed in New York City. She reached out about purchasing one of the pianos, but found the cost was too high.
Instead, the decision was made to purchase another piano and partner with a local artist to create Holland’s own painted version. VandenBrink said, to take it a step further, the Chorale reached out to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holland to see if they’d like the piano when the series is done.
“They were so enthusiastic and agreed almost instantly,” Vandenbrink said. “Our next task was to find an artist.”
They reached out to Joel Schoon Tanis — and, while he said he'd never painted a piano, he was up for the challenge.
The piano is currently housed in the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College and VandenBrink said students are already enjoying it, playing the piano as they walk past each day.
“In the short time the piano has been available, we've watched people come in and look at it and play it,” VandenBrink said. “It's taken a few months, but it's starting to really settle in and be this instrument that people have access to.”
The next concert is 7-8 p.m. Thursday, July 20. The concerts are open-mic-style events where anyone is welcome to attend and play a song. They'll start with more experienced pianists, then open the floor to all ages and skill levels.
“At our first concert, we even had a four-year-old come up and sing Baby Shark,” VandenBrink said. “I feel like we have this stigma that classical music has to be so prim and proper and I miss the days where people can make mistakes and sit down at a piano and just play.”
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The Chorale hopes to add more concerts — but in October, the piano will be donated and moved to the Boys and Girls Club.
For more information or to make a donation to fund repairs and maintenance after the piano is donated, visit hollandchorale.org/painted-piano-project.
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: From experienced to Baby Shark, all are welcome to try Holland's painted piano
