Tags
Beethoven, Blitz Concerts, Bus Station Sonata, Classical Close-Up Concerts, Classical Music, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Elizabeth Fais, Gene Weingarten, Joshua Bell, Peer Gynt, Stop and Hear the Music, The Oregon Symphony, Washington DC, Washington Post
I am intrigued by the incongruous and unexpected. I love being surprised by beauty in the simplest moments. It can happen at any time. Extraordinary talent can be anywhere. Literally. At the bus station, the metro, or perhaps a local bookstore or cafe.
Symphonies around the world are looking for new ways to woo younger audiences into the concert halls, as their traditional audiences age and ticket sales dwindle. If young people won’t come to the symphony, the obvious thing to do is bring the symphony to them. [images from morguefile.com, composite by moi]
The Oregon Symphony: Playing Outside the Box
The Oregon Symphony did just that … took their the music to the streets with their Classical Close-Up and Blitz Concerts. All intended to make the world of classical music accessible to all, in fun and informal settings such as Powell’s Books, outdoor plazas, churches and cafes. They hope to bring new friends and families to the symphony, while sharing their passion for music.
Flash Mob Philharmonic: Copenhagen Metro
The Copenhagen Philharmonic went one step further… They took their music right onto the train flash-mob style, playing Peer Gynt to a car full of amazed and delighted commuters.
Bus Station Beethoven
At the Haymarket Bus Station in Newcastle, England, a pianist took the interactive approach. He engaged willing commuters to help him play what he calls Beethoven’s “Bus Station Sonata”. A refreshingly fun endeavor.
Metro Maestro: Joshua Bell Incognito in a D.C. Metro
A conversation about extraordinary music in everyday places wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Joshua Bell’s 2007 performance in a Washington D.C. metro station at rush hour. Many of you may have already heard about the experiment initiated by Gene Weingarten for The Washington Post. The purpose was to see how many harried commuters would take the time to listen to Joshua Bell, one of the nation’s greatest violinist, if he appeared incognito as a typical busker. You can read the full story here. It’s amazing. The premise of the experiment was…
In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?
Sadly, in this case it didn’t. People rushed by, some kind enough to toss a few coins or a dollar bill into his open violin case. But the majority of the crowd didn’t even acknowledge his existence. He made a total of $32.00 in the 45 minutes he played on that Friday morning. That’s not counting the $20.00 given to him by the ONE person recognized him. Though, what was truly mind-boggling was over one thousand people couldn’t spare a few minutes to listen to some of the most exquisite music in the world played on one of the most priceless instruments. Beauty brought right to them … on their way to work … only three feet away.
In October 2014, Joshua Bell played an encore at Washington DC’s Union station. This time thousands packed the venue for the phenomenal free concert. You can read more about it here.
Extraordinary talent can be found in the most ordinary places. But the performers don’t have to be world-famous to be worth our time. Appreciate the beauty they bring into the world. Stop and listen. Enjoy the music.
Elizabeth Fais 
I love that bus station sonata, love hearing a piano anywhere. Even when I’m shopping at Costco and some little kid starts playing one of the keyboards for sale, I have to stop and listen.
and that Copenhagen Train! loved watching the people take off their headphones.
Interesting post!
I haven’t been to a Nordstrom’s in ages, but I used to love to hear the pianist that always played there … on a baby grand piano. The symphony on the train was amazing! Can you imagine being surrounded by that beautiful music?
I recently learned about some new research showing that premature babies develop better if they’re played live music while they’re in the NICU. For a while at one of the hospitals where I worked, harpists would come and play to the babies. This was before the research was published, and it appears we were on to something (and the harp music was one of the biggest perks of that job!).
I don’t doubt that the premies benefited from the harp music, Liv. There was a winery I toured up in Napa Valley where they play Gregorian chants around the clock in the room where the barrels of wine age. They say the music makes a difference in the taste of the wine. I don’t drink, but I don’t doubt that fact either. Everything is made up of energy, so it’s not a big leap of faith to believe that the vibrations of refined music (and certain instruments, like harps) can have a positive affect on anything it encounters.
Great post, Elizabeth. LOVED “Morning” on the Copnehagen training. How amazing that would have been.
I do love the Joshua Bell story. I’m not sure it was a fair experiment though — commuters are usually on a pretty tight schedule and the accoustics weren’t that spectacular. I’d like to see it repeated in a shopping mall or something. 🙂 (There’s no way I’d recognise him…)
I think Joshua Bell would have received a better audience if he had played during the evening rush hour, when people were going home and could afford to take a few minutes. I believe it was staged the way it was to make the results easier to discern. Gene Weingarten won the Pulitzer Prize for the piece he wrote for the Washington Post.
I would love to have been on the Copenhagen train. Can you imagine being surrounded by such beautiful music? I’m sure I would have cried (with joy, of course). 🙂
Cool! Especially liked the Copenhagen philharmobic orchestra.
Apparently Nigel Kennedy busked once on the street here in Wellington NZ – purely for the fun of it, when he was on concert tour. I didn’t see him, but apparently nobody much realised it was him until the next day when the story appeared in the paper…
It is hard for me to *recognize* famous people out of context. I’m notorious for staring because they look so familiar, and I can’t figure out how I know them. They flash me a smile and keep going, and someone else says, “That was Gene Wilder.” Really happened to me … at Disneyland of all places.
I hope Nigel Kennedy drew some type of a crowd when he busked on the street in NZ. Recognizing the performer as a personality wasn’t the point in the D.C. exercise. It was to see how many people would stop and appreciate the amazing music when it was in such an ordinary setting and basically FREE.
Only time this morning to check out one of the videos, Elizabeth. I chose the Copenhagen Metro. What a wonderful commute, I’m sure it set a positive note (pun intended) to everyone’s day. Imagine if we could measure the width, breadth, and impact of that ripple.
I’ll try to make it back later to listen to the rest. Thanks for sharing!
I would love to have an experience like those commuters on the Copenhagen train. To be surrounded by such beautiful music in such a close setting would be awe inspiring. 😉
I wish the Oregon Symphony had been at Powell’s a few weeks ago when I was there. That would have been such a treat. I love the idea of music that is often inaccessible (or at least seems that way to many) due to high ticket prices and such being available to the masses in such an impromptu sort of way.
Check out he Oregon Symphony web site. From the article I read — and followed up with my own research — it sounded like they would be doing more free concerts about town. It’s a wonderful way to win over new symphony enthusiasts, if you think about it. I applaud their creative thinking, because everybody wins!
I have a cousin who played violin for the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. They weren’t quite as forward thinking, and ended up having to shut down. The San Francisco Symphony frequently has special offers with seats starting at $20.00. I think it’s so important to make music available to everybody, no matter what their economic situation. 😉