Commuters join in on International Piano Day at Heuston Station
Pianists and composers B K Pepper, Una Keane, Brian Crosby and Daniel Luke in Heuston Station
A note of cheer was added to commuter journeys in Dublin this morning with piano performances in train stations across the city.
A group of pianists dusted off the keys of the station pianos in Heuston and Pearse Street stations to celebrate International Piano Day, with commuters joining in and playing their own music.
International Piano Day is celebrated on the 88th day of the year to mark the 88 keys on a piano.
The music started in Heuston Station at 8.30am to bring some cheer to the morning commute.
“We had lots of people join in when they saw us playing,” said pianist B K Pepper. “It pulled the piano player out of the commuter, which is great.
“A lot of people came up and sat down and played their music, and also music they had been practising.
“It’s great to talk with people about piano and what it means to them, it was very eye-opening,” the composer added.
“It was a very mixed crowd from all walks of life. A lot of young confident people coming up to play their favourite songs, Snow Patrol, and then some other people were more shy and played their own music.
“We had a nice little audience while they were waiting for their trains,” he added.
The performances were organised between Irish Rail and piano-tuner John Murphy who brought the idea of pianos to train stations across Ireland.
The composers included B K Pepper, Una Keane, Brian Cosby and Daniel Luke who played their own original music on the station pianos.
The decorated pianos were introduced to train stations across Dublin in 2017 to encourage piano playing and provide a free space to practise.
The first was installed in Pearse Street followed by more installations in Heuston, Connolly, Dublin Airport and across the country.
