Pleasanton unveils ‘Harmonic Symphony’ to honor synthesizer pioneer Don Lewis

The city of Pleasanton recently celebrated its newest public art installation, “The Don Lewis Harmonic Symphony”, which involves a row of playable instruments gathered in front of an abstract sculpture of the late performer, composer and synthesizer pioneer.

The public art piece, located at Delucchi Park in downtown, is meant to honor the life and legacy of Lewis, who lived in Pleasanton for 35 years before his death in 2022, while also providing a space for any and all residents to experiment with music.

“Today, Pleasanton adds something rare to our public space,” Pleasanton Mayor Balch said during the art piece’s unveiling ceremony on June 4. “Something that doesn’t say stand back, but instead invites you to come in and touch and participate.”

Lewis was a pioneer in the synthesizer community who built his signature Live Electronic Orchestra (LEO), a synthesizer system that became the inspiration for the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) in the 1980s. Over the decades, he cemented himself not just as a legend in the music industry — having worked with other icons like Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and the Beach Boys — but also as a dedicated Pleasanton community member.

“While his work reached audiences around the world, Pleasanton was his home for 35 years,” Balch said. “He believed music should bring people together and the installation carries that belief forward for future generations.”

The interactive art piece features six instruments — a metallophone, bells, cymbals, chimes and a harp — which are all overseen by the maestro sculpture of Lewis made out of bronze, stainless steel and copper. According to the city, the maestro incorporates mixed “metals and historic rivets salvaged from the dismantled eastern span of the Bay Bridge”.

The instruments and “maestro” sculpture of Lewis were realized thanks to longtime art enthusiasts Nancy and Gary Harrington. The philanthropic couple, who have donated thousands of dollars for public art pieces across the city over the years, said they worked with the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council and the city of Pleasanton — in collaboration with Harrington Art Partnership Piece for You program — to see their vision come to life.

“I know Don is here today and he is going to be so thrilled to see this image of him,” Nancy Harrington said during the event.

During the unveiling event, attendees heard from many speakers including former colleagues who recounted Lewis’ decorated career and who had the honor of playing alongside Lewis. 

The audience also got a chance to hear from Anton Standteiner, the artist who designed and handcrafted the maestro sculpture of Lewis and the rest of the instruments. 

Standteiner is a blacksmith with Mountain Forge — a family owned and operated blacksmith shop — who got emotional talking about the last couple of years he and his team spent creating this public art piece.

He notably recounted the time he spent with Lewis’ widow, who he said helped him truly capture Lewis’ essence with the sculpture. He said one of the reasons the sculpture is slightly leaning is because Lewis, during his performances, couldn’t remain seated due to how the music would take over his body.

“Don was sort of larger than life,” Standteiner said. “He was a pioneer in so many areas and we felt that it was important to represent Don in a human form — albeit it’s rather abstract.”

Finally, before unveiling the sculpture and letting dozens of kids and adults play with the instruments, attendees got a chance to hear directly from Lewis’ surviving family.

Don Lewis III, Lewis’ son, told the Weekly before the event started that it was a great honor to see his father being celebrated by a city that meant so much to him, and to see his father’s legacy of inspiring others to interact with music continue.

Lewis III said over the years, there has been less access for creatives to pursue their interests, which is why he said having spaces like this new public art piece are so important.

“Creative expression exists everywhere,” he said. “When you give people the platform or the opportunity to learn and create, you’ll see that … the hope is that you’re going to inspire the next generation.”

“The real key here is just to be able to inspire creators and give them an opportunity to advance and express themselves,” Lewis III added.

Lewis’ widow, Julie Lewis, and his son and grandsons all spoke about how much Don Lewis loved Pleasanton and what having this honorary art piece meant to the family. Julie Lewis notably shared her husband’s last words before he passed away.

“He looked at me and said, ‘I wish somebody could help me because I’m not done,'” she said. “Today, we will unveil something that will prove that Don is not done. He’s going to watch over all the new musicians coming to enjoy this space to make music.”

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