Photo gallery: Now more pianists than ever can play Abravanel Hall

Ozi Fryer, 14, from Logan, plays on the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 4. A project 
features six upcycled pianos stationed outside Abravanel Hall that are open for the public to play through September.

Ozi Fryer, 14, from Logan, plays on the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 4. A project features six upcycled pianos stationed outside Abravanel Hall that are open for the public to play through September. (Brice Tucker, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Looking for a place to practice piano? Downtown Salt Lake City can be your 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.

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 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 Aug. 4.
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 Aug. 4. (Photo: Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
Ozi Fryer, 14, from Logan, plays on the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 4. Fryer said he has been playing piano for 10 years.
Ozi Fryer, 14, from Logan, plays on the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 4. Fryer said he has been playing piano for 10 years. (Photo: Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
Sadie Porter, from Lehi, Seth Dobson, from Highland, and Brooklyn Copple, from Fairview, laugh together while they play one of the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 2. Porter said they were trying to play the theme from the movie "Interstellar."
Sadie Porter, from Lehi, Seth Dobson, from Highland, and Brooklyn Copple, from Fairview, laugh together while they play one of the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 2. Porter said they were trying to play the theme from the movie "Interstellar." (Photo: 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 Aug. 2. Dobson, who was born without a left hand, has been playing piano for 12 years and has also been playing as an organist for two years.
Seth Dobson, from Highland, plays on one of the pianos in front of Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 2. Dobson, who was born without a left hand, has been playing piano for 12 years and has also been playing as an organist for two years. (Photo: 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 Aug. 10. 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 one more set for Sept. 26.
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 Aug. 10. 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 one more set for Sept. 26. (Photo: 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 Aug. 10. Hibbits and Hurst said that playing around with the pianos was the last stop on their date in Salt Lake City.
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 Aug. 10. Hibbits and Hurst said that playing around with the pianos was the last stop on their date in Salt Lake City. (Photo: Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
One of the pianos in front of in Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 4. 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 one more set for Sept. 26.
One of the pianos in front of in Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on Aug. 4. 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 one more set for Sept. 26. (Photo: Brice Tucker, Deseret News)

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