Jan Preston: Piano Rescuer

As well as being a fervent jazz and blues pianist, New Zealander Jan Preston also admits to ‘stealing’ old acoustic pianos that have fallen into disrepair.

“Pianos are like people, or personalities to me. No two are the same. They are very precious,” she said in a phone interview from Sydney.

“The whole piano culture is leaving us because they are such big pieces of furniture to move around and nobody has the room to have them any more, and people move around so much.”

She said a lot of venues she plays have lovely old pianos that nobody is really playing “and they are abusing”.

“They get shoved in a corner and not looked after.”

In response she has a penchant for “rescuing” them – three times to date.

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“In my defence, having stolen these pianos, I have always asked if I could buy them first.

“Having being refused, I really had no option but to rescue them – you’d understand that.

“Pianos wear out and die – they need love and nurturing.”

Read the full article: Jan Preston doesn’t just play the piano