In a display of what might be- called "piano-technics," an old upright piano was set ablaze at Carleton College in a performance art show under the nighttime sky as some brave students briefly played it.

Senior Caitlin Schmid, a music major with an emphasis on piano performance, sacrificed a piano Thursday night on "The Bald Spot," a central open area of the Northfield campus. The piano was beyond repair and ready for the trash heap .

More than 300 students, staff members and townsfolk warmed themselves, oohing and aahing as the instrument burned.

Schmid, of Shorewood, came up with the idea after viewing a recording of avant-garde composer Annea Lockwood's original performance of "Piano Burning" as part of a music class.

Lockwood, a native of New Zealand who now lives near New York City, was on hand for the performance and ignited the blaze shortly after 8:30 p.m.

Soon after the fire was lit, one student and then another stepped forward and played a few bars, much to the delight and awe of cheering onlookers. One chose Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag." Soon after, listeners heard a handful of pitched and unpitched notes as the piano's strings burned and snapped.

The instrument came from a dorm basement laundry room and will be replaced by the Music Department, which sponsored the event, said Carleton spokesman Eric Sieger.

"I literally walked to every campus building," Schmid said of her hunt for a piano that was ripe for burning. "We were specifically looking for the worst piano, and this was it."

Schmid said that Lockwood's "Piano Burning" has had "a very significant role in the development of what is known as 'performance art.' Watching Lockwood's performance really generated a lot of discussion among the students. Some of us were really moved by the piece, while others were deeply offended. They couldn't get past the idea of destroying a piano and calling it 'art.'"

Assistant Prof. Nicola Melville, who taught Schmid last fall in "The Piano in Society" and was at the instrumental bonfire, said, "It was not the intention to be provocative. People don't have emotional associations with a flute, maybe a violin. [But pianos] are everywhere, in homes, churches, in pubs, in concert halls. Everywhere you go, there are pianos. People feel it's part of their lives."

Schmid's passion for the piano began when she was 7 years old. A mahogany baby grand sits in her family's home. An encore, maybe, during summer break?

"Absolutely not," she declared.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482