Tags
Bach Double Violin Concerto, busking, Dylan Hamme, Fifth Avenue, Gene Weingarten, J.S. Bach, Joshua Bell, NBC News, New York City, Stop and Hear the Music, Today Show, Violin, Washington DC, Washington Post
Pint-Size Prodigy Surprised by His Idol on National TV
There’s a new star on New York’s Fifth—Dylan Hamme, an 11 year-old busking violinist. But Dylan isn’t just any ol’ busker. No. He’s a child prodigy on the fast-track to becoming a concert violinist. He’s busking to raise money for conservatory training.
But wait. It gets better.
Dylan has a sign propped up in his open violin case for passerby donations that states he’s following in the footsteps of his idol, Joshua Bell.
So far it’s true…
Joshua Bell started playing the violin at the age of three, the same age Dylan picked up the instrument. Joshua Bell went on to become a world-renowned violin soloist. So far, Dylan is heading in that direction as well. His expert musicianship (along with his sign), caught the attention of NBC News, and they featured him on the Today Show, complete with a surprise visit from his idol. If you don’t cry watching the video clip below, I don’t want to hear about it.
Going out of his way to encourage a young musician is not uncommon for Joshua Bell. He regularly supports projects that teach and encourage young musicians around the world. His philanthropic work with the National YoungArts Foundation over the years has been recognized nationally with high acclaim.
Joshua Bell’s Busking Experiment & Sensational Reprise
Joshua Bell is at home in a concert hall, but he’s no stranger to playing on the street. Or a metro station to be exact. In 2007, Joshua Bell posed as a common busker in a Washington D.C. metro station (during morning rush hour) as part of an experiment initiated by Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post. The purpose of the experiment was to see how many commuters would stop and listen to one of the nation’s greatest violinist in an everyday setting. Only one person recognized him. ONE. You can read the full story here.
You can let a situation define you, or you change the situation to reinvent the definition.
That’s just what Joshua Bell did. On September 30, 2014, Joshua Bell turned the tables on DC’s Union Station and created a the ultimate public experience for classical music.
Joshua Bell played the same music he did as an incognito busker (2007), except this time he held a capacity crowd spellbound. You can read about the performance here, and listen to the entire concert on YouTube Here.
Elizabeth Fais 
Spectacular–Dylan sure has some self-composure! And I fell in love with Joshua Bell all over again. Wow.
Dylan is an amazing young man. I don’t think I’d be that composed on national TV. EVER! Joshua Bell never ceases to amaze me. It’s hard not to love a guy who devotes so much to encouraging and helping young musicians. 🙂
What an amazing violinist-the 11-yr-old. And so wonderful that he met his idol and played Bach with him. Thanks for sharing this.
It is such a heartwarming story. I literally cried the first time I watched the video. I had to share it with you all. I’m glad you enjoyed it too. 🙂
wow! the kid has composure – kept right on playing! beautiful video.
I know. Dylan has talent, composure, and looks. Like No. That’s just greedy. You get ONE. 🙂
Seriously, though. My heart melts with everything good when I see a kid like Dylan. He obviously has support at home that encourages his talent and composure. I’ll be rooting him on over the years, sending him positive thoughts. Truly wonderful.
I’ve seen the Joshua-Bell-as-busker clip before. Never mind if the talent behind the instrument is the nation’s greatest or someone simply striving to be, it always amazes me that we are so wrapped up in our own schedules that we seldom slow down for a moment to appreciate beauty. Whether it is a budding flower, a work of art, or a piece of music, art is meant to be enjoyed. Elizabeth, thanks for this reminder to look for the beauty around me, and to pause every now and then to bask in a moment of joy.
You are so right. Technology has sped up our culture, not helped us to slow down. I get caught up in that race and have to remind myself take time to enjoy the little things which add so much joy to our lives. I certainly pay much closer attention to street performers after seeing the clip of Joshua Bell’s busking experiment. We’ve been conditioned to think that if something is in an ordinary setting and is *free* that it isn’t extraordinary.
Just this last week Joshua Bell did an encore performance at the DC train station, this time playing with a youth orchestra he’d been teaching in a master class. The event was publicized and the place was PACKED. Quite the encore comeback 🙂