“There should be no dividing line between artistic excellence and social consciousness. – Joseph W. Polisi “I love a piano, I love a piano, I love to hear somebody play…” – Irving Berlin Earlier this month, SING FOR HOPE BOARD MEMBER AND LATE SHOW BANDLEADER JON BATISTE joined Sing for Hope Co-Founders MONICA YUNUS and CAMILLE ZAMORA, JUILLIARD PRESIDENT JOSEPH POLISI, and STEINWAY & SONS CHAIRMAN MICHAEL SWEENEY to inaugurate THE NEW STEINWAY HALL, which will open to the general public later this spring. The packed house included Keith Haring Foundation Executive Director JULIA GRUEN, Sing for Hope board members LINDA JOHNSON and MARGIE LOEB, Danai Pointer and the talented students of the Noel Pointer Foundation, and other friends and fans of Steinway, Aspen Institute, and Sing for Hope. The conversation with Jon, Camille, Monica, and Joseph, curated by THE ASPEN INSTITUTE’S DAMIAN WOETZEL, centered on THE THEME OF “THE ARTIST AS CITIZEN.” Following the panel, Monica, Camille, and Jon shared a program of American Songbook classics for the inaugural performance in Steinway’s spectacular new international headquarters. Sing for Hope continues to be deeply grateful to Steinway & Sons, a generous supporter of our work since 2014. In the words of Sing for Hope Co-Founders Zamora and Yunus, “From our student days at Juilliard onward, we’ve always felt (like all musicians!) that Steinway is the piano you dream of having at your fingertips. In light of our commitment to the public Sing for Hope Pianos across the five boroughs, Steinway’s generosity to us feels particularly meaningful.” A quick concert tour to Los Angeles followed, with Batiste, Yunus, and Zamora performing the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Yip Harburg, George Gershwin, and Harold Arlen. A shared Sing for Hope / Harmony Project soir©e musicale in Bel Air was beautifully hosted by Barbera Thornhill and Rikki Rosen, and made possible by longtime Sing for Hope friend and champion Dr. Bill Isacoff. Heartfelt thanks to Barbera, Rikki, and Bill for your tremendous support of Sing for Hope and the communities we serve! It is your generosity that has allowed Sing for Hope to vastly expand the scope of our arts outreach programming over the past two years. And, yes, to paraphrase Irving Berlin, we love a piano… JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: BECOME A VOLUNTEER ARTIST MAKE ART FOR ALL POSSIBLE: DONATE TODAY