135 pianists play over a hundred pianos simultaneously at huge fundraiser

25 November 2025, 13:37

More than one hundred pianists play Edvard Grieg classic

The largest UK piano ensemble bashed out Bach and Grieg.

More than 135 pianists have created what is thought to be the largest piano ensemble ever assembled in the UK.

The pianists played 111 pianos at Sherwood Phoenix piano shop in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, raising £2,252 to buy a grand piano for St Mary Magdalene Church in Newark-on-Trent, which is undergoing refurbishment.​

The pianists played two pieces – J.S. Bach’s Prelude in C (Ave Maria) and Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King. There were even four generations of one family playing at once.

“The connection between people was absolutely magical,” said organiser Helen Martyniuk, “Everyone was supporting and cheering for one another, and new friendships were forming everywhere.”

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“At the beginning, it was a room full of complete strangers who shared one thing in common, a love for the piano but by the end, everyone felt like friends and family,” Martyniuk added.

“From the very first note, many of us had tears in our eyes. We couldn’t believe that 135 people, beginners and professionals, were connected and playing together. It was incredible to see families playing together, teachers with students, mums and dads, grandmothers with their grandchildren.”

While the event was not an official record attempt, the organisers haven’t ruled out trying for this in the future. What was more important, said Martyniuk, was that “it showed us all how important it is to come together and create something as a group”.