Lids Open Days
We are returning to the Merchant City Festival on the last day, Sunday July 20th, with a specially extended Lids Open Day & Night.
We will be in the Recital Room, City Halls ( 11am to 5pm ) during the day and in the evening inside Merchant Square ( 7pm - 9.30pm ) for a new performance orientated collaboration with Glasgow Piano Days.
These events are always free with friends and family always welcome to come along and listen. In the evening, things will be slightly different to our usual Lids Open Day format as this will be a new collaboration with Glasgow Piano Days with members of the public already happily eating & drinking around Merchant Square as you play. You will need to be confident about playing to an audience and as well as some other performers . . . Ugnius Pauliukonis, will provide a fitting finale to the festival by inviting us to:
"Experience the art of solo piano, showcasing a diverse range of evocative soundscapes on a delightful summer's evening. From the soothing music of Ennio Morricone & Claude Debussy to the contemporary rhythms of George Gershwin ~ the performance promises a musical journey of poignant reflection and vibrant energy."
Registration for this event is now open. Please contact us if you want to take one of the, 12-15min playing slots from 7pm to 8.30pm by emailing us at: info@glasgowpianocity.org with a contact phone number, the time you aim to arrive and what you intend to play.
As people register to play on the night ~ we will update this page below showing what playing slots are still available.
Slot 1 . . . 7pm to 7.15pm Slot 2 . . . 7.15pm to 7.30pm Slot 3 . . . 7.30pm to 7.45pm
Slot 4 . . . 7.45pm to 8pm Slot 5 . . . 8pm to 8.15pm Slot 6 . . . 8.15pm to 8.30pm
Lids Open Days began in the Grand Hall, City Halls, at the 2013 'Festival of the Piano'. It has grown into an event loved by all the players offering a rare chance for musician and instrument to connect . . . without the usual pressure or expectations to perform or entertain. Players from all ages, all walks of life and musical styles are welcome. Below are just afew faces from our last LOD in the Recital Room.
Ugnius
Stan
Grainne
Harry
Our first 'Lids Open Night' was held under GAIA at Mackintosh Queens Cross in June 2023, below are 2 films of players from that event.
Our events are intended to welcome imperfection and expand widen our experience of listening to ourselves and others playing music in public. Wherever possible, we also aim to offer participants a choice about whether they want to invite along family & friends, maybe have some informal tuition or just enjoy 12 - 15 mins playing time on a beautiful piano, without a paying audience or any ears that might be carrying the usual expectation of a performance or waiting to be . . . entertained.
If you have never attended one of our LOD's before you can get a sense of the event by listening to Anna Magnusson's radio interview with participants at our 2019 event in the Glasgow Room or watching the short film above, from Mackintosh Queens Cross in 2015.
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