It's Piano Day across the world on Wednesday 29th March 2023. Composer and contemporary classical pianist Sophie Hutchings and FLOAT Founder and Piano Day organiser Sofia Ilyas delve into their love for the piano and contemporary piano music in its many forms. An annual worldwide celebration of the piano, Piano Day is held on the 88th day of the year in reference to the 88 keys on a standard piano. Sofia explains the origins of Piano Day in her kitchen chatting with German musician Nils Frahm, while Sophie tells us about her process for composing piano works and recently how she reworked Still / Sound by Ólafur Arnalds. They reflect on their favourite pianists and the role Piano Day has in engaging the local community of Melbourne, as well as the global community – from beginners to professionals, and from casual listeners to piano aficionados. 

A special event is being hosted by FLOAT in Melbourne at Tempo Rubato (SOLD OUT, waiting list available) on Sunday 2 April featuring Sophie Hutchings, Grace Ferguson, and Evelyn Ida Morris, along with many other events taking place around the globe. Piano Day and LEITER have also released an official companion album, Piano Day Vol. 2. Here is Amy’s Curated Contemporary Classical playlist which features 88 meditative tracks of many of the artists and works mentioned – on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0pzRd7zWfpiLKklFYiLy7h and Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/au/playlist/calming-classical/pl.u-06oxlyAFzdWyL

Broadcast on 28 March 2023.

Interview with Pianist Sophie Hutchings and Sofia Ilyas On Piano Day 2023

Long-form conversations about politics and current events, international affairs, history, art, books, and the natural world – presented by Amy Mullins, Tuesdays 9am-noon on Triple R 102.7FM.

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