Dan Kaufmann, a professor of business and entrepreneurship, was long intrigued by technology’s ability to transform our public spaces. Frustrated by the rushed anonymity of the modern city, he began to imagine ways to bring strangers together and enrich their public lives.

When he first saw a public piano on the streets of Geneva he was amazed by the power it had to bring people together around the universal language of music. But just as soon as people got used to the piano it was whisked away – a classical piano unfortunately cannot live long when exposed to rain, wind and sun.

After years of developing the design, structure, and intellectual property he met Evelyn Rubin, former venture capitalist and music enthusiast who fell in love with the concept of the world’s first concrete piano and joined him to bring permanent pianos to public spaces worldwide.

In August 2017, the Jerusalem municipality installed the first Cadenza piano followed by an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response of citizens and tourists, Jews and Arabs, old and young. With dozens of additional installations across the country and a crowd-led online community of music lovers, Cadenza was born.

Whether rain or shine, come play.