Library’s Annual Toy Piano Festival to Premiere “Suite 16” on Sept. 2 & 3

Posted On: August 18, 2016

The UC San Diego Library’s popular signature event–now in its 16th year–will feature two performances this fall, the first at Geisel Library on Sept. 2, and a special collaboration with the San Diego Public Library at the Central Library on Sept. 3. The events, which will be directed by the UC San Diego Library’s Scott Paulson, will include new scores for the toy piano, including the premiere of “Toy Piano Suite 16” and “Labor Day Lullabies.”

Friday, September 2, 2016

12:00 – 1:00 PM

 Geisel Library, Seuss Room

AND

Saturday, September 3, 2016

1:00 – 2:00 PM

Downtown Central Library, Neil Morgan Auditorium

This year’s festival will also include jazzy new works by Sue Palmer, the “Queen of Boogie-Woogie,” and other new toy piano scores by composers Ryoko Amadee Goguen, Linda Kernohan, Samara Rice, Ellen Lawson, and featured performances by Kenneth Herman and Andrea Wingen.

Since 2000, the UC San Diego Library has hosted the Toy Piano Festival every September, to pay homage to the Sept. 5 birthday of John Cage, the first composer to write a “serious” work for toy pianos. In May of 2001, the Library of Congress issued a subject heading and call number for toy piano scores, at the request of Paulson, the Toy Piano Collection, and the events at Geisel Library. The call number is: M 175 T69.

The toy piano collection at Geisel Library consists of commissioned scores, and literature and recordings, and actual toy pianos, ranging from simple four-note novelty keyboards to three-octave baby grands. A selection of toy piano scores and instruments will be on stage at the San Diego Public Library event.

Both performances are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Scott Paulson at (858) 822-5758 or spaulson@ucsd.edu.