Budapest’s Piano Bringing Music and People Together

Have you heard about the BudapestPiano project? It’s a super cool initiative that’s bringing music to the streets of Budapest!

Márton Demeter, a financial analyst with no prior connection to musical instruments, decided to bring communal pianos to public spaces around Budapest. And let me tell you, it’s been a smashing success!

It all started in December 2021, when Márton placed the first communal piano in Városháza Park. Despite some initial challenges (like a stuck piano delivery truck and unexpected snow), the piano was a hit! Enthusiastic musicians popped up to breathe life into the 30-50 year old Soviet instrument.

Since then, the piano music has spread across the city. BudapestPiano has graced a total of 8 locations so far, including Budapest Park, Keleti Railway Station, Fővám Square, and even Heroes’ Square for a few days in honor of Coldplay. Currently, you can find these pianos asking “Do you want to play?” at Fény Street Market and Népliget.

What inspired Márton to start BudapestPiano? The idea first came to him in 2017 when he spotted a piano at an airport in Malta. Later, in 2019, he played on a piano at the Rome airport and decided he wanted to bring this experience to Hungary. Like all the BudapestPiano instruments, Márton bought the first one himself and still covers most of the maintenance costs.

The project, which Márton insists on keeping as a civilian initiative, has almost become a second job. Negotiations, obtaining permits, maintaining, cleaning and tuning the instruments, managing social media – it’s a lot of work! But he’s not alone. A group of volunteers, now close friends, help out. There have even been cases of unknown good Samaritans tuning or cleaning the pianos, and leaving sheet music.

The positive feedback constantly proves that the effort is fruitful. BudapestPiano is slowly seeping into public consciousness. Choirs and mini-orchestras enjoy giving impromptu concerts at the pianos. The project even has a “discovery” – Ukrainian pianist Katerina Parhomenko, who practiced on the pianos while lacking her own. After meeting Márton, she got to perform at a Presser concert and play her own pieces at Jedermann Café. And get this – Gábor Presser, Péter Buka, Paulina Kocsis, Thomas Krüger, Krisztián Oláh and Áron Tálas have all played the communal pianos too! A few years ago, even Japanese national TV did a report on BudapestPiano.

Recently, BudapestPiano debuted its own podcast where Márton and three others discuss all things music, concerts and pianos. Márton’s big dream is to expand into downtown Pest, but the project can only grow as much as its financial support allows. Maintaining and tuning the existing pianos also costs money. So the current crowdfunding campaign, running until the end of the year, aims to support these efforts. You can find more info at budapestpiano.hu.

Isn’t this just the coolest? Keep your eyes peeled for these delightful communal pianos around Budapest and don’t be shy to sit down and play a tune!