The Calx Project
music + tech = kids with schools
The Calx Project was an extraordinary solo piano concert in which I improvised for three days & three nights (60 hours and 1 minute). The event was broadcast live over the web & was awarded a unique Guinness World Record certificate as the world's "Longest solo music internet broadcast". The concept was simple: Merge music & technology to raise awareness for children in need of schools.
Read about the idea & check the menu on the right for music, videos, photos & more!
The Idea.
I was intrigued by the thought of filling a public space with my piano music. So I decided to take over an inspiring roman Piazza & its infinite flow of people & provide a soundtrack to their life.
But setting up a piano & a stage is so complicated that i thought it would be interesting to play a little longer, maybe 5 hours or so. So I called Guinness World Records to see what the current record was. To my surprise some crazy people already pushed the boundaries to 51 hours!
So I decided I was going to play for 60 hours and skip the usual practice of beating the previous record by just a few minutes. I was also curious to see - since no one had done it before - how long someone could improvise in a live performance. What are the boundaries of creativity & endurance? Had to find out.
The Goal.
I decided to use music and technology to support Plan International's school-building programs for kids in South America.
A clever combination of digital & physical media was used to spread the message - fliers, huge banners on one of Rome's busiest roads, internet commercials, live streaming messages & a squad of dedicated Calx Project volunteers.
The results were astounding, especially considering the Project took place in a pre-social media age (2004). The event received massive coverage on the web, radio, TV & first pages of national newspapers. Viewers numbering in the tens of thousands online - and even more on location - provided donations (even months later) and offered their time by joining the organization's ranks as volunteers.
Sponsored by
The Calx Project is an original calcatelli.com initiative organized in collaboration with Zillion Productions.
RTop
