The Sound Of Music Pops Up In Napa Valley

NAPA (CBS SF) – A musician has begun converting 'unloved pianos' into works of art and placing them around the Napa Valley, bringing the sound of music to California's Wine Country.

Cindy Skinner says she was inspired to create something she found online called "street pianos."

"They were unloved pianos until someone took them under their wing and painted them, refurbished them and put them in a public space," she told KPIX 5 of her 'Pop-Up Piano' creations.

But she quickly realized she couldn't do it alone. That's where interior designer Richard Von Saal entered the picture.

"I have this huge warehouse space here and art space," he said, "So I thought there was no better place for her to come do these pianos.

Skinner also needed someone to paint the pianos, so Von Saal introduced her to local artist Penelope Moore.

Moore specializes in abstract paintings of Napa Valley wines so the first piano depicted 'Sauvignon Blanc' with the jagged angles representing the sharp flavor of the wine.

"And so, having this be part of a public installation that can be played anytime…that's really special and that's why I could not have said no," Moore said.

When it came time to place the first piano, Skinner ran into a permit issue in her hometown of Napa. To get a permit could take up to a year.

So Skinner began to search Wine Country for a location. She found one in Yountville.

You can now hear the sounds from the music-art collaboration anytime someone is so moved in Veterans Memorial Park. Other sites will soon follow.