Large old pianos are still taking up space in many homes across Canada, and this piano is no exception. It spent many years at the Grad Club in Kingston, Ontario, as the house piano but was finally too damaged to play. The piano was placed in a backyard until the  following summer when the failing action was removed and its harp was played in a performance that coincided with its 100 year anniversary.

Open mic performances were recorded during the time leading up to the incident, as the Grad Club was home to a bustling music scene here in Kingston. When the piano was later moved to our backyard, microphones were placed on the soundboard to capture the moment in detail. The piano harp was recorded the following year both in the backyard and live in concert. Combined with field recordings of the passing seasons, the audio allows for a convincing and truthful backdrop to the story.

This story was aired on CBC Radio One's Living Outloud as one of four commissioned pieces surrounding the theme About Time. It was then played on an 8 Channel System for the Radio Without Boundaries Conference, part of the Deep Wireless Festival hosted by New Adventures in Sound Art in Toronto.

To hear the full harp performance, please visit here.