111 位鋼琴家齊聚一堂，為英國舉辦史詩級籌款活動和鋼琴唱片盛宴！

In Nottinghamshire, a remarkable musical event took place at the Sherwood Phoenix piano shop in Mansfield, where 135 musicians gathered to play 111 pianos at the same time. Originally, the organisers planned for 101 pianos, but due to high interest, they increased the number to 111. The event was held to raise funds for St Mary Magdalene Church in Newark-on-Trent, which is currently being refurbished. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, the fundraiser collected £2,252 to help buy a grand piano for the church.

Helen Martyniuk, one of the main organisers, shared that preparing for the event was a big task. She and her team spent days getting all the pianos ready and making sure they were tuned to match each other. Helen, who moved to Nottinghamshire from Ukraine, explained that the group rehearsed for about half an hour, took a break, and then played together again. The organisers wanted everyone to be able to participate, so they arranged music for all skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The pianists performed 'Prelude in C major' by J. S. Bach and 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' by E. Grieg, with each piece lasting around 90 seconds.

The event brought together people from many different backgrounds, including chip shop owners, engineers, doctors, teachers, and even local MP James Naish. There were families with four generations playing together, and teachers performed alongside their students. Stephen Bullamore, the Director of Music at St Mary Magdalene Church, described the event as 'epic' and said it was much more popular than expected. Rowan Cozens, deputy leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said hearing all the pianos play at once was 'incredibly emotional. ' Although the organisers believe they broke the UK record for the most pianos played at once, it was not an official record attempt. They hope to try for an officially-verified record in the future. The event was a huge success and showed how music can bring a community together.