Described by The New York Times as “meticulously whimsical,” the UnCaged Toy Piano Festival is a three-day event featuring new music and collaborations using toy instruments. The festival is greeted with great enthusiasm each time, inspiring concertgoers and performers to cross state borders and oceans to attend. The UnCaged Toy Piano was founded in 2007 by Phyllis Chen as a composition competition to expand the music for toy piano. Given the large number of submissions received through the years, UnCaged Toy Piano became a biennial festival with three consecutive events in New York City.
In 2026, the UnCaged Toy Piano Festival returns as a three day festival at its new home– the beautiful Hudson Valley. No longer carrying on with a competition model, the festival focuses on celebrating toy instruments, new music, and creative collaborations with artists and community members on keyboards. The definition of toy piano expands beyond plastic keys and includes other rare and common keyboard instruments. The 2026 festival will unleash the inaugural UnCaged Toychestra, a toy instrument ensemble, led by Liz Distefano and Phyllis Chen.
UnCaging the Toy Piano Since 1872…
Invented in 1872 by Schoenhut, the toy piano was considered an educational toy for children. John Cage’s seminal work, Suite For Toy Piano (1947) inspired classical musicians to play toy piano as a “serious” instrument. Though Cage is often thought of as the grandfather of the toy piano, we should remember that found objects and toys have been used for music-making by other unrecognized musicians/people who do not fit into western classical music or the academy. As an instrument with no set boundaries on how it can be used or performed, the toy piano inspires makers and musicians from all backgrounds to contribute to the repertoire.
Previous Call-for-scores
Each year, a call-for-scores was sent out using the toy piano in a different context. More than 300 new pieces have been collected and created through the years.
2007-08: 1st UnCaged Toy Piano Competition: Toy Piano and Electronics/Multimedia
2009: 2nd UnCaged Competition: Virtuosity
2010: 3rd UnCaged Competition: DUO Edition for toy piano and electric cello
2011: 4th UnCaged Competition and Festival: Toy! Toy! Toy!
2012: 5th UnCaged: Commissioning Project
2013: 6th UnCaged Competition: Toy Piano and Unconventional Instrument
2015: 7th UnCaged: Toy Piano in Queens!
2016: 8th UnCaged: :Conlon Keyboard Prize (in collaboration with the Conlon Foundation)
2017: 9th UnCaged Festival: Robot Toy Piano