Piano Day is to be celebrated in Hull for the first time.
On Thursday March 28th 2024, the newly-formed Humber St Piano Sessions will host a day of free events and performances celebrating the piano and the people who play it.
Members of the public are invited to come and play a tune as part of a mini piano trail with the opportunity to learn from professional pianists at the event on Humber Street.
In the afternoon, piano students from across the region will share their love of the instrument in series of short, informal performances.
Event organiser Mark Slater says: “Piano Day has been going since 2015 and has developed into an incredible worldwide phenomenon that celebrates all things piano. It takes place on the 88th day of the year to match the number of keys on the instrument. And this is the first time that it’ll happen here in Hull. There are opportunities across the whole day for people to come and play us a tune – so if you play the piano, or know someone who does, come down to Humber St and make some music and listen to others play. It’s amazing to have funding support from Hull City Council to get this off the ground.”
The day will culminate in the world première of a new piece by the exceptional Zoe Rahman, commissioned in partnership with Hull Jazz Festival especially for Hull and for this Piano Day celebration.
Other featured artists include classical piano duo from Hull and Hedon Graziana Pressice and Amy Butler, fearless improvising pianist Matthew Bourne, neo-classical and skewed-pop pianist and vocalist t l k, along with ambient and lofi-obsessed collaborators Mark Slater and Stewart Baxter.
10am – 10pm: Find a mini piano trail down Humber Street for anyone to have a go at playing a tune. Whether you’ve been playing for 8 minutes or 80 years, we wanna hear what you’ve got!
1pm – 4pm: Come along to SPACE for a student showcase, and hear tunes from students who are currently learning the piano.
5pm – 10pm: Join us for incredible performances from world-class talent in a range of genres and styles, including a world premiere from Zoe Rahman, of a piece commissioned specially for this event.
Venue Details
SPACE - POP-UP,
1-2 Pier Street,
Hull,
HU1 1ZA
A pop-up arts and culture venue will be created thanks to Levelling Up Funding from Hull City Council. A grant of £76,418.81 has been awarded to Fruit Market LLP to help bring back into use 66-68 Humber Street. The heritage building will become 1-2 Pier Street and will be used as a pop-up space for the arts and cultural scene.
