Pianodrome comes to town
It’s second sitting for the most innovative amphitheatre
IF YOU HAVE never heard of pianodrome then imagine an amphitheatre structure made completely from old upright pianos, some of which are still playable.
(Also where have you been?) This summer a second Pianodrome is being created and installed at the former Royal High School thanks to an anonymous donation from “a very kind philanthropist”. This new iteration - called The Old Royal Pianodrome - will be shown first at the
Hidden Door Festival this month. The 10 metre diameter circular amphitheatre created from more than 40 pianos will be unveiled and then remain in place for four months, with performances during the Fringe.
The music played in its embrace at Hidden Door will be “wide-ranging from classical to jazz, and contemporary according to its creator Tim VincentSmith. He said: “It is deliberatley genre fluid. My band s:ink is an experimental acoustic improvisational trio and the original idea for the Pianodrome came from constructing a dream space for us to play in. It turns out that a lot of other people like playing here too. Zoe Baez of The Hebrides Ensemble said this was the perfect place for a child to hear classical music. We also collaborate with Tinderbox and Soundhouse.”
From June to September members of the public will have the opportunity of experiencing the former school building in its new role as a cultural hub, when Pianodrome comes to town. Plans to convert the building into the new home for St Mary's Music School in the form of a national music centre have already been approved.
Previous incarnations of the Pianodrome created by the community interest company at the Botanics in 2018, at The Pitt in 2019 and also at Leith Theatre all created by Vincent-Smith and his crew. More recently there were ten piano sculptures displayed on the Leeds Piano Train in September last year and you can now see those sculptures in Ocean Terminal where they are sited in the former Debenhams store. Be sure to take notice of the elephant tusk sculpture outside in the stairwell which is also created from bits of pianos. As well as the installation at the former Royal High there will be drop in events, workshops and performances.
Pianodrome Producer and Director Matthew Wright, said: “Since we first invited audiences to play with and sit on our upcycled piano sculptures we've been delighted to find ourselves part of an enthusiastic, growing culture of do-it-yourself creative expression in the city. The new Pianodrome Amphitheatre is a chance for us to work with this community, and a growing list of partner organisations, to create a welcoming, sustainable, playful and magical musical space where new sounds and ideas can be shared and celebrated by all.”
Pianodrome Director and Lead Artist Tim Vincent-Smith, said:" In the same way that we, at Pianodrome, take beautiful old pianos and give them new lives as interactive sculptures, the new National Centre for Music will take the iconic Old Royal High and make it really sing. It is a great privilege and a pleasure to be given this opportunity to play a small part in the commencement of this wonderful transformation."
David Martin, Hidden Door's Creative Director, said: "We are honoured to be hosting the world premiere of a new Pianodrome at this year's Hidden Door Festival in June. While our event breathes new life into Edinburgh's forgotten spaces, Pianodrome gives new life to abandoned instruments, and through their inspirational creativity they generate new space for performers and audiences to experience in a completely unique and often interactive way.
“Their imaginative vision epitomises the spirit of the festival, so it is fantastic to be working in partnership together to put on a programme of theatre, music and spoken word performances that will provide unforgettable experiences for anyone lucky enough to find a seat at the Pianodrome during Hidden Door.”