By Roselle Chen
NEW YORK, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Live music from a violin and bass plays on a corner of New York City, drawing passersby on a cold February day.
With an empty showcase as a stage, the musicians work their magic again, amplified by outdoor sound systems, in a city whose concert halls have been silenced by the pandemic.
“It’s refreshing,” said passerby Richie Clarke. “Just being here and listening to it reminds me of the magic of New York that you know is always there, but it’s like turning it back on,” he added.
“That” joyous moment in the day “is what Kate Sheeran, executive director of the Kaufman Music Center, hopes to bring audiences through her concert series called Musical Storefronts.
More than 100 chamber musicians and Broadway stars will perform 60 shows through mid-March, funded by the Alphadyne Foundation, which employs artists whose live concerts have been canceled by the pandemic.
To ensure social distancing, window shows in the Upper West Side neighborhood are announced on the same day.
“One of the best things about music is that it helps us build community and have community experiences, and it’s one of the reasons we’ve been missing so much,” Sheeran said.
“I think we’ve been starving for this kind of art and this kind of connection and it’s beautiful to see it every day,” he added.
Live music can help viewers “reflect” and give them “a break in the day,” said Jessie Montgomery, who plays the violin in the classical music duo Big Dog Little Dog.
“It immerses you in the present, no matter where you are, and that’s what I hope to do for people when it happens,” added Eleonore Oppenheim, the duo’s bassist. (Reuters Television report. Edited in Spanish by Lucila Sigal)
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