Piano Pilgrim started with a wild idea in 2011, when the installation “Play Me I’m Yours” by British artist Luke Jerram came to the city of Tilburg, the Netherlands. Painted pianos are put in public spaces for everyone to play at. I wanted to play all pianos around town, which were over 100 pianos. I managed to play about half of them, and got infected with the piano virus.

I started traveling around looking for beautiful pianos and interesting stories. I do this because I have a special love for pianos. Whether they are old, broken, completely out of tune or brand new: every piano is unique and to me they are all sacred. I love the smell of the glue, the cracking of the wood, small decorations on the outside or intricate mechanics on the inside.

The goal of my travels is to look for pianos to play in every city or village I visit. In the meantime I collect stories, portraits and impressions of the people behind those pianos. That way I try to find the soul of a village, a city, a region or a country.

My previous pilgrimages brought me to places I could never have dreamt of. I improvised on every piano I could find and while doing so experienced the most inspiring events in amazing surroundings. All these different stories are part of a big anthology, a collection without end. A collection that keeps expanding with music, pictures, documentaries or travel blogs.