A retired musician was looking for a home for a piano he no longer had the space for. A school committee member was searching for a new piano for the auditorium at Warwick Vets Middle School. The power of social media brought them together.

Ralph Petrarca, who was raised in the Potowomut neighborhood of Warwick and graduated from Toll Gate High School, posted on his personal Facebook account he was looking for someone willing to take a 7-foot grand piano off his hands.

“I’ve been in the performing arts my whole life, whether that be in music or the theater,” Petrarca said. Petrarca graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in piano and music production, and has acted in various stage and screen productions throughout his career.

Karen Bachus, a Warwick School Committee member who lives in the River View neighborhood, knew the piano in the Warwick Vets Middle School auditorium was beyond repair, with broken pedals and keys.

“I saw Ralph’s post on Facebook, and I said, ‘Oh my God, Vets needs this,” Bachus said. It would be a difficult task to continue the performing arts events at the school without a replacement piano, she said.

According to Petrarca, the instrument is a Gaveau of Paris single-strung grand piano, built in 1929. Gaveau was one of the leading piano manufacturers until they ceased production in 1990. Petrarca bought the piano from a consignment store years ago, and believes he is its third owner, making Warwick Vets the fourth.

Petrarca’s grand piano currently sits in the pit at the Vets auditorium, alongside the old piano that has yet to be removed. When viewed side-by-side, it is clear that an upgrade was necessary.

“This one has served us well,” Bachus said about the old piano, which has been there since 1958. The old piano saw multiple generations of Vets students and their performances, and both Bachus and Petrarca hope that the new piano will have the same legacy.

“I was so happy that I was able to give my piano to a school,” Petrarca said. “It would look nice in someone’s living room, but this is better.”

Bachus and Petrarca met in the Vets auditorium last Tuesday to ensure that the piano was delivered safely. While the two were comparing the new piano to the broken one, costume fittings for RI Youth Theatre’s production of “Cinderella” were taking place on stage. Petrarca commented on the high quality of the costumes and emphasized his love of the performing arts, especially when young people are involved.

The piano was far too large and precarious to be transported in a personal vehicle. The school hired the Avery Piano Company, which has been selling and moving pianos out of Providence since 1924, to move the grand piano from Petrarca’s home to the auditorium.

“I knew they would get it here safely,” said Bachus. “They’ve been around forever.”

Purchasing a new grand piano would have cost the school department thousands of dollars, and Bachus expressed her gratitude for Petrarca’s generosity. When the school year starts this fall, the piano will be used for school musicals, assemblies, and band, orchestra and choral concerts.