Blog

The 88th day of the year: World Piano Day

Blog
The 88th day of the year: World Piano Day

17.04.2018

Article: Cem Kayıran
Ilustration: Saydan Akşit
Translation: Yetkin Nural

World Piano Day, founded by one of the most creative names of the today’s music scene, Nils Frahm, is being celebrated for the fourth time this year. The celebrations, which happens on the 88th -the number of keys on a piano- day of the year, 29th March, is expanding every year.

“I have always wanted a day for myself and piano is a magnificent thing to celebrate.”

Nils Frahm

The German musician founded the World Piano Day to support his project Klavins 450, world’s largest piano with four and half meters length, and the day was embraced by masses, becoming an annual celebration since 2015. The celebrations, which were kicked off by Nils Frahm’s social media initiatives, are now expanding all over the world, from Poland and Britain to Canada and Korea.

Nils Frahm started this year’s celebrations with special gifts. The musician shared tracks that didn’t make it to his album Solo, together with a letter, from World Piano Day’s official website. Frahm stated that the tracks have beautiful surprises for the day, as a “thanks” to all who contribute to make World Piano Day a worldwide event.

We should also mention Give a Piano initiative, which was started in 2016. Kicked off as a project under World Piano Day, this initiative is matching unused pianos with their new owners. Give a Piano finds pianos that are left in storage or became furniture in luxurious houses and redistributes them to talented musicians without the finances to buy this expensive instrument.

 

Every year, songs shared by amateur or professional musicians from all around the world for World Piano Day are compiled into a playlist. Last year’s playlist, which included a hefty sum of 173 songs, is a great place to start exploring new piano music.

“Why does the world need a Piano Day? For many reasons. But mostly, because it doesn't hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most important, the listener.” 

Nils Frahm

There have been hundreds of performances organized for 29 March World Piano Day and some of those found a special place in music history. For example, last year’s celebrations included a magical concert on the top of the Table Mountain (around 1000 meters high) in South Africa, where a piano was lifted to the top and 14 musicians gave performances.

 

As previous years, Funkhaus Berlin, which also houses Frahm’s studio in Berlin, is at the center of celebrations. The tickets for this year’s concert, which includes names like Jan Roth, Charlotte Brandi and John Kameel Farah, is already sold out. Other World Piano Day concerts will take place in tens of different countries and  include musicians from different generations like Andrea Belfi, Peter Broderick, and Arthur Jeffries. To find out the detailed event schedule, click here.

Nils Frahm’s call for a day for piano and music lovers to celebrate the instrument as they wish has been getting positive feedback from the music world, especially from Erased Tapes record company. We are wishing that Istanbul also becomes a part of the international celebrations next year. Happy World Piano Day!

You may also like

Follow Us
TR EN
Filter events by label
18 MAR MON
1

18:00

Seminar Politics, Contemporary Art and Curation

Online Platform – Zoom

19 MAR TUE
-
20 MAR WED
-
21 MAR THU
-
22 MAR FRI
1

18:30

Seminar Identity Impasse: A Phenomenological Approach to the Problem of Identity

Akbank Sanat

23 MAR SAT
4

11:30

Kid What Am I Going To Be?

Akbank Sanat

12:00

Kid The Istanbul I See (Ages 7 to 12)

Akbank Sanat

14:00

Kid Paper Sculptures: Henri Matisse (Ages 7 to 12)

Akbank Sanat

15:00

Workshop Within Us

Akbank Sanat

24 MAR SUN
-
25 MAR MON
4

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( A )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( B )

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( A )

Akbank Sanat

20:00

Seminar An Alternative View on Art, Children and Creativity

Online Platform – Zoom

26 MAR TUE
7

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( C )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

World Shorts ( A )

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Experiences (A)

Akbank Sanat

17:30

Conversation Experiences - Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Akbank Sanat

17:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Talk

Akbank Sanat

20:00

Seminar An Alternative View on Art, Children and Creativity

Online Platform – Zoom

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( B )

Akbank Sanat

27 MAR WED
9

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( D )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Word Shorts ( B )

Akbank Sanat

14:00

Workshop Color Correction and Post Production Workshop

Akbank Sanat

14:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Workshop

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Documentary Cinema (A)

Akbank Sanat

17:30

Conversation Belgesel Sinema - Sarah Francis

Akbank Sanat

17:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Talk

Akbank Sanat

20:00

Seminar An Alternative View on Art, Children and Creativity

Online Platform – Zoom

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( C )

Akbank Sanat

28 MAR THU
9

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( E )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( F )

Akbank Sanat

14:00

Workshop Scriptwriting Workshop - Deniz Akçay

Akbank Sanat

14:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Workshop

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

World Shorts ( C )

Akbank Sanat

17:00

Conversation Crowdfunding in Film Production

Akbank Sanat

17:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Talk

Akbank Sanat

20:00

Seminar An Alternative View on Art, Children and Creativity

Online Platform – Zoom

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Short to Feature ( A )

Akbank Sanat

29 MAR FRI
6

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( G )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Special Screening ( A )

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

World Shorts ( D )

Akbank Sanat

17:30

Conversation Gökçe Bahadır - On Acting

Akbank Sanat

17:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Talk

Akbank Sanat

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( D )

Akbank Sanat

30 MAR SAT
8

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Young Talents ( A )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Special Screening ( B )

Akbank Sanat

14:30

Workshop Accessibility in Cinema Workshop

Akbank Sanat

14:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Workshop

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( E )

Akbank Sanat

17:30

Conversation Kısadan Uzuna - Ozan Açıktan

Akbank Sanat

17:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Talk

Akbank Sanat

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Word Shorts ( E )

Akbank Sanat

31 MAR SUN
-
01 APR MON
5

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( A )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

World Shorts ( A )

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( B )

Akbank Sanat

17:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Word Shorts ( B )

Akbank Sanat

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( C )

Akbank Sanat

02 APR TUE
6

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( D )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

World Shorts ( C )

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Festival Shorts ( E )

Akbank Sanat

17:30

Conversation On Writing, Directing and Acting - Erkan Kolçak Köstendil

Akbank Sanat

17:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Talk

Akbank Sanat

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

World Shorts ( D )

Akbank Sanat

03 APR WED
6

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Word Shorts ( E )

Akbank Sanat

13:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( H )

Akbank Sanat

15:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Special Screening ( C )

Akbank Sanat

17:30

Conversation On Directing with Ali Asgari

Akbank Sanat

17:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Talk

Akbank Sanat

20:30

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( I )

Akbank Sanat

04 APR THU
1

11:00

20th Akbank Short Film Festival

Perspective ( J )

Akbank Sanat

05 APR FRI
-
06 APR SAT
-
07 APR SUN
-

Add event to your calendar

Subscribe to Newsletter