6 public pianos are coming to Moncton

From Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata to a simple rendition of Chopsticks, people in Monctonwillsoon hear these songs and many others playing on the city's streets from public pianos.

Lisa Griffin and her partner Matt Williston are spearheading an effort to place sixpianos throughout the greater Moncton area.

They say they've seen publicpianos in other cities and think they would add a lot of life to greater Moncton.

Williston says the pianos will "make this city more beautiful."

"It's one of the things that we found that was lacking in our daily lives and in the city that we chose to live in," he said.

I think it's a great idea.I think it'll give life to the city. I'll certainly stop and play whenever I run across a piano.- Jac Gautreau, musician

Griffin saysthe pianos will be unveiled onJune 10.

"We have one definitely going in front of city hall, I believe we have one going in Dieppeand there's one going into the gazebo in Riverview on the riverfront and a couple of other locations," she says.

The couple says the pianos are a form of public art and are an opportunity to build a greater sense of community.

"It's interactive, more so than a bench that you sit on. It's something you can play," Griffin says.

"It's a way for local musicians to showcase their work, but also anyone who just wants to sit down and play."

Jac Gautreau, aMoncton musician, said he loves the idea of having public pianos placed around Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe.

"I think it's a great idea.I think it'll give life to the city. I'll certainly stop and play whenever I run across a piano," Gautreau said.

'A moment of inspiration'

Gautreau's response is exactly whatWillistonsays he wants to hear.

"You'rewalking by and there's a random person playing, that is unscheduled, that has a moment of inspiration," Williston says.

"That person, walking by, who maybe isn't having a good day, maybe he's having a bad day, all of a sudden they hear the tune of a piano coming out, we've also helped change their day."

According to Griffin, the pianos are all sponsored and donated.

"A lot of people are getting rid of pianos right nowand so they were donated to the project and we picked them up, they've been sitting in a warehouse sinceNovember and are almost ready to be painted," she says.

She says they're looking for local artists to paint them, which is also a part of this public art project.

Griffin says the pianos will be tuned when they are set out and halfway through the season. She says they will be moved indoors in the winter.

Each one will have a caretaker who will cover them up with a tarp if it's raining as well as at night.

She says she's not worried about vandalism.

"You don't, with any public art, you don't prevent vandalism, you encourage it not to happen by placing something beautiful rather than a wall that's asking to be tagged,' she says.

"But we take a risk, we take a risk with the weather, we take arisk with people vandalising them but I think that the community of kids and adults like the idea so I don't foresee that happening."