Category Archives: Just for fun

Playing Piano…in the Park!

World-famous pianist, Anton Nel, encountered one of the pianos on a hike around Lady Bird Lake

If you’re a fan of the parks and trails around downtown Austin, then you might have noticed random pianos popping up all over… available for anyone to play, at any time of day!

It’s all a part of a delightful conspiracy to provide music where you least expect it, featuring any artist who decides to play. Located throughout downtown in public parks, streets and squares, the pianos are for any member of the public to play. The pianos are also for the public to decorate and personalize.

Well, this is the last weekend to enjoy the pianos, so a few of us from KMFA decided to visit the one in Butler Park. It was such a beautiful day on Thursday!

Sarah playing piano in front of the Austin skyline

We climbed to the top of Doug Sahm Hill (I think Doug would have been pleased with the psychedelic painted dinosaurs on the side of the piano) and Sarah Addison, who is our resident expert in piano playing, gave her best attempt on this funky, outdoors piano, while we all got to admire the fabulous skyline and listen to a Beethoven backdrop.

Claire and Kelsey wish they'd paid better attention in piano classes when they were kids

one cheerfully painted piano

You can read more about this effort, as well as see some adorable photos and videos, at the website “Play Me I’m Yours.” They also have a map where each of the pianos is located. Go find one this weekend! 🙂 You’ll be surprised how nice a piano sounds outdoors in Austin’s wonderful springtime weather.

Another favorite Austin piano player, Marcia Ball, tries out a street piano

~ posted by Alison @ KMFA  🙂

Preview: KMFA’s trip to New York City

~ submitted by Claire Wiley, KMFA office and production admin

Tomorrow morning, 21 excited travelers will embark on the KMFA trip to New York City for 10 magical days. Their itinerary is filled with classical music, fine art, and fine dining…you can read more about the fun they’ll be having here on the website.

I visited the Big Apple over the holidays, and knowing that KMFA was planning a tour to NYC, I thought I’d do a little reconnaissance first-hand…here are some of the pictures. I know they’re going to have a great time… we sure did!

Wandering through the Upper East Side, we happened upon the Plaza Athenee hotel, where the KMFA tour will be staying. Its pleasantly situated along a quiet street of beautiful row houses and apartments just off of Madison Avenue’s fabulous shopping district.

Coming out of New York’s public library we stumbled upon Bryant Park, which ended up being one of my favorite spots in the city. It offers great shopping in quaint semi-permanent stalls, and stunning views of some of New York’s most beautiful early skyscrapers.

The Museum of Modern Art was one of the definite highlights of our trip. We saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s Water lilies and other favorites by Picasso, Matisse, Pollack and Warhol (see next photo).

From one of the upper levels of the MoMA we witnessed a fantastic performance art piece. Standing in the middle, this performer guided his piano throughout the atrium playing a movement of Beethoven’s Ninth.

Street performers abound in Central Park; this accordion player made our stroll down the park’s literary walk feel even more like a storybook.

Our Christmas in New York would not be complete without a trip to Radio City Music Hall to see the famous Rockettes. But the Hall itself, sitting in Rockefeller Center, is a fun landmark any time of year.

This performer was singing opera tunes next to the enchanting Bethesda Fountain in Central Park...

...he promised me a photograph only if I would join him in a round of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Another planned stop on the KMFA tour: the bright lights of Times Square lit our way along Broadway to the Gershwin Theater where we saw a fantastic musical.

Chelsea is known for its wonderful art galleries, but New York artists in this neighborhood do not confine themselves to just canvases! We had a lot of fun discovering street art throughout the city.

Our view from the plane at sunset. Good-bye New York!

Bemused at the Blanton

I took advantage of Austin’s pleasant springtime weather to visit the Blanton Museum last weekend… and found a greenbelt of 99 trees covered with knitting, right in front of the entrance!

It was all part of the “Knitted Wonderland” that is officially referred to as a “site-specific installation,” designed by textile artist Magda Sayeg, and crafted by over 170 local volunteer knitters. I confess that when I saw it, I’m old enough to be reminded of toe socks. 😉 The bright knits added vivid color to the yet-leafless trees.

The industriously whimsical tree knits matched the current exhibit going on inside the Blanton: Recovering Beauty. I’ve often encountered literature and art that resulted from societal repression and revolution…. but this exhibit reflects the brief period of freedom from oppression that Argentina experienced during the 1990s.

The exhibited items within are delightful, expressive, metaphorical, and deceptively youthful. Some things appear simply decorative; others tell visual stories, and even provide specific tools for perspective, such as peep-holes on viewing boxes. The imagery and layers of meaning reminded me of literature’s greatest short stories: entertaining and appealing on the surface, rendering deeper content upon greater scrutiny.

I highly recommend visiting the Blanton for this wonderful exhibit. It has been one of my favorites! And the trees will be de-nitted March 25th, so swing by on your lunch hour.  You can find more info on the Blanton website.

~ posted by Alison @ KMFA 🙂

Which Musical Works Are You Thankful for This Year?

Special thanks to Anne Akiko Meyers, who posted a link to this on her Facebook page. 🙂

As we celebrated Thanksgiving, and considered all the treasures for which we are grateful, we saw this on WQXR’s website (the classical music station in New York City):  classical artists wrote about which musical pieces they are particularly thankful for…what a lovely and diverse list of music! Here’s what Austin’s own esteemed violinist, Anne Akiko Meyers, wrote:

Anne Akiko Meyers, violinist

The Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 is one of the masterpieces written for violin and orchestra. I am so thankful that Prokofiev was in Paris and was so inspired after hearing the Szymanowski Mythes that he wrote this concerto. Impressionistic, beautiful, violent and ultra stylish, it is a great workout for me physically and emotionally when I perform this enchanting music. George Gershwin’s Summertime arranged by Jascha Heifetz is one of the most beautiful lullabies ever written… “hush little baby, don’t you cry…” Thank you George!! And Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel has such simplicity yet it’s music that makes you sit still, remember and just breathe. The music is aptly titled, “Mirror in Mirror” and is so reflective. A beauty….

Click here to visit the WQXR website and read more submissions from artists, such as Eric Whitacre, Jacques Lacombe, and all three members of the Claremont Trio!

~Submitted by Alison @ KMFA  🙂