Islander Justin Chan selected as winner of Pianos in the Parks video contest

August 31, 2015 | by Erin Sirianni

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Justin-Chan-Pianos-in-the-Park
The month-long Pianos in the Parks program wrapped up with a special performance by Justin Chan of Mercer Island, the winner of this year’s music video contest, which garnered 71 entries, and more than 5,000 votes.

Beginning July 16, people of all skill levels and musical persuasions were invited to enter a Pianos in the Parks video contest for a chance to perform at Concert at the Mural, at Seattle Center on August 21st. Entrants submitted videos online of their performances using one of 22 artist-designed upright and grand pianos placed in parks and open spaces across Bellevue, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Seattle and other parts of King County.

This year’s winning video featured Chan – a 37-year-old self-employed computer software consultant – in a rousing jazz piano improvisation titled Stu’s Blues as performed on two different Pianos in the Parks pianos located on Mercer Island at Luther Burbank Park and Mercerdale Park. View the winning video below:

For being selected as the winner, Chan won the opportunity to serve as the opening act at the KEXP & Seattle Center Concerts at the Mural concert on August 21st at the Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater, followed by performances from The Coup, Pillar Point, and SassyBlack.

To enter, entrants submitted a video of their performance featuring music in the public domain (written prior to 1922) or an original composition. The public was invited to vote for their favorite performances online, which closed at 11:59pm on Aug. 16. The top five videos were judged by a community panel to select the overall winner. Judges considered musicality (35%), creativity (20%), performance technique (15%), complexity (15%) and originality (15%).

This was the second year of the Pianos in the Parks program, made possible by Laird Norton Wealth Management, designed to encourage the discovery of parks through music and art. All pianos were made available for free public use and music exploration, concluding on Sunday, Aug. 16.

For more information on Pianos in the Parks, including partners, parks and artists, visit www.pianosintheparks.com.