Seeking Woodworkers and Would-Be Woodworkers - Come Dismantle Pianos with The Leeds
This Autumn, Leeds International Piano Competition invites volunteers to take part in a beautiful and unusual community project, in collaboration with our friends and partners Pianodrome CIC and Besbrode Pianos and led by Festival Artist in Resonance, Dora Goldsbrough.
Between September and December 2026, we'll carefully dismantle around 30 old pianos, rescuing beautiful timber, ironwork and materials that would otherwise be lost to landfill. Then, from January 2027, we'll work together to transform those reclaimed pieces into five unique Piano Sheds — creative community spaces where music, nature and people can come together.
Here's a film of the first ever piano shed, from the 2021 Festival. Just like Piano Meant-a-Lot, the 2027 Leeds Piano Sheds will be made entirely - down to the flat head screws which hold them together - out of old pianos.
It feels right to begin this project in the Autumn. As the year draws to a close, we'll gather at Besbrode Pianos in Holbeck to take pianos apart, share skills and lay the groundwork for something new. As a new year begins, those same materials will be given a second life. Together, we'll build beautiful structures that will stay in Leeds communities long after the 2027 Piano Trail Festival has ended.
September–December 2026 we'll have weekend piano dismantling workshops at Besbrode Pianos, and from January 2027 onwards there will be Community Piano Shed building workshops at Besbrodes.
We're looking for:
Woodworkers and makers
DIY enthusiasts
Gardeners and growers
Piano lovers
Creative problem-solvers
Curious beginners who love to learn
No specialist experience is required. Whether you're highly skilled or simply keen to get involved, there is a place for you. No age limit either – supervised children are very welcome.
These lovely films made by Pianodrome show you some of the things we’ll be doing at Besbrodes - How to Dismantle a Piano - and you can email info@leedspiano.com for more information too.
Register your interest here so we can send you dates and times of the September to December dismantling workshops.
