00:00Liverpool One is celebrating a special milestone as Tickle the Ivory's returns for its 15th anniversary,
00:08giving visitors the chance to showcase their musical talents across the city centre during the nine-week event.
00:15We've had over 6,000 performances over the years where visitors have been entertained by such a vast array of different people
00:25and people like Brad discovering the piano for the first time and going on to learn and develop their talent.
00:31To mark a decade and a half of this noteworthy piano festival,
00:35a whole host of Tickle the Ivory's regulars will return to perform at Liverpool One,
00:40including Brad Keller, whose viral video playing at one of the pianos catapulted him into participating into Channel 4's The Piano,
00:50which he went on to win.
00:51One of the most amazing but humbling experiences ever because it made me realise how many people are out there with so much talent
00:59and I weren't the only one with a gift.
01:02And being around other people who enjoyed the sound of the piano and being able to engage about it with each other was the best thing in the world.
01:09And obviously what's come after the show is stuff that I'd never, ever, ever expected to happen.
01:13So again, I'm just forever grateful for it all. There I am.
01:16We can see the power of music today and how that brings people together.
01:20This year's theme is the power of music, with five specially designed pianos created in collaboration with local artists
01:28positioned across the retail and leisure destination.
01:32One of the pianos has been specially designed in honour of Brad and his story, which will become a returning feature each year.
01:39It's a full circle moment for me. It really is.
01:41I don't know. If someone would have told me last year that I was going to be getting a piano unveiled about my life, I would have laughed at them.
01:49So, yeah, it just proves that hard work. Dedication does really pay off and sticking to something and not letting anything else get in between it.
01:58The free-to-use pianos are located at Sugarhouse Steps by John Lewis, South John Street, Peter's Square, College Lane and the entrance of the Odeon Cinema.
02:08So the pianos are here throughout the whole of the summer now until September.
02:12They're in various locations across Liverpool One. You can book in advance, but there are free play sessions as well.
02:18So if you haven't booked in advance or you'd like to just come and give it a go, you can come along and just turn up.
02:24Please treat the pianos with care and hopefully, you never know, we might produce another Brad Keller in years to come.
02:29The free event encourages local talent to get involved and fill the streets of the city centre with symphonies of every genre from classical through to dance music.
02:42You play for a certain amount of time and you do get bored of it. I did come with time when I was bored of that instrument, but then you push past it and then I fell in love with it.
02:52It's probably a bit too much now. Yeah, it's probably one of my best mates at the piano. How sad does that sound?
