Eighty-Eight Pianos To Storm The Streets Of New York City Next Week

​Beginning June 18 and running through July 2, the nonprofit organization Sing For Hope will once again install a bunch of pianos for public playing at various places around New York City in an installation that, this time around, they're calling Pop-Up Pianos. The 88 pianos—60 uprights and 28 grands—will be stationed (and bolted down) at places like the Staten Island Yankees' stadium, Grand Army Plaza, and Astor Place.

As long as you don't drop by the pianos while a performance is going on—the roster of artists scheduled to cameo at the pianos includes Jean Grae, Cirque du Soleil, and Dick Cavett—ivory-tickling is free. Not sure what the powers that be will do if you bring along a hamster and a piece of popcorn, but just please don't play "Heart & Soul" for an hour, OK?

(You may recall that this mass piano delivery happened last summer as well; the project was then called "Play Me, I'm Yours," a name that's associated with project mastermind Luke Jerram—who isn't involved this time out. "I tried to persuade them this is my art project, this is what I do to make a living," Jerram told the Times. For an arts organization that's there, supposedly, to support artists, to run off with the project, it's really disappointing.")