51 NEW SING FOR HOPE PIANOS TO HIT THE STREETS OF NYC THIS SUMMER - JUNE 4-24

NEW YORK – June 4, 2018 – Sing for Hope is bringing the renowned Sing for Hope Pianos back to the streets of New York City this summer. From June 4-24, in celebration of the work Sing for Hope does in communities year-round, 51 Sing for Hope Pianos will be made available for anyone and everyone to play, in parks, public spaces, and other high-traffic locations across all five boroughs.

For the first time ever, Sing for Hope has teamed up with MINI USA for #DrivingHope, a partnership motivated by their shared passion for bringing creativity to communities. MINI USA is the title sponsor of the Sing for Hope Pianos and has created a one-of-a-kind piano on wheels – the #MINIPiano. This 51st piano is within a specially designed and modified MINI Countryman that has been outfitted with a keyboard, sound system, and brightly colored exterior.

The official unveiling of all the 2018 Sing for Hope Pianos, including the #MINIPiano, will take place on June 4^th, at 12:00 p.m., at 28Liberty Plaza in New York City. The festivities will be kicked off by Sing for Hope Co-Founders Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus and will feature performances by the Cast of Wicked, Lucky Chops, Sarah Dash, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and other stars of the New York music scene. All 50 of the Sing for Hope Pianos will be played simultaneously by pianists in a mass unison performance of Bach’s Minuet in G. 

This years’ playable masterpieces have been created by a diverse range of artists, including the Broadway casts of Kinky Boots, Dear Evan Hansen, The Play that Goes Wrong, and Wicked, as well as leading visual artists from all five boroughs and around the world, including Tango (China), Dana Nehdaran (Iran), Lady JDay (France), Dhanashree Gadiyar (India), Marques de Jadraque (Spain), Eric Karbeling, Rezina Brutus-Foulkes (U.S.), and many more.

“We founded Sing for Hope with one goal: making the arts accessible to everyone in every community. The arts enable neighborhoods to thrive by positively impacting those who live there and enriching the community as a whole,” said Sing for Hope Co-Founders Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora. “These 51 one-of-a-kind Sing for Hope Pianos will not only provide music for three weeks in June; they will also, in alignment with our mission, serve 15,000 New York City students annually after the pianos are delivered to their permanent homes at our ‘Citizen Artist Schools,’ sparking inspiration as a tool for future artists for years to come."

“MINI is pleased to partner with Sing for Hope in its important mission, bringing even more music, more art, more spontaneous moments of community to every corner of NYC with our unique mobile #MINIPiano,” said Lee Nadler, Regional Marketing Manager, for MINI USA.  “MINI wants to leverage its creativity to enhance city life, and we are excited to amplify the great work that Sing for Hope is doing by expanding the reach of music throughout the five boroughs via the #MINIPiano.”

Throughout the three week period, from June 4-24, while all Sing for Hope Pianos are placed on the streets of NYC, the mobile #MINIPiano will broaden the reach of Sing for Hope’s mission of bringing art to all by, quite literally, bringing music right to people’s doorsteps.

The Sing for Hope Pianos will be available for anyone and everyone to play at  high traffic locations throughout the five boroughs including Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (Bronx); Brooklyn Bridge Park: Pier 6 and Coney Island Boardwalk (Brooklyn); Carl Schurz Park, Jacob Schiff Playground and Tompkins Square Park (Manhattan); Flushing Town Hall, Rockaway Park (Boardwalk @ 86th), and Unisphere Flushing Meadows (Queens); and Greenbelt Nature Center and Midland Beach (Staten Island). A full list of locations will be available at www.singforhope.org/pianos/ and on the Sing for Hope Pianos app.

The Sing for Hope Pianos app, created by Craver, is now available for download on both Apple and Android devices. The app will provide a map of locations for all 51 Sing for Hope Pianos. In addition, individuals have the ability to schedule special visits from the #MINIPiano as it makes its way through the city. Performances at each of the pianos, along with the pop-up performances at #MINIPiano stops, will be listed throughout the June 4 -24 timeframe in the app as they are scheduled. In addition to the Sing for Hope Pianos app, more about the #MINIPiano can be found at MINIUSA.com/DrivingHope.

Each year, the Sing for Hope Pianos are brought to life at the Fosun Sing for Hope Pianos Studio at 28 Liberty, an icon of Lower Manhattan. A Fosun Property Holdings building, 28 Liberty has generously donated a full 34,000-square-foot floor to serve as the communal studio where artists have designed and painted the 2018 Sing for Hope Pianos. In alignment with Fosun’s long-term commitment to 28 Liberty and to the surrounding community, one of the 51 Sing for Hope Pianos will remain on the Fosun Plaza at 28 Liberty for use throughout the three-week run of the Sing for Hope Pianos program. This year, Fosun will be awarded the Americans for the Arts’ BCA 10 Award, for their support of and partnership with Sing for Hope. Each year, the award is given to top businesses partnering with the arts in America.

“Fosun is honored to support Sing for Hope and its work for underserved neighborhoods in New York City,” said Bo Wei, chief executive representative of Fosun Group in the U.S. and Vice President of Fosun Property Holdings. “Our association with Sing for Hope and other arts organizations helps to advance 28 Liberty’s role as a center for arts and culture in Lower Manhattan.”

In the fall, the 2018 Sing for Hope Pianos will be placed in permanent homes at Sing for Hope’s “Citizen Artist Schools.” This signature Sing for Hope program, created in partnership with the New York City Department of Education, now benefits over 80,000 school children each year. Each piano is delivered to its school with great fanfare, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebratory concerts from Sing for Hope Artist Partners and students within the schools.

Schools receiving Sing for Hope Pianos in the 2018-2019 school year include:

Bronx: The Family School, P.S 30X The Wilton School, PS 63- Author's Academy, John Peter Zenger (PS 18), Theater Arts Production Company High School, P.S. 21 The Philip H. Sheridan School, PS 596x, South Bronx Academy for Applied Media, Lorraine Hansberry School, PS 314x Fairmont Neighborhood School

Brooklyn: Science Skills Center High School for Science Technology and the Creative Arts, PS 770, John Wilson Intermediate School, South Brooklyn Community HS, West Brooklyn Community High School, Ronald Edmonds Learning Center II, Thaddeus Stevens PS 81, Academy of Urban Planning and Engineering, 811K The Connie Lekas School, PS 262, Acorn Community High School, Madiba Prep Middle School, The Mary McLeod Bethune School, PS/IS 184 The Newport School, The Benjamin Franklin Magnet School (14K157), P.S. 147, Meyer Levin IS285, City Polytechnic High School, Brooklyn's Daily Discovery Pre-K, PS 230-Doris Cohen School

Manhattan: John B. Russwurm Elementary School, Riverside School for Makers and Artists, Talent Unlimited HS, Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, Countee Cullen Academy for Scholars ~ P.S. 194, The Facing History School, P.S. 102 Jacques Cartier School, Inwood Early College, Manhattan Hunter Science High School, Child Zone at Mount Sinai

Queens: PS 64Q, PS197Q The Ocean School, I.S.10Q Horace Greeley Intermediate School, Lynn Gross Discovery (PS 175Q), The Brookfield School, Public School 181,Queens, Flushing High School, Louis Armstrong Middle School

Staten Island: PS 23, IS. 72, PS373R The Robert Randall School

The 2018 Sing for Hope Pianos have been made possible by the support of MINI USA, Fosun Group, 28 Liberty, and the Sing for Hope Founders' Circle, including The Arnhold Foundation in loving memory of Sissy Arnhold, The Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, The Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation, and Ann Ziff.

To download hi-res images, please visit www.SingforHope.org/2018media.

About Sing for Hope

Sing for Hope transforms lives by using the power of the arts to create a better world. Our arts outreach programs bring hope and inspiration t o under-resourced schools, hospitals, hospices, veterans’ centers, refugee sites, transit hubs, and disability networks. Since 2006, Sing for Hope has partnered with over 250 nonprofit organizations, involved over 3,500 artists in creative volunteerism, and placed over 450 artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos in public spaces for everyone to play — a symbol and celebration of art for all. More information can be found at www.SingforHope.org.

About MINI USA

MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 125 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists online at www.miniusanews.com.

About 28 Liberty

28 Liberty, at the heart of downtown NYC, is the go-to destination in Lower Manhattan for recreation and best-in-class dining. The property’s 2.5 acre Fosun Plaza hosts a variety of community events throughout the year, from food festivals to arts programs to educational experiences and more. The 38,000 square foot penthouse is soon to be home to restaurateur Danny Meyer’s latest endeavor, Manhatta, restaurant and bar with sweeping panoramic views of the NYC skyline, and Bay Room, a new event space accommodating up to 800 guests at three simultaneous gatherings. Whether exploring the latest cultural event or sipping cocktails at sunset from the 60^th floor, 28 Liberty always offers something new to discover.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Contact:

Sing for Hope / Rubenstein

Carolyn Nurnberg Spungin, 212-843-9316, cnurnberg@rubenstein.com

Kelsey Stokes, 212-843-9317, kstokes@rubenstein.com

Roxanne Rappaport, 212-843-9294, rrappaport@rubenstein.com

MINI USA / Peppercomm

Andrew Cutler, 201-307-3784, andrew.cutler@miniusa.com

Rob Duda, 212-931-6140, rDuda@peppercomm.com