Two pianos painted by young Cape Town artists were handed to Bridges for Music in Langa and Apex Stellenbosch Primary School at the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees.

The handover on Monday 5 October formed part of the Piano Graveyard Revival Project, an initiative by Cape Piano that rescues disused pianos from private owners and places them in underserved communities. Four donated instruments were turned into artworks in a paint activation at the festival, presented in partnership with Baz-Art and the Piano Extravaganza production.

Four artists, Romi Frida Flowers, Muneeb Omar, Sanelisiwe Singaphi and Maximillian Goldin, created works inspired by what music means to them. All four pianos will be rehomed with organisations and schools that need them, with the two that featured in the Piano Extravaganza on the night going to their first new homes.

Bridges for Music

Bridges for Music is a non-profit organisation that empowers young creatives from under-served communities through programmes in music, creative entrepreneurship and well-being. Bridges Academy in Langa has enrolled nearly 800 students and created approximately 400 work opportunities, helping young people become creative changemakers.

At the heart of the organisation’s work is the Creative Club, a daily trauma-informed programme for ages 10 to 18 that treats creative expression as a fundamental right. By lowering survival-based stress and building confidence, connection and character, it helps young people break cycles of poverty and low aspiration.

The organisation is building a new facility on its Langa campus, with a computer lab, café, staff offices and overflow space for the Creative Club. Pianos already placed around the campus are played by students throughout the day. The new piano will carry that energy into a space designed for learning, working and gathering.

Apex Stellenbosch Primary

Music is part of the curriculum at Apex Stellenbosch Primary from Grade R to Grade 7. Principal Tanya Schilder said a piano will make learning more practical and engaging, particularly at the foundation phase, and will give learners access to an instrument many would otherwise never experience.

The school hopes to establish a primary school choir and, in time, a broader music programme, with the piano supporting classroom teaching, assemblies, performances and choir rehearsals.

Schilder said: “The gift of a piano has sparked more than just music at our school. It has ignited excitement, inspired creativity, and opened a world of possibilities for our scholars to discover and express their talents.”

Community support

The Piano Graveyard Revival Project has been sustained by volunteers, partners and members of the public who have donated time, support and encouragement. Cape Piano is asking individuals, businesses and music lovers to help raise funds to place the remaining pianos and keep the project growing.

The project is part of the Cape Town International Piano Competition week, which runs from 6-17 March 2027. For more information or to get involved, visit www.capepiano.com.

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