"Your city is full of pianos" arrives in El Barrio de las Letras in Madrid

"The initiative of Fundación Jesús Serra and the Maria Canals Competition will dress the emblematic Madrid neighbourhood with 10 grand pianos on 7 October "

Fundación Jesús Serra, from Grupo Catalana Occidente, and the Maria Canals International Music Competition will be bringing back the joy of playing the piano to the city with their initiative “Your city is full of pianos”. On Thursday 7 October, Madrid will be filled with music with 10 pianos in iconic areas of the Las Letras district, ready to convert these spaces into genuine outdoor concert stages.

Thanks to the collaboration of the Madrid City Council, the Association of Merchants of the Barrio de Las Letras and Call & Play, the people of Madrid and all visitors to the capital will be able to enjoy art and musical fusion in an historic and unparalleled setting. 

The pianos will be located in new landmark locations of Madrid, with the aim of surprising the people of Madrid, such as the Royal Gate of the Botanical Garden, Plaza de las Cortes, Plaza de Santa Ana, the Royal Conservatory, the Lope De Vega House-Museum or on the forecourt of the distinguished Palace Hotel. The Plaza de Canalejas square, the junction of Sevilla with Alcalá and the Plaza de Las Letras square are some of the other places where visitors can enjoy all types of musical repertoires.

From 11 in the morning until 8 in the evening these pianos will be available to professional musicians, conservatoire students, music schools, children and amateurs, who will turn Madrid into a large live music hall. Among these musical gems, two concert grand pianos which are usually only found in large concert halls will exceptionally be available to the public for one day.

The 10 pianos will be placed in the following locations in Madrid:
1.- Royal Gate of the Botanical Garden/ Plaza Murillo
2. - Junction of Sevilla with Alcalá (Four Seasons)
3.- Plaza de Canalejas (Four Seasons)
4.- Plaza de las Cortes
5.- Plaza de Las Letras
6.- Royal Conservatory, Plaza Juan Goytisolo
7.- Plaza Santa Ana: Teatro Español
8.- Plaza Santa Ana: Calderón monument
9. - The Lope De Vega House-Museum
10. - Palace Hotel façade

The day's highlights can be shared on social media through photos, videos and messages with the hashtag #PianosMadrid.

The “Your city is full of pianos” project aims to promote universal dissemination and practice of music through citizens' involvement. It is one of the highlights organised jointly by Fundación Jesús Serra and the Maria Canals Competition to bring music closer to the entire Spanish population.

"One more year we return to Madrid with "Your city is full of pianos" this time with some exciting new locations where we will venture into the most authentic and cultural neighbourhoods which are sure to provide some unforgettable moments with different tunes to delight the people of Madrid. And for all of this we have to thank for the important work and invaluable help of the Association of Merchants of the Barrio de Las Letras," said the director of the Fundación Jesús Serra, Ignacio Gallardo-Bravo. He added that "we hope that the capital will enjoy the initiative as much as the previous editions and that we will bring the best of soundtracks back to the capital of Madrid." 

Furthermore, Jordi Vivancos, director of the Maria Canals Competition, stressed the importance of this project through which “we are proud to be able to offer an initiative as lovely as "Your city is full of pianos", which apart from bringing music and piano closer to society, we can show and promote the involvement of the country's finest talents with the prestigious Maria Canals International Music Competition.”  

The close collaboration between Fundación Jesús Serra and the Maria Canals Competition has allowed this cultural activity to take place in several cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Seville, Cadiz, Malaga, Salamanca, Toledo, Santiago de Compostela, Valencia, Leon, Granada and San Sebastián. After Madrid, the initiative will travel to the city of Zaragoza on 22 October.