Casio Brings Music to Life at 7th Annual Make Music New York Event

DOVER, N.J., June 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. is kicking off the first day of summer by participating in the 7^th Annual Make Music New York event. Make Music New York is one of the nation's largest annual music events, where over 1,000 free concerts are held throughout New York City. Casio is involved in several activities taking place in conjunction with this event, including hosting three Make Music New York After Dark open mic parties and sponsoring a portable Privia Piano Bar featuring a traveling pianist playing music on a Casio Privia PX-350 digital piano throughout Manhattan.

"We are extremely excited to be a part of the 7^th Annual Make Music New York event, which is also taking place on National Music Day," said Stephen Schmidt, vice president of Casio's Electronic Musical Instruments Division. "We feel hosting the After Dark events and the Privia Piano Bar are great ways for Casio to engage with musicians throughout New York City and provide them with the opportunity to celebrate National Music Day and Make Music New York by jamming out alongside one of our most popular keyboards. With our donation of the Privia PX-350 digital pianos, keyboard players no longer have to worry about carrying their keyboard throughout New York City and they can focus on what they love – playing music."

For the past several years, Make Music New York has offered all musicians, beginners or professionals, young or old, the chance to attend and participate in free concerts throughout the five boroughs of New York City. This year, Casio is sponsoring a Privia Piano Bar that will start in Harlem and make its way down the island to the East Village, stopping at various Make Music New York concert locations. At each stop, Nate Buccieri, an accomplished singer/songwriter, pianist, vocalist, accompanist, and music director, will play live music with the Casio Privia PX-350 on the back of the rolling piano bar. Buccieri will accompany singers at the street concerts and perform live requests all day long.

Casio is also hosting three After Dark parties giving musicians the chance to continue the celebration throughout the night. The three Manhattan locations include the Sidewalk Cafe and the Drom in the East Village and the Harlem Tavern in Harlem. Casio has donated three Privia PX-350 digital pianos, which will be part of the indoor, multi-genre open mic events. Musicians will be invited to play the PX-350 at all three locations and participate in jam sessions with one another. 

The Privia PX-350 offers comprehensive feature and portability for musicians on the go. The digital piano features a redesigned 88-note Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard. With simulated ebony and ivory textured keys, the PX-350 reproduces the touch feeling of an acoustic piano while the scaled weighted action keyboard provides the depth and integrity of an acoustic piano.

The PX-350 also features Casio's new proprietary sound source, "AiR" (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator), which delivers unmatched realism and detail. Utilizing over three times the waveform memory of the previous generation, the AiR engine provides sensational dynamics, damper resonance and even compensates for the speed at which hammers strike strings at different velocities and key ranges. The PX-350 provides the ability to record a 44.1kHz .wav file directly to a USB thumb drive so that rehearsals, performances and moments of inspiration can be easily captured and shared.

Casio's Privia PX-350 is available at music dealers in both black and white for an MSRP of $1,099.99. For additional information regarding Casio's Privia line of digital pianos, please visit www.CasioMusicGear.com  

About Casio America, Inc.
Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to fulfill its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com.

About Make Music New York
Now in its seventh year, Make Music New York (MMNY), "the largest music event ever to grace Gotham" (Metro New York), is a unique festival of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City, all on June 21st, the first day of summer. MMNY takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in more than 514 cities around the world — a global celebration of music making. From 10am to 10pm, musicians of all ages, creeds, and musical persuasions — from hip hop to opera, Latin jazz to punk rock — perform on streets, sidewalks, stoops, plazas, cemeteries, parks, and gardens. From high school bands to marquee names, MMNY is open to anyone who wants to take part, enjoyed by everyone who wants to attend.

SOURCE Casio America, Inc.