Toy Piano Festival
Hear new works for toy piano. Come early or else you’ll have to sit on the floor (the performers have to sit on the floor, so you’ll be in good company).
The Toy Piano Collection at Geisel Library consists of actual instruments, audio recordings, extant literature, and commissioned works.
In May of 2001, the Library of Congress issued a subject heading and call number for toy piano scores because of the activities of the Toy Piano Collection at Geisel Library. The call number is: M 175 T69
The first composer to write a “serious” work for toy piano was John Cage (Suite for Toy Piano, 1948) and this annual toy piano festival is indeed held on John Cage’s birthday, September 5.
Robert Erickson, a founding faculty member of UC San Diego’s Department of Music, wrote “Piece for bells and toy pianos” in 1964 and that work will be featured at this year’s festival. Several premieres are featured, as well as songs from the Cat in the Hat Songbook.
Performers and composers include Alex Segal, Christian Hertzog, Kenneth Herman, Scott Paulson, James Chute, Gail Gipson, Ryoko Amadee Goguen, and Ellen Lawson.
For more information, contact Scott Paulson at 858-822-5758 or [email protected].
