RNCM pianists break most musicians Guinness World Record

24 January 2014, 13:45 | Updated: 24 January 2014, 17:35

A group of students from the Royal Northern College of Music have broken the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people playing the same piano simultaneously, with 16 people gathered round the keyboard.

The group of 16 musicians performed a five-minute piece composed especially for the occasion by postgraduate Tom Harrold, meaning that at anyone time there were up to 32 hands on the piano keys.

Speaking before yesterday's successful record attempt, Harrold commented on his piece, entitled 'Ticcatoccatina': I am really excited to be attempting to break this world record. The sound of 16 people playing a single piano at one time should be really intriguing, and I am really looking forward to (hopefully) breaking a world record!"

Previously the world record was held by a group of 15 musicians in Vallouise, France, in June 2004.

The students involved in the attempt were: Daria Bitsiuk, David Bainbridge, Yun Chen, Greta-Nike Gasser, David Gibson, Lee Jae Phang, Pui Lau, Silvia Lucas Rodriguez, Lok Pang, Ben Parker, Simon Passmore, Daniel Portal, Graham Proctor, Ho Kwong, Matthew Shervey and Chun So.