There was wine and there were hors d'oeuvres and the artists reminisced about the period of time they spent working on the pianos in the workshop together, their anxiety prior to going in and the lasting friendships they made as a result.
Another wonderful connection I made was with the admirers of the project, the ones who are never thanked enough for their time - the volunteer "piano buddies." I spoke to a few people of this designation tonight, and they had some interesting stories of their own from a unique perspective. For example, one woman told me about her running out before the storms to quickly cover the pianos, or another man who told me about his confrontations with shady individuals who may or may not have been trying to deface the instruments.
But the main, overriding trend of the evening was no doubt the absolute love ad admiration everyone there felt for the project, and for what its done for this city. In his address to the group that this was the most successful manifestation of the street piano project - a world wide exhibit which has traveled through some major cities like Los Angeles and New York. And what have the people of Toronto had to say about it? The most common response I've had from the countless people I've encountered playing and enjoying the pianos is that they'll be sad to see them go.
Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks for my individual posts on the artists involved in Play Me I'm Yours and their pianos.
Thanks for reading!