Ozi Fryer, 14, from Logan, plays on the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall while his mother Melody Fryer rests in the background, in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. Fryer said he has been playing piano for 10 years. He found the pianos while they were on their way back to their hotel and despite the heat Fryer said he knew he had to go play for a while. Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Looking for a place to practice piano? Downtown Salt Lake City can be your own concert venue.
The Key Changes project features six upcycled pianos stationed outside Abravanel Hall that are open for the public to play through September. The project, a joint effort among Salt Lake County Arts and Culture, the Gina Bachauer Piano Foundation and The Blocks Arts District, aims to make visual and performing arts more accessible to the masses.
The pianos were upcycled by six local artists — Ryan Harrington, Chuck Landvatter, Evan Jed Memmott, Richard Taylor, Kalani Tonga Tufuaku, and Ben Wiemeyer.
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In addition to the pianos being open to anyone to play, a free public concert is to be held at Abravanel Plaza on the last Friday of each month at noon through the month of September. Photojournalist Brice Tucker captured some fun musical moments in August.
Ozi Fryer, 14, from Logan, plays on the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall while his mother Melody Fryer rests in the background, in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. Fryer said he has been playing piano for 10 years. He found the pianos while they were on their way back to their hotel and despite the heat Fryer said he knew he had to go play for a while. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Ozi Fryer, 14, from Logan, plays on the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. Fryer said he has been playing piano for 10 years. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
From left to right, Sadie Porter from Lehi, Seth Dobson from Highland and Brooklyn Copple from Fairview all laugh together while they play one of the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Porter said that they were trying to play the theme from the movie "Interstellar." | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Seth Dobson from Highland plays on one of the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Dobson, who was born without a left hand, has been playing piano for 12 years and has also been playing as a organist for 2 years. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Luke Dahl’s hands playing on the keys of one of the colorful pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall can be seen in the reflection of his sunglasses in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. The piano is part of a concert and art project called "Key Changes” that invites anyone to come play on the pianos outside of Abravanel Hall. The project also includes outdoor concerts held in the plaza on June 28, July 26, Aug. 23 and Sept. 26. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Emma Hibbits, from Colrado Springs Colorado, looks at her boyfriend Carson Hurst, from Grantsville, while he plays on one of the pianos in front Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. Hibbits and Hurst said that playing around with the pianos was the last stop on their date in Salt Lake City. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
One of the pianos in front of in Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. The piano is part of a concert and art project called "Key Changes” that invites anyone to come play on the pianos outside of Abravanel Hall. The project also includes outdoor concerts held in the plaza on June 28, July 26, Aug. 23 and Sept. 26. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
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