In 2021 listening to live music in the open air makes a lot of sense (for obvious reasons). So what would be better than sitting at the water’s edge (with a nice glass of something) letting gorgeous piano music wash over you?
Le PianO du Lac is a touring music company. They stage their shows, all of which feature at least one piano, on water. And to this end, they have designed a series of floating pianos (pianoboats)—featuring mostly Yamahas.
The company formed in 2014, and each summer stages a range of floating concert tours. Performances are on lakes, ponds, and rivers, even the sea. And locations range from idyllic country settings to urban waterways.
Le PianO de Lac is putting on 6 different new floating shows this year. These will be touring France, Spain, and Belgium throughout 2021.
- “Canal Wouters” (France/Belgium), Jun23-July24 (dark blue route). Featuring new Le PianO des Mers (see below).
- “Pagaille Naval” (France), 50 shows, Jun29-Aug29, (light blue route). Acrobatic and clownish show with floating Yamaha C5 piano.
- “2 Solar Systems” (France), Jul8-Sep5, 50 shows (green route). With the spectacular pianO-bulle (bubble).
- “Sabir” (France), Jul27-Aug-29, 30 shows (orange route). Featuring the Catapiano – half catamaran, half piano.
- “HasinaKis” (France), Aug20-27, (purple route). Featuring new Le PianO des Mers.
- “PedalOpiano” (Spain), Jun15-Sep12, (red and brown routes). With the pedalOpiano.
Le PianO du Lac’s summer 2021 tour ends mid-September.
Le PianO des Mers
A new vessel will join the existing fleet of four pianoboats this year. Le PianO des Mers (the Piano of the Seas) is an amalgam of sailing boat, kitesurfer and piano.
The company felt it needed a considerably more rugged vessel. One that was fully seaworthy, capable of bringing performances to far more inaccessible places, such as parts of the Mediterranean coast. The boat also needed to be self-contained with its own weather-resistant sound system. But there just wasn’t enough money!
Funds to build new pianoboats come from ticket sales, but despite managing to stage over 150 performances to nearly 50,000 people in 2020, Le PianO du Lac saw a dramatic drop in revenue for the year. This was caused by costs arising from a series of cancellations, and the necessary implementation of health protocols.
So, back in December, a crowdfunding campaign was launched on the French Ulule website. This sought 10,000 euros to complete the unique new pianoboat. And the French public responded—just under 200 contributors donated over 11,000 euros!
Le PianO des Mers is basically a trimaran. There is no mast or standard sail. Instead, propulsion comes from either a 14sqm or 25sqm kitesurfing wing. This allows for a clean, visually unobstructed deck. The piano itself is a beautiful white Young Chang grand piano.
A specially designed speaker system will be mounted on posts set into the boat’s two outer hulls. The sound will project equally in all directions and have a “throw” of over 80m.
This remarkable sailboat is now almost finished and should be ready for the 2021 season.
Le Piano du Lac event info…
Ticketing for all Le PianO du Lac events is voluntary, however, the group suggests a contribution of 10 euros. Le PianO du Lac’s website has a full list of dates and locations. Additional dates may still be added, and also bad weather may force the cancellation of a scheduled event.
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