NEWTON — Surrey residents were elated when Pianos on the Streets, an initiative to see outdoor pianos as a staple in some community spots over the summer, made its arrival in Surrey. Unfortunately, the program took a turn for the worse when an overnight vandalism of the instrument in Newton resulted in irreparable damage earlier this summer.
The location for the outdoor piano was the Grove, adjacent to Newton Recreation Centre, where a community group had been upkeeping the piano.
Instead of taking away the piano and leaving the site bare, Sean Pacey of Pacey’s Pianos, which donated the 88 keys to the city’s spot, has decided to replace it with a new one.
“The amount of people in the community who asked what had happened to the piano was unbelievable. This was something the community really wanted and we decided we could not end it on this note,†Pacey said in a release.
David Dalley, member of the Friends of the Grove community group that was looking after the piano, said “having the piano in The Grove has given residents of Newton a chance to demonstrate (their) gentle persistence.â€
“We have creative minds, gentle hearts and helping hands and we are confident that, in time, these are the tools that will heal our community,†Dalley said in the release. “The piano in The Grove is a place where we can gather, support each other and do the work that needs to be done. It is great to have the piano back!â€
The Pianos on the Street program also encouraged players to compete in an upload video contest that would yield a $400 cash prize if you recorded yourself playing one of the pianos and uploaded a video to Supportpiano.com.
The Pianos on the Street program will be hosting closing ceremonies for its pianos at a later date.