Waterville piano bringing music out into the open
The Parc des Ainés behind Waterville’s town hall just got a little more musical with the installation of the community’s first public piano. Repurposed after having been left for pick-up on the side of the road, the piano has found a new life as an outlet for local musical expression.
“I have always found the concept of a public piano to be exciting and magical,” shared Nathalie Dupuis, Mayor of Waterville, “I was very excited to have the opportunity to make such a project a reality in Waterville.”
Dupuis explained that the instrument was given a second life after having been recovered from the side of the road near Hatley. The piano’s previous owners, having inherited a piano with greater value to their family, were looking for a new home for the upright and found it in the neighbouring municipality. The Mayor guessed that the piano is the only one of its kind in the Coaticook MRC, although it is a part of a movement with growing popularity in urban areas around the world.
“The temperature didn’t help us to get this project on its feet earlier in the summer,” Dupuis said, clarifying that the community would like to have seen the piano installed earlier in the summer but was delayed by the amount of
rain the area has seen. On the subject of weather, the Mayor explained that the piano has a special cover to keep it more or less protected from the elements while it is outside. Once the autumn rolls in, the piano will make its way inside before returning to the park next spring.
Although the piano is out in the open and available to play for anyone who wants to, the town has also planned two special events to highlight the new installation. The first of these, organized for the benefit of local day-camp children, will take place on the 23rd of July at 1:30 p.m. The second will be an evening concert on August 3, starting at 7 p.m. Any other official activities planned will be announced via the town’s Facebook Page.
Public pianos are an increasingly popular phenomenon, with temporary or semi-permanent installations having taken place over recent years in Sherbrooke and Drummondville, as well as in larger urban centres like Quebec City and Montreal. The Town of Waterville called on pianist Jean Sébastien Lavoie and guitarist Philippe Gagné to perform for the inauguration of their new piano. Gagné and Lavoie were both very impressed by the instrument, saying that it appears to be in excellent shape.