The St Pancras railway station piano is a public Yamaha upright piano donated by Elton John to St Pancras railway station, a major interchange in London.
The St Pancras railway station piano is a public Yamaha upright piano donated by Elton John to St Pancras railway station, a major interchange in London.
On 4 February 2016, John performed a medley at the station, to promote the album "Wonderful Crazy Night." Following his performance, he donated the Yamaha piano to the station, marking it with the inscription, "Enjoy this piano. It's a gift. Love, Elton John." [1] [2]
Since its donation, the piano has been accessible to the public, used by both amateur and professional musicians. Its presence has attracted a variety of performers, including Alicia Keys, Jools Holland, John Legend, Tom Odell, Jeff Goldblum, and Rod Stewart, who have played the instrument, often generating public and media interest. [3]
The St Pancras piano is part of a wider phenomenon of public pianos in the UK, influenced by initiatives such as artist Luke Jerram's "Play me, I'm yours" installation, which began in 2008. [3]
In January 2024, the piano was the subject of a public dispute involving UK YouTuber Brendan Kavanagh, who is known as Dr. K and for his public piano performances. During a live-streaming session of him playing the piano, a Chinese group, apparently part of a television crew, approached him. They are heard saying, "we love your music" while also requesting that their faces be excluded from the footage, citing concerns of their imaging rights, due to their relationship with Chinese TV. [4] [5] [6] Dr. K explained that there is no expectation of privacy in a public place, and refused to stop filming. Police were called by the group, but no action was taken. The filmed interaction received significant worldwide attention, including from mainstream media. Since 20 January, Dr. K's YouTube live stream featuring the dispute has achieved over 9.4 million views.
On 23 January, the piano was temporarily sealed off due to ongoing station maintenance works, preventing the public from playing it. [7] [8] On 24 January, St Pancras Station management announced the piano had been relocated a short distance from the cordoned off area saying the public piano playing area had been reinstated. [9]
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.
St Pancras railway station, officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, France and the Netherlands to London. It provides East Midlands Railway services to Leicester, Corby, Derby, Sheffield and Nottingham on the Midland Main Line, Southeastern high-speed trains to Kent via Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International, and Thameslink cross-London services to Bedford, Cambridge, Peterborough, Brighton, Horsham and Gatwick Airport. It stands between the British Library, the Regent's Canal and London King's Cross railway station, with which it shares a London Underground station, King's Cross St Pancras.
Alicia Roanne Witt is an American actress, singer and pianist. She first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch, who cast her in Dune (1984) and Twin Peaks (1990). Witt was a regular on Cybill Shepherd's sitcom Cybill (1995–1998) for four seasons, playing the title character's daughter, Zoe Woodbine. She had a critically acclaimed role as a disturbed teenager in Fun (1994), appeared as a music student in Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and as a terrorized college student in the horror film Urban Legend (1998). She appeared in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (2001), Two Weeks Notice (2002), Last Holiday (2006) and the thriller 88 Minutes (2007). Witt has made television appearances in The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, Nashville, Two and a Half Men, The Librarians, Friday Night Lights, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Mentalist, Justified, Twin Peaks: The Return, CSI: Miami, and Orange Is the New Black.
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in January 1973 by DJM Records, it was the first of two studio albums he released in 1973, and was his second straight No. 1 album in the US and first No. 1 album in the UK.
Bösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer and, since 2008, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation. Bösendorfer is unusual in that it produces 97- and 92-key models in addition to instruments with standard 88-key keyboards.
"Step into Christmas" is a Christmas song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was released as a stand-alone single in November 1973 with the song "Ho, Ho, Ho " as the B-side. Upon its original 1973 release, the song peaked at No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart, and it reached a new peak of No. 8 on the same chart in 2019. In the United States, the single reached No. 56 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart.
21 at 33 is the fourteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1980. It was his 21st album in total, made when John was 33 years old, hence the title. Three singles were released from the album, including "Little Jeannie", his highest-charting U.S. single in 5 years. The album sold over 900,000 copies in the United States, missing a Platinum certification.
Leather Jackets is the twentieth studio album by English musician Elton John. Recorded at Sol Studios in England and Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands, it was released in 1986 and was his first album not to have any top 40 singles in either the US or the UK since 1970's Tumbleweed Connection, which had no singles released from it. It is also one of his lowest charting studio albums in the United States, peaking at number 91 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, pianist and composer. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s and for his lasting impact on the music industry, his music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.
A Yamaha Artist is a designation bestowed by Yamaha, by invitation, to musical artists who are considered to be critically acclaimed in their instruments or genres. Acceptance as a Yamaha Artist is tantamount to a reciprocal endorsement by Yamaha. Like other musical instrument manufacturers, Yamaha supports its artists in various ways.
"Get It On" is a song by the English rock band T. Rex, featured on their 1971 album Electric Warrior. Written by frontman Marc Bolan, "Get It On" was the second chart-topper for T. Rex on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it was retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to avoid confusion with a song of the same name by the group Chase.
"Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" is a song by English musician Elton John, written by John and Bernie Taupin, which first appeared on his sixteenth album Jump Up! released in 1982. It was the second single of the said album in the UK, and the lead single in the United States. The song is a tribute to John Lennon, who had been murdered 15 months earlier.
Yamaha Entertainment Group of America, is a division of the American subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation. It is based in Franklin, Tennessee and was created and developed in 2001 by Vice President Chris Gero. YEG is responsible for the development and advancement of Yamaha brand name through numerous artist-related activities worldwide, which includes endorsements, artist imaging, artist marketing, concert production, media operations, piano logistics, tour support, product placement, artist related publications, artist website development and strategic alliances.
Disklavier is a brand of reproducing pianos manufactured by Yamaha Corporation. The first Disklavier was introduced in the United States in 1987.
Chris Gero is a Grammy nominated American music industry executive, concert producer, record producer, songwriter, film director and composer, founder of the Yamaha Entertainment Group of America, and Chief Artist Relations Executive for Yamaha Artist Relations Group. He is responsible for the management and branding of Yamaha's global roster, having signed more than 3,600 artists to contract to date. Gero oversees Yamaha's artist collaborations, including Elton John, Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, and Ben Folds.
Kariné Poghosyan is an Armenian pianist residing in New York City. She made her orchestral debut at the age of 14 playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1, and her solo Carnegie Hall debut at 23, and has since gone on to win numerous awards as well as perform in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls.
"Rocket Man" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John.
Brendan Kavanagh, also known as "Dr K" due to his PhD in English, is a British pianist and piano teacher of Irish descent. He specializes in playing and promoting the boogie-woogie genre, almost exclusively improvised, often combined with classical, jazz, blues, rock & roll, and traditional Irish music themes. He regularly performs in open venues on public pianos, sometimes in duet formats with musically inclined passers-by, friends or family. He also plays the piano accordion, with emphasis on traditional Irish tunes.
Transnational repression by China refers to efforts by the Chinese government to exert control and silence dissent beyond its national borders. This phenomenon targets groups and individuals perceived as threats or critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The methods include digital surveillance, physical intimidation, coercion, and misuse of international legal systems.