Play Me I'm Yours- Art Exhibit

source streetpianos cleveland 
Outside MOCA

Play Me I'm Yours is an interactive piano art installation that has toured internationally since 2008. There has been over 850 pianos placed all over the world. Next up on the tour is Boston September 27 - October 14th where the 1000th piano will be installed! Each piano is creatively decorated and available for the public to play. There is also a website that allows user to upload videos, pictures, or view maps of current pianos.
check out the homepage here

source streetpianos cleveland
Pianos at: Cleveland Art Museum, Severance Hall, Natural History Museum

Starting in August, 25 street pianos were placed around down town Cleveland, Case Western Reserve and University Circle. There are currently 15 still available to play until September 30th. Play Me I'm Yours invites the public to engage with and take ownership of their urban environment. Most pianos are personalized and decorated by local artists and afterwards are donated to local community groups.
check out the Cleveland page here

I got a chance to listen to a gentleman play at the Rock Hall and my dad played outside University Hospital one evening. Watching someone play live coupled with all the pictures and videos posted to the website I think it is such an ingenious art idea. I look forward to following this installation in the future and hope to see a few more before the pianos leave. Man now I wish I played the piano.

piano ready for patients and students to play at UH

Why you may ask did Cleveland get this exhibit .... when so many exotic and larger cities such as Sao Paulo, London, Paris, and New York City have been previous exhibition spaces. It was all about timing and the fact that Cleveland does a lot of really cool things. 

 Did you know that Cleveland hosts the biennial International Piano Competition? For twelve days in August 28 elite young pianist travel to Cleveland and compete. It is a very prestigious competition, the Cleveland Orchestra even plays along with the 4 finalist. The public are welcome to buy tickets to all stages of the competition. It really is an extraordinary event.  Be sure to check it out in two years!  Just one more reason Cleveland rocks!

#22 Night at Blossom x2

Enjoying Train, Gavin DeGraw, the Spirit, Phillip Phillips, & John Mayer!

To complete list item #22- attend a concert I went to not one by two concerts at Blossom! Blossom Music Center is an amphitheater  located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The pavilion seats 5,700 people, with space for about 13,500 more on the lawn. It is the summer home for the Cleveland Orchestra. 

There is something magical about seeing a concert outside and I will always prefer to be outdoors than inside in an arena. I can't put my finger on why exactly I feel much more involved in the experience. Usually I'm further away than an indoor event hmmm. Maybe it's the grass between my toes, dancing beneath the stars or the thrill of winning the lottery of good weather for the event you planned 6 months earlier. I think the main reason I enjoy  Blossom or any other outdoor venue is these events remind me of summer days gone by when I was younger. Those times when you had no cares in the world except having a great night out with friends. 

*Those were the days*

I always love live music and have the best times when listening to new or little known artists to me. Maybe it's  the thrill of recognizing a song  or greater appreciation for the artists. Or the excitement to explore their work after concert or going to a concert without heightened expectations. This certainly was the case between the two concerts I attended. 

I am all about an artist trying new things to grow, but was a bit disappointed with John Mayer. I have been to one of his concerts before and there was nonstop dancing and singing along. This time around I've never seen so many people sitting at a concert (other than an orchestra concert). Yikes, best of luck John with this new style! 

On the other hand I haven't really followed Train for years and had never heard of the Script before. As soon as songs came on I kept saying oh they do that. All three artists made it a non stop dance fest even though Train played a lot of covers...a bit odd but it worked!

Thanks to all my friends and family members that helped me complete this list item I had a blast! Here's looking forward to another season  of outdoor concerts next summer.