THE EVENT: Kensington Market Jazz Festival 

Now in its 9th year, the Kensington Market Jazz Festival offers an opportunity to ‘experience Canadian jazz in Toronto’s vibrant heart and heritage district.’ The festival showcases over 200 of Toronto’s finest musicians in 92 shows.

THE CHALLENGE

To deliver two Grand Pianos and two Electronic Pianos to four venues with a tight schedule. The pianos and keyboards were provided by Yamaha Canada, so My Piano Movers are the representatives of the sponsors on-site. 

Only one of the four delivery locations was an actual venue, the others were an outdoor stage down a narrow alleyway, a menswear store and an art gallery. Scheduling was important because the pianos could not be delivered until stages were built or normal business had concluded. 

A further challenge was the weather, not because it was bad, but because it was so good. The streets were packed with people determined to enjoy the last blast of summer sun. This increased the skill required to manoeuver the truck safely through the narrow streets and get the pianos as close as possible to their intended destinations before unloading. 

The schedule was very tight, as each venue’s piano had a tuning scheduled, so there was no room for error.

THE SOLUTION 

Imagine, plan, then execute. 

The team knew that the sequence that the pianos were being delivered was critical, so each instrument was loaded onto the truck in the reverse order.

Making sure that all the correct equipment was on the truck to protect the sponsor’s instruments in transit was critical. 

Having the best crew in the business is the most important part. With a combined 65+ years of piano moving experience among the four men on the truck, a smooth delivery was guaranteed.