135 Pianists Perform Together on 111 Pianos in Record-Breaking Event

Written by Chantal Gapato  |  November 26, 2025

A record-setting piano performance brought together 135 participants and 111 pianos in Mansfield, United Kingdom. The large-scale community event, titled “101 Pianos,” was originally planned with 101 instruments before growing to 111. It took place on Saturday, November 22 at Sherwood Phoenix Pianos and featured two mass performances: Bach/Gounod’s “Prelude in C/Ave Maria” and Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” The gathering welcomed players of all ages and abilities, becoming a rare chance for pianists to perform together in a piano orchestra.

Participants included multi-generational families, siblings, husband-and-wife teams, grandparents with grandchildren, a three-generation group, teachers, students, and public figures such as James Naish MP for Rushcliffe, while Steve Yemm MP for Mansfield officially welcomed the performers. Some travelled long distances to take part, while others were returning to the piano after many years, including the owner of a taxi company.

The event supported a fundraising initiative to acquire a high-quality piano for the Newark community, which will be placed at St. Mary Magdalene’s Church as part of the Reawakening of St Mary Magdalene project. Newark and Sherwood District Council highlighted the gathering through Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and the Arts, Councillor Rowan Cozens, who linked it to the Alive With Music launch earlier this year and noted the event’s role in raising awareness for the creative sector and the community piano project.

Sherwood Phoenix founder Stephen Pringle, who studied piano restoration at Newark College, partnered with Newark and Sherwood District Council for the event. The performance was also connected to broader local music initiatives that encourage accessibility, participation and creative collaboration across the district, with St. Mary Magdalene’s Church planned as the future home of the community piano when restoration work is completed.

You can watch a snippet of their performance here.