Photo by Richard Hurd
Wisconsin Union Theater Accepting Sign-Ups for First-Ever Open Piano Day
Contact Information: Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Office: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
WISCONSIN UNION THEATER ACCEPTING SIGN-UPS FOR FIRST-EVER OPEN PIANO DAY
MADISON – Pianists may now sign-up to play the Wisconsin Union Theater’s historic Steinway Concert Grand Piano during the Theater’s Open Piano Day on Sept. 22 from 1-4 p.m. in Memorial Union’s Shannon Hall.
Purchased in 1991, each pianist in the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Concert Series has been offered the opportunity to sign the Steinway. The tradition of signing the Theater’s Steinway Concert Grand Pianos began in 1950 at the suggestion of Richard P. Leach, the then-director of the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
The Concert Series’s 100th season will begin Oct. 6 and continue through May 2, 2020, with performances by some of the world’s most renowned classical musicians and ensembles, such as Emanuel Ax, who will play the Theater’s Concert Grand Piano on Nov. 2.
The Steinway that pianists will play Sept. 22 is the fourth Concert Grand Piano featured in the Wisconsin Union Theater’s programming history. The piano has been played by dozens of musicians, including Lise de la Salle, Richard Goode and Joyce Yang, all of whom were invited to sign the piano.
“We are allowing the public to connect up close with our Steinway Concert Grand Piano for the first time on Open Piano Day,” Concert Series Coordinator Amanda Venske said. “Guests will have ability to play the piano on the Shannon Hall stage and view the collection of pianists’ signatures up close. Open Piano Day puts a twist on our more than 50-year tradition.”
The event will also include a cardboard cut-out image of the piano, which Open Piano Day attendees can sign.
Open Piano Day is presented by the Wisconsin Union Theater in collaboration with the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee.
For more information about this event, including how to sign-up to perform, visit union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/open-piano-day.
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About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee
The Wisconsin Union
Directorate Performing Arts Committee plans and promotes events for the
historic Wisconsin Union Theater stages. The student-led committee programs a
variety of events to provide a diverse and cultural experience for students,
faculty, alumni, community members and visitors. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/get-involved/wud/performing-arts.
About
the Wisconsin Union Theater
For more than 75 years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has served as a center for cultural activity in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The Theater hosts performances in multiple locations, including Memorial Union, and has an expansive history of remarkable performances. The Wisconsin Union Theater is part of the Wisconsin Union, a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Theater: union.wisc.edu/wisconsin-union-theater.
[Note to the editor: Click here to download a photo of our Steinway Concert Grand Piano on the stage in Shannon Hall. Photo provided by the Wisconsin Union.]
To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/open-piano-day,